{A delegation of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Wednesday started a five-day visit in Brussels, Belgium, in an effort to enhance relations with European Union (EU) Parliament.}
EALA Senior Public Relations Officer, Bobi Odiko said the benchmarking visit is expected to see the EALA meet and exchange ideas with Parliamentarians and key officials of the European Parliament and the European Commission, respectively.
He said the delegation, which is headed by the EALA Speaker, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, consists of Members of the Commission, Chairpersons of the Committees of EALA and key Parliamentary staff.
“This visit is fundamental as EALA makes its contribution to strengthening the integration dispensation,” Odiko said in a statement.
He further said: “The objectives of the benchmarking visit are noble. As you are aware, both the European Parliament and EALA share some unique attributes in terms of similarities and differences. Only the EU Parliament and EALA have legislative powers that supersede national laws.”
“The visit thus enables EALA members to learn and to be better informed about the EU Parliament as well as sharing of experiences.”
On Wednesday, legislators were expected to visit the Parliamentarians (visitors’ centre of the European Parliament) so as to learn more about the institutions of the EU and to acquaint themselves with the journey of European integration and the impact it has on the lives of the people.
EA regional MPs were also expected to have a session which was facilitated by a Parliamentary Consultant, Allistair Doherty on Committee processes.
Other areas of interest to be covered during the five-day tour include budgeting and financing of the European Parliament, relationships between the Parliament and National Parliaments, relationships between the EU Commission and the Parliament and how Parliamentary democracy works.
A key meeting with high ranking representatives of the European Commission shall be held on Friday this week. The visit is supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA).
The European Parliament has been on the scene longer than the EALA. The European Parliament was established in 1952 with 78 Members and initially had no legislative powers. Today, the Parliament which works closely with the Council of Ministers and the Commission (Secretariat) to exercise legislative functions has perhaps the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world. EALA on its part was inaugurated in 2001.
It is anticipated that the trip shall enable the sharing of experiences on best practices in legislative procedures, parliamentary administration and operation of committees. Further on, the trip creates an opportunity for future interactions and exchanges on current Parliamentary affairs.
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