European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments May 30-31, 2006 Tallinn, Estonia

European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments

Tallinn, Estonia

May 30-31, 2006

Theme II “Role of parliaments in promoting pluralistic democracy at home and abroad”

Statement by Mrs Anna PSAROUDA-BENAKI,

President of the Hellenic Chamber of Deputies

Mr. President, dear colleagues,

It is with great pleasure that I have accepted the proposal of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Van der Linden, to speak to you today on a very important and topical issue. “The role of Parliaments in promoting pluralistic democracy” is by itself a very “attractive” subject and at the same time a “challenge” for us, Presidents of Parliamentary Assemblies who, in the context of our parliamentary work, are often confronted with its specific dimensions, both at home as well as at the level of international relations in today’s era of globalization.

In our times, the coexistence of many ideologies, religions and cultural specificities within one society is the main characteristic of pluralistic democracy and a natural consequence of the historic and political upheavals that have taken place during the 20^th century. It is obvious that the desired stabilization of Europe as an area of freedom and security presupposes the gradual integration of these pluralistic elements in the social and political structure of states. Parliaments, as the foremost expression of popular will, play a pivotal role in this integration process. Their role is crucial not only in initiating political dialogue and contributing to the resolution of problems arising from the coexistence of these different elements, but mainly in adopting the necessary legal framework that enshrines and promotes pluralistic democracy.

There is no doubt that Parliaments can act in many ways so as to ensure that pluralistic democracy acquires a parliamentary dimension reflecting the diversity of modern society. Please allow me, at this point, to use as examples in support of my thoughts, two typical sectors that present “pluralistic” interest: the first one is the political integration of different religious, racial or cultural groups, mostly the result of immigration, and the second one is achieving balance between conflicting views as regards the protection of the environment. The question is how Parliaments may contribute to the management of these issues both at home and abroad.

The increase of immigration flows in Europe has resulted in demographic changes, creating the need for new legislative regulations to ensure, on the one hand, better social and economic integration of migrants and, on the other, the adoption of measures for combating illegal migration. The European Union and the Member States are attaching special importance to the issue of migration and are aiming at a common migration policy that will guarantee respect for diversity, the protection of migrants’ human rights, as well as their integration in national societies. In addition to their legislative and control duties, Parliaments can and should become actively involved in the political debate that is taking place in Europe on this major issue and adjust these elements to suit local situations. In other words, Parliaments should study and discuss such issues in depth at a national level.

In this respect, I find it worth mentioning the recent creation of a special inter-party committee at the Hellenic Parliament, entrusted with the follow-up of migration policies at national and European level. In the context of its activities, this committee may invite at hearings non-parliamentary experts, examine legislative proposals and issue relevant opinions.

Furthermore, another important question for Parliaments, is how to organize the participation in parliamentary procedures of the different ethnic, religious or cultural groups living in a state, when their members acquire citizen status in the country concerned.

Political parties are a fundamental factor for the operation of democracy and of Parliaments in particular. Political parties are ideological and political formations, which represent an essential component of a state’s constitutional organization. Society’s diversity should therefore be expressed through the political parties that form the Parliaments. In this respect, two solutions are basically being proposed: the creation of separate parties that will represent the religious, racial or cultural identity of their members, or the inclusion of representatives of religious or cultural minorities in existing broader political – ideological formations.

In my view, pluralistic democracies function more efficiently when religious, national or cultural minorities living within the same society can express themselves through the already existing parties that have a clear political ideological identity. In this way, parties can effectively express all members of society, while individual differences are reflected in the political debate among the political parties within national parliaments.

An obvious condition for the proper operation of this system is an internal democratic organization of parties that will ensure that religious, racial or other differences are reflected within party structures. In this way, pluralistic democracy will express society as a whole, with its individual diversities.

The second example refers to the different trends and ideologies that have developed around the issue of environmental protection. As a rule, economic growth requirements will conflict with the need to safeguard quality of life. For this reason, the golden mean usually consists in applying the term “sustainable development”, which needs, however, to be clarified. The treaty of Kyoto has turned a new page in this particular field. The monitoring and assessment of the urban and natural environment’ s condition, its protection from manmade effects and natural disasters, the promotion of sustainable development policies and renewable energy sources are just a small portion of environmental concerns. The protection of the environment coupled with economic development is a global issue of utmost importance requiring concerted action on the part of governments, local authorities and civil society. The Hellenic Parliament has recently formed a special parliamentary committee for the environment; this committee regularly evaluates the different laws and strategies on environmental protection, invites to hearings relevant parliamentary or non-parliamentary bodies, works closely with national and European institutions and organizations and draws up a report that is communicated to Parliament, the government and other interested parties.

In addition to these two indicative examples, modern pluralistic societies have many more, extremely important problems to deal with, requiring action on the part of Parliaments either on an autonomous basis, or in the context of international cooperation. It is worth mentioning here, as an example, the first World Conference of Women Parliamentarians, which was held in 2004 on the subject of protecting children and young people.

The question of how pluralistic democracy can be promoted by Parliaments abroad is linked to the search for more effective forms of cooperation between them. There are many available options:

First of all, I would be in favor of institutionalizing discussion and reviewing by the respective standing committees of national Parliaments of the decisions and recommendations adopted by the Parliamentary Assemblies of European organizations among which the Council of Europe holds a prominent position. The outcome of such discussions could be significant for enhancing political speech at national and European level. Another form of cooperation could be based on continuous and systematic communication among respective standing committees of national Parliaments and Parliamentary Assemblies on issues of common concern such as migration, gender equality and environment.

Parliamentary scrutiny of governments is one of the most important and “traditional” tasks of Parliaments. All available means of parliamentary control such as questions, petitions, interpellations etc. can be used for the purpose of controlling governments with respect to initiatives or activities undertaken by international organizations in which government representatives participate.

Finally, every Parliament uses procedures of organized political debate in Plenary, although the name may vary from country to country. Such debate on the contents of various recommendations, reports or resolutions of international organizations and Parliamentary Assemblies certainly contributes to constructive dialogue and broader supranational reflection.

Dear colleagues,

The Parliaments of European countries represent the people and are committed to the same principles and values, which underpin the cultural, religious and humanitarian heritage of Europe; a heritage common to us all and yet so rich in its diversity. It follows that Parliaments, as trustees of democracy, should seek in promoting pluralistic democracy enhanced cooperation, exchange of information, know-how and best practices on institutional or parliamentary issues as well as on any other area that needs to be regulated by the legislator. The role of Parliaments is therefore enlarged and covers practically all fields of human activity. In other words, the protection of the individual’s rights as well as facing the challenges of European society - such as the management of migration issues, environmental pollution, countering terrorism and trafficking in human beings - are no longer areas strictly restricted to government action; they represent, on the contrary, areas in which Parliaments play an effective role.

The coexistence of different ideologies, religions and cultures within European society has led our continent to follow a political philosophy of integration and complementarity. The role of national Parliaments and Parliamentary Assemblies is becoming more important since they express the popular will and thus must act as mediators between local and national needs on the one hand, and international and supranational requirements on the other. I believe that in this way it will be possible to establish a more efficient system of ongoing cooperation on questions of common interest that are constantly emerging, causing concern to Europe as it moves towards the future.