----------------------- Page 1----------------------- CROATIAN PARLIAMENT Pursuant to Article 80 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, at its session held on 28 June 2013, the Croatian Parliament adopted the STANDING ORDERS OF THE CROATIAN PARLIAMENT PART ONE INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS Article 1 The internal structure and operating procedures of the Croatian Parliament (hereinafter: Parliament) shall be governed by these Standing Orders. Article 2 These Standing Orders shall govern: - the constitution of Parliament, the commencement of duties by Members of Parliament, the suspension and termination of the term of office of Members of Parliament; - the exercise of the rights and duties of Members of Parliament ; - the rights and duties of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of Parliament ; - the rights and duties and operating procedures of the Presidency of Parliament ; - the authority, composition and operating procedures of working bodies of Parliament ; - relations between Parliament and the President of the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: President of the Republic); - relations between Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: Government); - activities of Parliament in European affairs; - procedures to enact legislation and to debate individual issues within the jurisdiction of Parliament; - procedures for the election and appointment to, or dismissal and recall from, Parliament; - the procedural rules during sessions of Parliament; - the transparency of the work of Parliament; - the performance of expert, administrative, technical and other tasks necessary for Parliament and for the management of such tasks; – the work of Parliament during a state of war or in conditions of clear and present danger to the independence and unity of the Republic of Croatia and in the event of natural disasters. Article 3 In terms of the provisions of these Standing Orders, the individual terms shall have the following meaning: - elected Member of Parliament shall mean a Croatian citizen who has reached the age of 18 and has been elected from the constituency list to Parliament, and whose term of office has not started by the time of the constitution of Parliament; ----------------------- Page 2----------------------- - Member of Parliament shall mean a Croatian citizen who has reached the age of 18 and has been elected from the constituency list to Parliament, and whose term of office in Parliament has started; - Chair of Parliament shall mean the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of Parliament who chairs the session of Parliament; - competent working body shall mean any working body of Parliament that monitors, debates and assumes a position on issues of a particular topic under its competence as stipulated by the provisions of these Standing Orders; - European affairs shall mean the issues arising from the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union; - documents of the European Union shall mean any legislative and non-legislative act and drafts and proposals thereof considered within the scope of the Council and the European Council, as well as other acts and documents of a political or legal nature considered and/or adopted by the institutions and other bodies of the European Union or by the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States at the EU level; - EU base shall mean the information and application system established as a module of the IKOS political documentation system at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs that is used as an additional technology tool for harmonising and approving the positions of the Republic of Croatia; - positions of the Republic of Croatia shall mean the positions on documents of the European Union which are adopted by the Government or another body nominated by the Government and upheld by the representatives of the Republic of Croatia in the respective decision-making processes or in debates at the EU level; - Work Programme for the Consideration of the Positions of the Republic of Croatia (hereinafter: Work Programme) shall mean the programme adopted by the European Affairs Committee on the basis of a deliberation of the work programme of the European Commission and the programmes of the presidencies of the Council of the European Union, and the list of draft legislative acts of the European Union submitted to Parliament by the Government; - reasoned opinion shall mean the opinion that Parliament submits to the President of the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union after establishing that an EU draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity. PART TWO CONSTITUTION OF PARLIAMENT, COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION OF THE TERM OF OFFICE OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT Article 4 Parliament shall be summoned to its first, constitutive session by the President of the Republic. ----------------------- Page 3----------------------- Until the election of the Speaker of Parliament, the session shall be temporarily chaired by the Speaker of Parliament from the preceding term, or if he/she is prevented from attending, by the oldest present Member of Parliament. Until the election of the Speaker of Parliament, the temporary chair shall have all rights and duties of the Speaker of Parliament with reference to chairing the session. Parliament shall be constituted with the election of the Speaker at the first session in which the majority of the Members of Parliament are present. After