OSCE/ODIHR Opinion on the draft law on parliamentary oversight in Bosnia and Herzegovina

This Opinion on the Draft Law on Parliamentary Oversight of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina was prepared in response to a request from the Ad Hoc Joint Committee responsible for preparing the Draft Law received by ODIHR in May 2016.

The Opinion highlights the importance of vigorous parliamentary scrutiny of the government as an essential element of democratic governance based on the rule of law. While the oversight framework established by the Draft Law is generally in line with good practices existing in the OSCE  region, the Opinion offers a number of recommendations on how to improve the Draft Law's structure and strengthen the mechanisms of oversight to ensure that they are effective in practice. ln particular, the Opinion recommends increasing the role of the parliamentary opposition in the oversight process as well as clarifying and strengthening certain key powers belonging to parliamentary oversight bodies.