Albanian MPs go AWOL From Parliament

The report, which covers the period from July until February, says Albanian MPs frequently absent themselves from parliamentary commission meetings.

On the parliamentary commission for European integration, comprising nine MPs, for example, two opposition members were absent in 42 per cent and 39 per cent of the meetings respectively, and two members from the ruling majority missed 29 per cent and 25 per cent of the meetings.

Speaking during the presentation of the report, the head of the commission, Socialist MP Ditimir Bushati, said parliamentary performance needs to improve.

“This process continues to be somehow exotic and we continue to show signs of amateurism,” Bushati said.  

The report assesses that the performance of the parliamentary commission on national security has also been patchy in 2011.

Besides the absence of the opposition MPs from 70 per cent of the meetings during the first half of the year, monitors noticed a lack of engagement of committee members in discussions.

Another concerning issue observed in the monitoring report relates to the required quorum for the meetings of the committee of national security for the adoption of the decisions.

“During the first half of the year, several draft laws have passed with the attendance of only half or less than half of the members,” the report said.

“Taking for granted the accuracy of the minutes as official documents of the assembly, this renders the decisions null and void,” the report added.