Original scientific paper
ROLE OF SLOVENIAN PARLIAMENT IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION, LEGISLATIVE RECONSTRUCTION AND EU MEMBERSHIP
Drago Zajc
; Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Slovenian state assembly can be categorized as one of those new
parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe that were not only beneficiaries
of democratization but also major actors in the transition from
the former socialist into a democratic system. It was in the forefront
of the modernization of the entire legislature in the second stage of
Europeization and played a major role in the process of EU accession.
The state assembly as a new parliament has undoubtedly
reached a satisfactory level of institutional and organizational competence.
The problem is, however, its genuine subjective or “cultural
capacity”. The lack of such capacities among the delegates in the
process of EU accession was occasionally manifested in a huge disparity
between the lip service to the EU membership and its values
and the real understanding of the functioning of its institutions and
goals. On numerous occasions there was a marked contrast between
the idealized perceptions about how after the EU accession everything
was going to be simpler and the pessimistic predictions about
“drowning” in the EU. The Slovenian parliamentary elite has not yet
fuly grasped the reality that the so called “internal” issues have
largely become the European issues or that the European issues have
already become “national” issues.
On the other hand, too little attention is paid to the question of
how demanding the participation of the Slovenian parliament in the
circumstances of the full membership really is. The representatives
will be exposed to a much more intensive flow of information from
the EU institutions and the reaction time will get shorter. This will
mean that the delegates will increasingly respond “reactively” instead
of “actively”.
The conlusion is that the state assembly at the commencement of
its fourth mandate and following Slovenia’s EU accession is not yet
fully qualified to participate – via the government – in the process of
EU decision-making from the perspective of a swift grasp of vital information
and taking stands; neither is it in the position to properly
monitor the government. Also, the state assembly is not conversant
enough in translating the European politics into the Slovenian setting
since it lacks the necessary experience, knowledge and routine in operating
in the new circumstances of multilevel decision-making. Due
to this lack of precedents, the real hard work is only beginning.
Keywords
Slovenian state assembly; transition; legislative modernization; capacities; European Union; European politics
Hrčak ID:
21054
URI
Publication date:
18.1.2006.
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