TAS Europrojects, (in a consortium led by IMG with the French National Assembly, Ecole Nationale d’Administration, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh org., and ) has been awarded an Agreement by the European Commission to carry out a project to assist in parliamentary development in Lebanon. The intervention will respond to specific needs expressed by the Parliament of Lebanon. Based on the Terms of Reference of the European Commission the project will provide support in the following areas:

    • Law-making process
    • Parliamentary Oversight
    • Research and Policy Analysis Capacity
    • Institutional Role

The support to the Parliament is aiming at strengthening the capacities of MPs and staffers. The activities target the improvement of the practice of scrutiny of draft legislation, and concentrate on the duties and responsibilities of the different parliamentary bodies, as well as the working methods and mechanisms to improve the quality of the legislation in general. In the area of parliamentary oversight the rules that are important for the oversight function will be examined and recommendations will be developed for strengthening oversight capacities. In the research component a research strategy will be developed and staffers will be trained on modern research techniques. Recommendations will provided on how to use more effectively internal and external available research resources. The project will organize activities, which show good examples on how the parliamentary activities can get more visibility. A more visible institution will result in a more effective legislative process and at the same time ensure stronger support for the democratic structures in the country. Support will also be provided to promote an effective use of modern, up-to-date communication channels; first and foremost the internet based communication with special focus on the content of the website of the parliament.

The general objectives of the project are:

    • Improved quality of legislation and more effective and transparent legislative process in Parliament;
    • Increased use of oversight instruments by Parliament and parliamentary committees;
    • Development and implementation of a research strategy in Parliament;
    • Increased use by MPs and parliamentary committees of internal and external research resources;
    • Increased visibility for the citizens of parliamentary activities.
    • More effective use of the parliamentary website.