the election of the Speaker of Parliament, the elected Speaker shall take the chair. When Parliament is constituted, the Croatian national anthem shall be played. Article 5 At its constitutive session, Parliament shall also elect the members to the Credentials and Privileges Commission. In addition to the Speaker of Parliament and the Commission referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, the Deputy Speakers of Parliament, the Secretary of Parliament and the Secretary of the Session of Parliament, the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee and other working bodies may also be elected at the constitutive session of Parliament. A minimum of 1/3 of elected Members of Parliament shall be entitled to submit proposals for the election of the bodies referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 hereof at the constitutive session. Article 6 At the constitutive session, the Credentials and Privileges Commission shall submit a report to Parliament on the held parliamentary elections and the names of elected Members of Parliament, on resignations tendered by Members of Parliament, on the names of the Members of Parliament who are engaged in duties that do not comply with parliamentary duties so their terms as Members of Parliament are suspended, on the names of Members of Parliament whose terms have been suspended at their own request, and on the substitute Members of Parliament who shall begin performing these parliamentary duties in their stead. Elected Members of Parliament who intend to resign or suspend their term shall inform the Speaker of Parliament thereof at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the constitutive session. Substitute Members of Parliament appointed pursuant to the provisions of the law governing the election of Members of the Croatian Parliament shall attend the constitutive session instead of the Members of Parliament who resigned or suspended their terms. Parliament shall accept the report of the Credentials and Privileges Commission by adopting a conclusion. Article 7 After Parliament accepts the report of the Credentials and Privileges Commission on the held parliamentary elections, the Members of Parliament shall swear an oath before the chair of Parliament (hereinafter: chair). The text of the oath reads as follows: “I swear upon my honour that I shall perform the duties of Member of the Croatian Parliament with dedication and accountability, and that in my work I shall uphold the Constitution and laws and adhere to the legal order and that I shall be committed to the general advancement of the Republic of Croatia.” ----------------------- Page 4----------------------- The chair shall recite the text of the oath and afterward shall call on each Member of Parliament by name, and the Member of Parliament shall take the oath by standing up and saying: “I do so swear.” The report referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be announced in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) of the Republic of Croatia. Article 8 Any Member of Parliament who was not present at the constitutive session of Parliament shall swear the oath at the next session of Parliament. Any Member of Parliament or substitute Member of Parliament not present at the session in which Parliament decided on the commencement of his/her term shall swear the oath at the next session. Article 9 Members of Parliament shall begin performing their duties as of the date of the constitutive session of Parliament, and until the end of their term of office they shall have all rights and obligations of Members of Parliament as stipulated by the Constitution, law and these Standing Orders. Substitute Members of Parliament shall begin performing their duties as of the date when Parliament establishes by a decision the legal prerequisites for the application of the institute of substitution. The decision referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall be published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine). Article 10 The term of office of a Member of Parliament shall end on the date of the constitution of the new term of Parliament. In addition to the case set forth in paragraph 1 hereof, the term of office of a Member of Parliament shall also end: - if he/she tenders his/her resignation; - if he/she is deprived of his/her legal capacity by a final court ruling; - if he/she is sentenced to an unconditional prison term exceeding 6 months pursuant to a final court ruling; - upon his/her death. In the case of death, the term of office of a Member of Parliament shall end as of the date of his/her death. When, pursuant to the provisions of law and these Standing Orders, the conditions for the end of the term of office of a Member of Parliament are fulfilled, the term of office shall end as of the date on which Parliament decides on the end of the term of office. With the termination of a Member of Parliament’s term of office, his/her membership in bodies and organisations outside Parliament, to which he/she was appointed by Parliament from the ranks of Members of Parliament, shall also be terminated if the condition for such an appointment was the performance of the duty of Member of Parliament. His/her membership in working bodies of Parliament shall cease on that date as well. The decision referred to in paragraph 4 hereof shall be published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine). ----------------------- Page 5----------------------- Article 11 After the expiration of the term of Parliament (either by dissolution or expiration