On 20th of May, the Non-Governmental and International Organizations, participating in the Open Parliament Georgia Working Group, met regarding the issues of Parliamentary Openness. Meeting was held within the project “Supporting Parliament of Georgia Involvement in Open Government Partnership” that is implemented by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) with the partnership of the Parliament of Georgia within the joint project of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “Strengthening the System of Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”.

Meeting was headed by the Chairman of IDFI, Levan Avalishvili. Representatives of Non-Governmental and International Organizations presented their recommendations, which should be considered during the working process on Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan. Parliamentary Secretary of Transparency Georgia, Lika Sajaia discussed the recommendations connected to Parliamentary Openness. She also spoke about recommendations that TI Georgia has compiled for the Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan.

Vazha Salamadze, representative of the Civil Society Institute, talked about the commitments, which can be taken into the account by the Parliament of Georgia. “Parliament should promote the development and involvement of civil society organizations”, he said. Institute for development of freedom of Information (IDFI) presented following recommendations: E-Petitions (statements, as well as legislative initiatives) submitted through the web-page of the Parliament of Georgia; E-Consultation system, that will give possibility to the Parliament of Georgia to give consultations to any interested physical or legal entity about the draft bills; engagement of the citizens in the state budget planning process; etc.

The next meeting of the Inter-Factional Group and the Open Parliament Georgia Working Group will be held in Kazbegi, on May 23. Non-governmental and International Organizations will present recommendations for Open Parliament Georgia Action Plan.