A three-day training seminar and round table entitled "Strengthening the Information Position of Parliament: Connecting Knowledge with Power" began in Banja Luka, organized by the Center for European Security Studies from the Netherlands and the European Defendology Center Banja Luka, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and attended by the Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Boran Bosancic, MP and Chairman of the Security Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska Nedeljko Glamocak, members of the parliament's services, as well as international experts from the Netherlands and Belgium.
The training is dedicated to strengthening parliamentary oversight through the strategic use of knowledge and experience of developed democracies. Through interactive sessions and examples from the Netherlands and Belgium, participants explore ways to improve the availability of information, build their own capacities, and bridge the gap between internal needs and external sources of knowledge.
In his opening remarks, Boran Bosancic, Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, stated that the National Assembly is already implementing the practice of including civil society organizations and trade unions in the work of its committees, and that the experiences from the Netherlands and Belgium are valuable for improving parliamentary oversight.
“Our cooperation with the European Defendology Center is truly at a high level and thus directly with the Center for European Security Studies. I am sure that we will continue this cooperation in the coming period,” said Bosancic.
MP Nedeljko Glamocak said that this seminar is an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills on how to neutralize the political tone in security structures as much as possible.
“When it comes to the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, the Security Committee is its permanent working body. We have a good solution here because the Rules of Procedure stipulate that in each convocation, the chairman of the Security Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska is from the opposition parties,” said Glamocak.
The President of the European Defendology Center, Banja Luka, Dusko Vejnovic, emphasized the strategic importance of a strong information position in parliamentary oversight.
“Parliamentary oversight is a key level of power, which provides access to knowledge. The information position of the parliament enables MPs to recognize problems and formulate proposals in the interest of the public good,” said Vejnovic.
The seminar is being held at the Hotel Bosna and will last until October 1st.
