Skopje, 27 November 2023 (MIA) - The new Rules of Procedure which was adopted by Parliament within the frameworks of the Jean Monnet process last week will be finalized in Paris with a meeting attended by Macedonian MPs, officials, and several MEPs who mediated the Parliamentary session.

The meeting will be held December 8-9 at the Jean Monnet House in Paris, who is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the European Union.

Talks about the new Rules of Procedure begun at the previous parliamentary composition that was attended by several MPs including MEPs Ilhan Kyuchyuk, who is rapporteur on North Macedonia's progress towards EU accession, Andreas Schieder, Marion Walsmann, Ivo Vajgl, Eduard Kukan, and Knut Fleckenstein.

At a media briefing on Monday, Parliament Speaker Xhaferi said that MEPs will submit the report on the discussions and adoption of the new Rules of Procedure to the European Parliament.

The new parliamentary rulebook was adopted by all parliamentary groups, except for two Levica MPs, during which an accident occurred when MP Borislav Krmov damaged inventory at the Parliament Speaker's table worth over EUR 9,000.

Speaker Xhaferi said that the new Rules of Procedure will not allow sessions started in 2020 to remain incomplete in 2023, as was the case today. A new Parliament Speaker will have to be elected within three days of the constitution of the new Parliament, while the new regulations provide for shortening of other deadlines and novelties. Levica MPs objected to this because they believe that the new rulebook permits "filibustering."

He also informed that four candidates applied for a membership at the State Election Commission, and that the law does not say that the party from which the candidate is to be elected should be from the opposition. Xhaferi refused to comment on statements made by the Alliance for Albanians that they have their own candidate, saying that the choice belongs to the parties, noting that if they feel that the parties require an interpretation of the law that they should seek its authentic interpretation. And added that, it should be taken into account that a member of the State Election Commission (SEC) should be elected with a two-third majority, and that if no member is elected, then the procedure must be repeated.

Regarding the possibility of Boris Kondarko, a current SEC member, becoming a new member and president of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, with interviews having ended on Saturday, Xhaferi said that those who make the decision should keep in mind that the procedure should be completed by the end of February.

The Parliament Speaker informed that a committee discussion on the proposal for the 2024 Budget will take place on December 4 and should be completed by December 16, and the start of the plenary session will take place on December 21 or 22. Another distribution of funds for this year has been announced, and the session will be scheduled for either December 18, 19 and/or 20.

President Stevo Pendarovski's annual address is scheduled for December 19, and the last parliamentary session for this year will take place on December 28. ssh/sk

Photo: MIA/MIA archive/Parliament