of the constitutionally designated period), the term of office of Members of Parliament shall continue until the constitution of a new term of Parliament. Article 12 The term of office of a Member of Parliament shall be suspended for the period he/she performs duties which are stipulated by law to be incompatible with the duties of Member of Parliament, i.e. for the period for which the Member of Parliament has suspended his/her term of office. During the period of suspension of the Member of Parliament’s term of office, all his/her rights and duties shall also be suspended, unless stipulated otherwise by law or these Standing Orders. Article 13 After the oath sworn by Members of Parliament and after the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of Parliament, the Secretary of Parliament and the Secretary of the Session of Parliament, the Credentials and Privileges Commission, the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee or other working bodies, the Speaker of Parliament shall propose the agenda for the working part of the constitutive session. PART THREE GENERAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT CHAPTER I – RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT General Provisions Article 14 The rights and duties of Members of Parliament are: - to participate in sessions of Parliament and debate and vote in such sessions ; - to table motions and pose questions; - to pose questions to the Prime Minister and members of the Government; - to participate in sessions of working bodies and to debate therein, and to vote in the working bodies of which they are members ; - to accept appointments determined for them by decisions of Parliament ; - to receive regular monetary remuneration and other rights pursuant to law. Members of Parliament also have other rights and duties as stipulated by the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, law and these Standing Orders. Delivery of materials to Members of Parliament Article 15 All official materials, documents and data (hereinafter: official documents) that are prepared or collected in the working bodies of Parliament and the Staff Service of Parliament, the Government, ministries and other state administration bodies, and which pertain to debates in Parliament and are necessary for the work and activities of Members of Parliament shall be made available to Members of Parliament in electronic form. Official documents referred to in paragraph 1 hereof may also be made available in writing upon a special request of Members of Parliament. Official documents which pursuant to law are marked as confidential shall be made available to Members of Parliament in writing. ----------------------- Page 6----------------------- Documents of the European Union shall be made available to Members of Parliament by announcement in the EU Base or in another appropriate way, except for documents classified as “Restricted”, which shall be delivered in writing. The documents of the European Union from the Work Programme and information on other documents of the European Union shall be delivered to Members of Parliament in accordance with the law governing co-operation between Parliament and the Government in European affairs. Notifications and explanations Article 16 The chairs of working body meetings and the chairpersons of working bodies shall be obliged to provide Members of Parliament with notifications and explanations on the positions, opinions, proposals and annotations of the working bodies of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall be obliged to provide Members of Parliament with notifications and explanations on the work of the Staff Service of Parliament. Data confidentiality Article 17 Members of Parliament shall be obliged to maintain the confidentiality of all data of which they acquire knowledge in the performance of their parliamentary duties and which are classified as confidential, and they shall be held accountable for this under law. Parliament may adopt a Code on Ethical Behaviour of Members of Parliament. Assistance of the Staff Service Article 18 Members of Parliament may request that the Staff Service of Parliament provide them with assistance in the performance of their parliamentary duties, primarily in preparing motions to be tabled, performing operations and tasks entrusted to them by a working body of Parliament, and provide supplemental documentation for individual items on the agenda of sessions of Parliament or working bodies, and they may additionally seek information and expert explanations. Technical and IT equipment and materials necessary for the performance of their duties shall be made available to Members of Parliament. Technical and other conditions for their work shall also be ensured. Parliamentary identification card Article 19 Members of Parliament shall be issued with parliamentary identification cards. The immunity rights of Members of Parliament shall be cited on their identification cards. Upon the termination and during the suspension of the term of office of a Member of Parliament, the Member of Parliament shall be obliged to return the parliamentary identification card. The form of the parliamentary identification card shall be established by a decision of Parliament at the proposal of the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee. The Secretary of Parliament shall administer the issuing of parliamentary identification cards and the records of issued cards. Verification of arrival of Members of Parliament ----------------------- Page 7----------------------- Article 20 