"Restore stability, transparency, openness and primacy in lawmaking". Conference summarising the first months of operation of the public consultation mechanics involving the Marshal of the Sejm

sejm.gov.pl 2 months ago

Thursday, April 24, 2025 16:00

On Thursday, April 24th, a conference “Objective – Better Law” was held in the Sejm. Assessment of the impact of the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm of 26 July 2024.’ The event summarizing the first months of the European-scale innovative mechanics for public consultation of draft laws was attended by Marshal Szymon Hołownia and Deputy Marshal Dorota Sunday. There were parliamentarians, experts and representatives of NGOs and representatives of science. The participants of the gathering shared their comments and observations on the consultation mechanics introduced in November, which is simply a fresh form of social participation in legislative proceedings.

– This mechanics truly works. It should be developed, continued, due to the fact that it serves well the state's systemic stability. This is restoring stability, transparency, openness and the primacy of substance in lawmaking. Members frequently trust on the results of the public consultation. Thanks to them, they get the voice of citizens to whom they can relate," said the Marshal of the Sejm during the meeting.

– We are in a place where, after 8 very hard years for parliamentary people, we request to start restoring any simple standards, introducing fresh developments, so that the law is made with a clear, transparent participation and division into roles, citizens, experts and MPs," said Szymon Holownia.

– This is simply a change that helps Members and the people who make the law, but most importantly, that we affect society in the creation of the law – said Deputy Marshal of the Parliament Dorota Sunday.

– This is simply a dialog worth participating in. This dialog helps all those who make law in Poland and can take into account the attention of people who will later be recipients of the created law," she added.

President of the Government Legislative Centre Joanna Knapińska noted that the most frequently mentioned word in the study on changes to the Sejm Regulations of 26 July 2024 is "transparency". “This better law is our DNA and for us, in government administration transparency, participation, these are priorities,” she said.

– Being heard for a citizen is the most crucial thing. The value in itself is the design, good law and citizens' participation in the creation of this law. The success has already been achieved here today. At Parliament level, at the level of the Chancellery of the Sejm this is surely a reform," she pointed out.

Mr Zakroczymski, the CEO of the Cabinet of the Marshal of the Sejm, then spoke. – Implementation of all these changes was a immense challenge for the Chancellery of the Sejm and its individual offices. However, it is not a one-time act, but a trial. The office of the Sejm remains in dialog with the social side as regards comments on this system," he stressed.

The conference was accompanied by the publication of a study summarising the period of operation of the legislative reform. Its authors are employees of the Chancellery of the Sejm, who implemented fresh solutions in force and representatives of NGOs dealing with quality of public life control, social participation and the legislative process. The text of the study is attached below.

Annexes:

Purpose: Better Law. improvement of the Sejm Rules of Procedure of 26 July 2024.

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