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From June 30 to July 1, in Bundesrat, Berlin the workshop titled the Budgetary Sovereignty of Parliaments organized by the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD) was held.

Issues connected with the necessity of having relevant financial resources of parliaments through the parliamentary budgets or effectively solving their problems were discussed. The participants analyzed how the legislative bodies can have an effect on the budget drafting and adoption, clarify how the latter make use of budgetary sovereignty.

Issues regarding the financing of the parliamentary groups and political parties, the oversight of the parliaments’ budgets by the courts, audit committees and offices through the budgets of the legislative bodies were discussed by practically applied examples and introducing the exchange of ideas in small groups.

Representatives of parliaments of 40 countries took part in the workshop. The leading specialist of the Financial and Economic Expertise Division of the Expertise and Analytical Department of the Staff of the National Assembly Ani Gyozalyan represented Armenia. The latter delivered a speech within the framework of the topic The Financing of the Political Parties and Alliances of Parties in the Republic of Armenia.

The report arose interest, as the majority of the participants noted that there is no such regulation in their countries. The participants substantively and comprehensively discussed the topic and touched upon numerous issues in the Q & A session.

Let us note that the participation of the RA National Assembly in the workshop was carried out with the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Modern Parliament for a Modern Armenia and financed by the Government of Sweden.