Members of Parliament shall verify their arrival at Parliament electronically by using their parliamentary identification card. The participation of Members of Parliament in the work of working bodies, the travel of Members of Parliament as approved by the Speaker of Parliament, and obligations in political groups shall also be considered as arrival at Parliament referred to in paragraph 1 hereof. Monetary remuneration of Members of Parliament Article 21 From the date of the constitution of Parliament, or the commencement of performing parliamentary duties, until the date of the constitution of a new term of Parliament or until the date of cessation of performing parliamentary duties, Members of Parliament shall be entitled to a salary and other rights pursuant to law. Questionnaire for Members of Parliament Article 22 Immediately upon the commencement of performing parliamentary duties, Members of Parliament shall be obliged to complete a questionnaire. The content and form of the questionnaire referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be established by the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee. CHAPTER II – LEGAL IMMUNITY OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND POLITICAL GROUPS SECTION A – LEGAL IMMUNITY OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT Article 23 Members of Parliament shall have legal immunity from the date of the constitution of Parliament until the end of their term of office. When the conditions are fulfilled for pre-trial detention (remand) of a Member of Parliament or for filing criminal charges against a Member of Parliament, the authorised state body, or the injured party as plaintiff, or a private plaintiff shall be obliged to seek approval therefor from Parliament. Along with the request set out in paragraph 2 hereof, the private plaintiff shall also submit proof of bringing an action before a competent court. The request for approval for pre-trial detention (remand) or for filing criminal charges against a Member of Parliament shall be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament by the authorised state body or the injured party as plaintiff or private plaintiff for its referral to the Credentials and Privileges Commission. Article 24 The Credentials and Privileges Commission shall be obliged within three days of its date of delivery to deliberate on the request for approval for pre-trial detention (remand) or for filing criminal charges against a Member of Parliament as well as on the report on the pre-trial detention (remand) of a Member of Parliament caught in the act of committing a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of more than five years and to submit a report thereon to Parliament at the next scheduled session. Article 25 Based on the report of the Credentials and Privileges Commission, Parliament shall decide on the request for approval for pre-trial detention (remand) or for filing criminal charges against a Member of Parliament. ----------------------- Page 8----------------------- Article 26 Parliament shall inform the court of jurisdiction, the public prosecutor or the plaintiff of its decision pertaining to approval for pre-trial detention (remand) or for filing criminal charges against a Member of Parliament. Article 27 When Parliament is not in session, approval for the deprivation of freedom due to the ordering of pre-trial detention (remand) or for the continuation of criminal proceedings is granted by the Credentials and Privileges Commission, and this body shall additionally decide on the application of legal immunity for a Member of Parliament, with the subsequent confirmation of Parliament at the next scheduled session. A Member of Parliament who is called in for questioning by the authorities has the right to refuse to appear for such questioning. Article 28 When Parliament or the Credentials and Privileges Commission grants approval for pre- trial detention (remand) or for the filing of criminal charges against a Member of Parliament, pre-trial detention (remand) may be ordered for, or criminal proceedings may be conducted against, a Member of Parliament, but only for the criminal offence for which approval was granted. SECTION B – POLITICAL GROUPS Article 29 A political group in Parliament may be established by the decision of: - a political party which has no fewer than three Members of Parliament; - two or more political parties which jointly have no fewer than three Members of Parliament; - no fewer than three independent Members of Parliament; - political parties and independent Members of Parliament who jointly have no fewer than three Members of Parliament; - Members of Parliament elected as representatives of national minorities. A Member of Parliament may be a member of only one pol itical group, while a Member of Parliament representing a national minority may, in addition to being a member of the political group of national minorities, be a member of another political group, with the consent of that political group. The chairperson of a political group shall have the status of the chairperson of a parliamentary working body as this pertains to rights and obligations. Article 30 Political groups shall be obliged to submit the decision referred to in Article 29 of these Standing Orders to the Speaker of Parliament and the Secretary of Parliament. The procedural rules and data on the members shall be enclosed with the decision referred to in paragraph 1 hereof. Political groups shall also be obliged to notify the Speaker of Parliament and the Secretary of Parliament about any