|
|
Commission Report 2002 (Slovakia)
During the reporting
period, the Parliament has continued to make steady progress in implementing
last year's constitutional reform. In December 2001, it adopted the Act
on the Ombudsman and, subsequently, elected the first office-holder for this
post. In February 2002, the Act on the Organisation of the Constitutional
Court was amended, strengthening the competencies of this institution. The
constitutional provisions to widen the self-administration of the judiciary
were transposed by the adoption of the Act on the Judicial Council in April
2002. Furthermore, the Parliament agreed on provisions to facilitate the
transposition of EC legislation by introducing the possibility of issuing
Government decrees in certain circumstances.
In April 2002, the Parliament complemented last year's Security and
Defence Strategy by adopting the Act on State Security. This Act was widely
supported by the Opposition, confirming Parliament's broad support for
the country's integration into the EU.
The Opposition has continued to refuse to take seats offered to it after
the last parliamentary elections in 1998 in six Parliamentary Committees and
Supervisory Bodies, thus hampering their proper functioning.
Despite the ongoing fragmentation of the parliamentary groups, with the
number of independent MPs quadrupling, the broad ruling coalition has managed
to maintain a certain level of political stability, as reflected in the
above-mentioned adoption of key pieces of legislation. Overall, in the
reporting period the Parliament has adopted 232 laws.
The legal uncertainties surrounding the validity of two contradictory
presidential amnesties, as reported in past years, have remained.
© European Commission; last modified 2003-05-22
|
|
