History

In cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme and the National Democratic Institute for International Studies, the Parliamentary Institute participates in international development projects focused on the development of parliamentary democracy, particularly in the Balkans and post-Soviet states. PI staff worked as lecturers in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. The Parliamentary Institute hosted seminars for members of parliament and officials from the parliaments of Uzbekistan, Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova, Armenia and others.

Together with experts from the parliaments of France and Hungary, PI staff participated in the implementation of a twinning programme funded by the European Commission, which aimed to improve the work of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of the legislative process, the Parliament’s scrutiny functions vis-à-vis the Government and the implementation of European law.

In 2017, the Parliamentary Institute successfully completed the implementation of an EU development cooperation project with Lebanon. A PI staff member served as a senior expert in developing the research service of the Lebanese Parliament. The project aimed at strengthening the parliamentary structures in the fields of the legislative process and parliamentary control of the Government. It is a form of technical assistance that helps not only to build the institutional capacity of the Lebanese Parliament, but also to strengthen the professional capacity of the Parliament staff to provide adequate and qualified support to the Members of Parliament so that the basic functions of the Parliament can be exercised.

Since September 2017, the Parliamentary Institute, as a senior partner, has implemented a two-year twinning project ‘Strengthening the capacities of the Parliament of Moldova for EU approximation process’ together with the parliaments of Hungary and Slovakia. The aim of the project was to assist the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in the process of approximation of the national legal order to EU law in accordance with the obligations arising from the Association Agreement concluded between Moldova and the EU. The project was implemented in four separate components:

  • Changing the decision-making procedures in the Parliament to enable approximation of the law (amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament)
  • Training of Deputies and parliamentary staff on EU affairs
  • Practical assistance with approximation of selected regulations
  • Creating tools for communication between the Government and the Parliament in the field of approximation of European law


The present

In December 2020, the National Democratic Institute signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Parliament of Albania to establish a Parliamentary Institute in the Parliament of Albania. The PI was involved in the preparation and training of the staff, cooperating with colleagues from the PI of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and the PI of the Parliament of Montenegro. Thus, this is another parliamentary research institution that builds on the experience of our Institute.

Through the Parliamentary Institute, the Office of the Chamber of Deputies participates in the European Commission’s parliamentary cooperation project INTER PARES: ‘Parliaments in Partnership’, focusing on bilateral cooperation between parliaments of EU Member States and parliaments of third countries around the world. As part of the INTER PARES project, the Parliamentary Institute has been cooperating with the Parliament of Malawi since August 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all activities within the framework of the partnership with the Parliament of Malawi are implemented online. The actual cooperation project with the Parliament of Malawi consists of three components dedicated to different activities of the Parliament:

  • Strengthening internal research and analytical capacities to meet the needs of the Parliament;
  • Strengthening analytical activities related to the preparation and approval of the national budget;
  • Strengthening the Parliament’s capacity for communication and education of the public.