changes in their work and membership not later than three days from the occurrence of such change and shall enclose with the notification the signed statements of the accession to or withdrawal of a Member of Parliament from the political group. Article 31 ----------------------- Page 9----------------------- The Secretary of Parliament shall ensure adequate facilities and technical and other conditions for work for political groups proportional to the number of group members (meeting rooms, transcripts, photocopying, delivery of materials and other services). A political group shall be entitled by the decision of its chairperson to employ an official to act as political group secretary, the costs of which shall be covered by Parliament funds. Political groups may employ one official and, for every additional 15 members of the group, an additional official to perform professional and administrative tasks for the group, and the costs of their employment shall be covered by Parliament funds. The secretary of a political group referred to in paragraph 2 hereof and the official of the group referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article must meet the requirements stipulated by law and other regulations. By way of derogation, persons may be admitted to public service for a fixed period, i.e. until the date of the end of the term of Parliament, without holding an open competition or posting a vacancy notice for admission to public service. Public servants referred to in paragraph 5 hereof may not be deployed to posts outside the political groups. The legal provisions pertaining to the employment probation period, the state licence exam, and employee transfer and promotion shall not apply to the public servants referred to in paragraph 5 hereof. Public service of the public servant referred to in paragraph 5 hereof may cease before the end of the term of Parliament, based on the decision of the chairperson of the political group. PART FOUR SPEAKER, DEPUTY SPEAKERS, PRESIDENCY, SECRETARY AND STAFF SERVICE OF PARLIAMENT CHAPTER I – SPEAKER, DEPUTY SPEAKERS AND PRESIDENCY Article 31 Parliament has a Speaker and three to five Deputy Speakers. If three Deputy Speakers are elected, two are elected at the proposal of the parliamentary majority and one at the proposal of the parliamentary minority. If four Deputy Speakers are elected, two are elected at the proposal of the parliamentary majority and two at the proposal of the parliamentary minority. If five Deputy Speakers are elected, three are elected at the proposal of the parliamentary majority and two at the proposal of the parliamentary minority. Article 33 The Speaker of Parliament shall: - represent Parliament; - convene and preside over the sessions of Parliament; - table motions from authorised sponsors for stipulated procedures; - propose the agenda for sessions of Parliament; - manage the procedures for the enactment of laws and other regulations; - co-ordinate the activities of working bodies; - sign laws and other regulations enacted by Parliament; - refer enacted laws to the President of the Republic for promulgation; - manage relations between Parliament and the Government; ----------------------- Page 10----------------------- - co-sign decisions on the appointment of the Prime Minister and the appointment of members of the Government; - accept sponsorships ex officio; - approve, taking into account available funds, the travel of Members of Parliament abroad when they have been invited, as Members of Parliament, by a state or foreign organisation; - co-ordinate the work of standing delegations of Parliament in international parliamentary and other institutions; - determine, at the proposal of political groups, the composition of temporary delegations of Parliament in visits to foreign representative bodies and organisations, such that they generally correspond to the party structure of Parliament and observe the appropriate representation of both sexes; - determine the composition of temporary delegations in cases where he/she is invited abroad as the Speaker of Parliament, observing the appropriate representation of both sexes; - designate representatives of Parliament at ceremonial and other occasions, observing the appropriate representation of both sexes; - submit a request, at the proposal of the Secretary of Parliament, for securing funds for the work of Parliament and the Staff Service of Parliament; - ensure the protection of the rights and exercise of duties of Members of Parliament; - administer the oaths of elected and appointed officials, when specified by law and these Standing Orders; - perform other activities determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, law and these Standing Orders. Article 34 The Deputy Speakers of Parliament assist in the work of the Speaker of Parliament and perform those duties of the Speaker for which they are authorised by the Speaker. In the case of the absence of the Speaker of Parliament or his/her being prevented from performing the duties of Speaker, one of the Deputy Speakers who is designated by the Speaker of Parliament and elected from among the Members of Parliament of the parliamentary majority shall act in his/her stead. If the Speaker of Parliament does not designate or is unable to designate a Deputy Speaker, the Speaker’s duties are performed by a Deputy Speaker elected from among the Members of Parliament of the parliamentary majority. Article 35 The Speaker and Deputy Speakers together form the Presidency of Parliament. Article 36 At the invitation of the Speaker of Parliament, the