Members of Parliament and parliament staff conduct oversight simulation during event in Mavrovo, organized by OSCE Mission to Skopje and National Democratic Institute

Members of Parliament, parliament service staff and representatives from the government and civil society organizations participated in an oversight simulation in Mavrovo from 23 to 25 November 2018 to learn about and practice how to organize public hearings in the parliament.

During the three-day simulation, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the National Democratic Institute, participants were virtually transported to the imaginary Republic of Verduria to address the environmental fate of this fictional young country. To evaluate the country’s Law on Environmental Protection, participants engaged in three committee hearings – legislative, oversight and investigative. 

“The presence and participation of Members of Parliament from all major political parties demonstrate their will and commitment to bringing the parliament back into the centre of democratic life,” said the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Jeffrey Goldstein.

Goldstein also emphasized the importance of the role of the parliament service staff. “Only with a strong, proactive and capable service staff, will the parliament be able to introduce an effective system of checks and balances.”

Findings and recommendations from the simulation will not only help the participants; they will also help the Mission to better support the parliament in further improving the effectiveness of public hearings in the future.