At a press conference marking the end of the 42nd National Assembly’s second session, the speaker of parliament, Mihail Mikov, has stated that the new Election Code is likely to be adopted by the parliament by the end of March. The draft has already been assigned to the reporting committee. He mentioned the next session’s schedule will be overloaded in connection with the elections for Members of the European Parliament to be held in May 2014.He said the elections for European Parliament could become a good platform for Bulgaria to assert itself in the European Union.

Mihail Mikov announced that besides the BGN 15 million to be distributed among pensioners for Christmas, funds at the amount of BGN 11 million saved from the budget of the National Assembly will go back to the state budget. He said it was not the right time for a new parliamentary hall, the construction of which would be expansive and would hamper the work of lawmakers. He mentioned there were ideas to make the working conditions in the present hall more efficient with less money.

He reported that during the Second Session the Assembly had established stronger relations with the parliaments of the neighboring countries and had started the live broadcast of the meetings of the parliamentary committees, so as to make public the legislative process from the moment a bill is moved in the parliament to the very end, when it is passed by lawmakers. He expressed his hope that in the next session the parliament will follow the bequest of Exarch Antim I to work out laws “from the people and for the people”. That means, he explained, to take decisions in an open and transparent way. He added he hoped the parliament will overcome the heavy confrontation of the last session.

Mihal Mikov has stated the parliament’s oversight duties should be further enlarged and the latter should take upon a stronger role in the elaboration of the stances of Bulgaria before the EU, by asking the cabinet to provide well in advance their work schedule on the issues concerning the positions of Bulgaria in the EU.

Information on the legislative activity and the parliamentary oversight exercised by the 42nd National Assembly since the beginning of its mandate and during its Second Session

Legislative activity

Since its beginning the 42nd National Assembly has passed 75 laws, 170 resolutions and 2 declarations. The information covers the period of 21 May 2013 till December 20th 2013 and is prepared by the parliamentary Press Center and the Legal Affairs Directorate of the National Assembly.

Since the time of its constitution the 42nd National Assembly has held 84 plenary sittings, including 9 extraordinary ones.

Since the beginning of its mandate the National Assembly has received 176 bills, 99 moved by members of the parliament. 204 draft resolutions were submitted in the parliament, some 192 drafted by lawmakers. During the period 4 draft addresses and declarations were filed in.

During the Second Session, the 42nd National Assembly has passed 52 laws, 80 resolutions and 2 declarations. In the course of the session, dated 1 September – 20 December 2013, were submitted 102 draft bills, 48 of which moved by deputies. During this session were submitted 95 draft resolutions, 94 proposed by deputies.

During its Second Session the 42nd National Assembly has held 52 plenary sittings, 8 of which extraordinary.

Parliamentary oversight

Since the beginning of the mandate until 19 December 2013, the 42nd National Assembly has received 666 questions and 144 enquiries on behalf of lawmakers addressed to ministers of the Plamen Oresharski’s cabinet and to the caretaker government of Marin Raykov. 549 questions and 87 enquiries received answers. Two discussions related to one enquiry and 3 hearings were held.

During the Second Session were submitted 423 topical questions and 98 enquiries. Held were one discussion over an enquiry and one hearing and two no confidence votes were rejected.

There were12 plenary sittings dedicated to parliamentary control in Fridays and 4 pursuant to art. 102 of the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the National Assembly. The time spent for parliamentary control in the second session is 54 hours and 28 minutes.

During the Second Session a discussion was held over the enquiry addressed to the Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, by the MPs Sergey Stanishev and Lutvi Mestan related to the negotiations and the positions of Bulgaria regarding the EU Multiannual Financial Frame for 2014-2020. The request to hold the discussion was submitted by 71 lawmakers of the parliamentary groups of Coalition for Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

One hearing on the request of members of the GERB parliamentary group was held. At the hearing the Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski delivered information on the crisis in Syria and the position of the Council of Ministers. 

During the second session two no-confidence motions against the government of Plamen Oresharski were submitted by 96 deputies from the GERB parliamentary group. Both were rejected.