Secretary of Parliament shall participate in the work of the Presidency of Parliament. The Speaker of Parliament may call the chairpersons of the working bodies and political groups to attend meetings of the Presidency of Parliament. Article 37 The Presidency of Parliament shall: - accept sponsorships on behalf of Parliament or a working body of Parliament; - establish the annual schedule of sessions of Parliament; - establish Draft Rules on the transparency of work of Parliament and its working bodies, which are adopted by Parliament; ----------------------- Page 11----------------------- - establish a Draft Decision on the Staff Service of Parliament, which is adopted by Parliament; - provide prior opinions on a Draft Ordinance on the Internal Structure of the Staff Service of Parliament; - determine the arrangement of seats of Members of Parliament in the session hall on the basis of membership in individual political groups; - decide, pursuant to law and in co-operation with the Secretary of Parliament, on the allocation of available working facilities in Parliament and residential units for official needs in Zagreb; - perform other activities as specified by these Standing Orders. The Presidency of Parliament shall make decisions within its competence by means of a majority of all present members, if a majority of its members are present at the meeting. Article 38 The Presidency of Parliament and the chairpersons of political groups shall: - deliberate on the agenda of the forthcoming session of Parliament; - deliberate on matters of importance to the work of Parliament; - promote the placement of specific topics on the agenda of sessions of Parliament; - deliberate on other matters in accordance with the provisions of these Standing Orders. CHAPTER II – SECRETARY AND STAFF SERVICE OF PARLIAMENT Article 39 Parliament shall have a Secretary. The Secretary of Parliament shall perform activities entrusted to him/her by the Speaker or Presidency of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall, as required, assist the Speaker of Parliament in the preparation of sessions of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall be accountable for the performance of operations to Parliament and to the Speaker of Parliament. Article 40 The Secretary of Parliament shall have a deputy. The Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall be the secretary of the plenary sessions of Parliament. The Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall replace the Secretary of Parliament when he/she is absent or prevented from attending. The Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall assist the Speaker of Parliament in the preparation and organisation of sessions of Parliament, and shall conduct other activities as stipulated by these Standing Orders or entrusted to him/her by the Speaker of Parliament. The Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall co-ordinate the work of employees of the Staff Service of Parliament who are engaged in the preparation of sessions of Parliament. In the case of his/her absence or being prevented from attending, the Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall be substituted in the tasks set forth in paragraphs 2, 4 and 5 of this Article by the Assistant Secretary of Parliament authorised therefor by the Speaker of Parliament. The Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall be accountable to Parliament for his/her work, while he/she shall also be accountable to the Secretary of Parliament for the activities he/she performs while substituting the Secretary. ----------------------- Page 12----------------------- Article 41 The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall be appointed to and dismissed from their duties by Parliament at the proposal of the Speaker of Parliament. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall be appointed for a term of four years and may be re-appointed to this post. Pertaining to the rights and in accordance with the provisions of law governing the rights and duties of Members of Parliament, the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Parliament shall have the status of chairperson and vice chairperson of a working body of Parliament. Article 42 Parliament shall establish a Staff Service of Parliament to perform professional, administrative, security, technical and other tasks. Parliament may also have staff services in common with the Office of the President of the Republic and the Government, as well as with other bodies of the Republic of Croatia, to perform specific tasks set forth in paragraph 1 hereof. Article 43 The Secretary of Parliament shall direct the work of the Staff Service of Parliament and adopt an Ordinance on the Internal Structure of the Staff Service of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall prepare a proposal for the securing of funds for the operations of Parliament and the Staff Service of Parliament, and shall be the chief executive in charge of the financial and material operations of Parliament and the Staff Service of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall conclude contracts and conduct other legal transactions of Parliament on behalf and for the account of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall be accountable to Parliament for his/her work and the operations of the Staff Service of Parliament. Pertaining to the Staff Service of Parliament, the Secretary of Parliament shall have the status of official at the head of a state administration body. PART FIVE WORKING BODIES OF PARLIAMENT CHAPTER I – BASIC PROVISIONS Types and operating procedures of working bodies of Parliament Article 44 Working bodies of Parliament shall be committees and commissions, established in accordance with these Standing Orders. Working bodies of Parliament shall debate motions and initiatives for the enactment of laws and other acts as well as other matters within the authority of Parliament. Working bodies shall monitor, within the limits of their competence, the work of the Government and other bodies whose work is overseen by Parliament pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and law. Working bodies shall deliberate on the reports of bodies and legal entities vested with public authority which they submit to Parliament pursuant to law. After deliberation, working bodies of Parliament shall adopt positions or establish draft legislation and report to Parliament thereon. Working bodies may deliberate on petitions and proposals submitted to Parliament by citizens. If a petition or proposal for the enactment of legislation or other acts is submitted by citizens to Parliament, then the Speaker of Parliament will refer it to the chairperson of the relevant working body which shall be obliged to notify the sponsor of ----------------------- Page 13----------------------- the petition or proposal on the outcome of such a petition or proposal within a period not exceeding three months. Other working bodies Article 45 In order to facilitate the consideration of other matters, Parliament may, in addition to the working bodies established by these Standing Orders, establish other working bodies. The decision on the establishment of additional working bodies shall regulate their name, composition, competence and operating procedures. Composition of working bodies of Parliament Article 46 A working body of Parliament shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and a specific number of members, with the exception of the working body referred to in Article 64 of these Standing Orders, which has two deputy chairpersons. Parliament shall elect and dismiss chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of working bodies from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, unless specified otherwise by these Standing Orders, observing the appropriate representation of both sexes. As a rule, the composition of working bodies shall correspond to the party composition of Parliament. The term of office of chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of working bodies shall commence from the date of their election until the date of the termination or suspension of their term of office, or until the date of their dismissal from the duties to which they were elected. Powers of the chairperson of a working body of Parliament Article 47 The chairperson of a working body of Parliament shall: - convene meetings, propose the agenda and preside over the meetings of the working body of Parliament; - co-ordinate the work of the working body of Parliament with the work of Parliament and other working bodies, co-operate with the Speaker of Parliament, the Presidency of Parliament, the chairpersons of other working bodies of Parliament and with Ministers of State and the directors of state administration bodies in connection with matters under the working body’s competence; - oversee the implementation of the conclusions of that working body and the conclusions of Parliament on matters under the working body’s competence; - perform other operations stipulated by these Standing Orders. Powers of the deputy chairperson of a working body of Parliament Article 48 The chairperson of the working body referred to in Article 64 of these Standing Orders shall determine which of the deputy chairpersons will substitute him/her when he/she is prevented from attending or during his/her absence. When the chairperson is prevented from attending or is absent, the deputy chairperson of the working body of Parliament shall have the rights, obligations and responsibilities of the chairperson as defined by these Standing Orders. ----------------------- Page 14----------------------- When the chairperson or deputy chairpersons are prevented from attending or are absent, the meeting of the working body shall be chaired by a working body member previously authorised therefor by the chairperson of the working body. If a working body member referred to in paragraph 3 hereof is not designated, the Speaker of Parliament shall designate such a member. Convening meetings of working bodies of Parliament Article 49 The proposal to convene a working body meeting may be requested by a conclusion of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament or at least one third of the working body members. When convening a working body meeting, the chairperson of the working body shall point out the agenda of the meeting. The chairperson shall be obliged to convene the working body within a period of eight days from the day of receipt of the request made by an authorised proposer. If the chairperson of the working body fails to convene a meeting when obliged to do so, the meeting of the working body shall be convened by the Speaker of Parliament and he/she shall nominate a member of the working body who shall be obliged to chair the meeting of that working body. Decision-making process Article 50 The decisions of a working body of Parliament shall be made by majority vote if the majority of all members are present at the meeting. Minutes shall be kept on the work at the working body meeting and shall be signed by the chairperson and secretary of the working body of Parliament or the persons acting in their stead. The minutes with the materials from the meeting shall be held by the working body secretary, and after the end of the term of Parliament he/she shall store them in the archives of Parliament. Consideration of matters and co-operation Article 51 Working bodies of Parliament shall consider the matters within their competence and may also consider matters related to European affairs. Working bodies shall be obliged to consider all matters within their competence submitted for their consideration by the Speaker or Presidency of Parliament. Working bodies of Parliament shall monitor European Union policies in the fields within their competence and participate in the preparation of documents on the integration activities of the Republic of Croatia by amending and adjusting legislation through amendments of acts and implementation measures according to standards as applied in the legislation and programmes of the European Union. Working bodies of Parliament co-operate with the appropriate working bodies in the European Parliament and parliaments of other countries. Participation of organisations and experts in the work of working bodies of Parliament Article 52 A working body of Parliament may include scientific and other organisations and individual experts in the preparation of legislation or the consideration of individual matters within their competence if the relevant funds are secured. A working body may propose to the Government that these tasks be entrusted to Ministries or other state administration bodies. ----------------------- Page 15----------------------- Establishment of sub-committees and working groups Article 53 In order to facilitate the consideration of individual matters within its competence, the preparation of proposals on these matters and the compilation of reports and draft legislation prepared by Parliament, a working body may establish sub-committees, and its chairperson may establish a special working group. The sub-committees and working groups referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall operate exclusively within the framework of the working body and shall form its constituent part. They may not act independently nor are they entitled to bear any rights or obligations. Reports of working bodies Article 54 A working body of Parliament shall be obliged to info rm Parliament of its opinions, positions, comments and proposals. A working body may also provide information on the position of the minority of its members, and it shall be obliged to do so when opinions remain divided on proposals for solutions to individual issues or when an individual member of a working body requests that his/her opinion be specifically separated. When submitting a report or proposal to Parliament, the working body shall designate a rapporteur who will explain the positions or proposals of the working body pursuant to the resolution of the working body, at his/her own initiative or at the request of Parliament. Co-operation of working bodies Article 55 Working bodies of Parliament shall co-operate. Several working bodies may hold joint meetings and submit joint reports on a topic of debate to Parliament. Operating procedures at meetings Article 56 The meetings of working bodies of Parliament shall be attended by a member of the Government, a Deputy or Assistant Minister when such meetings are held to consider Government proposals or positions, or by directors of state administration bodies when such meetings are held to consider matters within their competence. The chairperson of a working body of Parliament shall be obliged to inform representatives of the bodies referred to in paragraph 1 hereof of the venue and time of the meeting. The representative of a body referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be entitled to participate in the debate at the meeting. Working bodies of Parliament may decide to conduct debates on individual proposals without the presence of the persons referred to in paragraph 1 hereof and shall inform the Government and Parliament thereof. Transparency of work Article 57 Working bodies of Parliament may invite public officials, scholars and professionals and other persons to meetings in order to obtain their opinions on matters being discussed at a given meeting. Working bodies of Parliament may invite members of the European Parliament from the Republic of Croatia to meetings. ----------------------- Page 16----------------------- Unless otherwise stipulated in these Standing Orders, up to six public officials, scholars and professionals may be appointed to working bodies with all rights pertaining to members of working bodies, with the exception of the right of decision-making. The procedure of appointment of working body members referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall commence with the announcement of a public invitation for the proposal of candidates. The term for the submission of a proposal shall be stipulated in the invitation. Candidates may be proposed by professional institutions, professional associations, civil society associations and individual persons. The public invitation for the proposal of candidates shall be made by the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee. Based on the selection of candidates, the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee shall submit to Parliament a draft decision on the appointment of working body members referred to in paragraph 3 hereof. Rules of procedure of working bodies Article 58 A working body of Parliament may, pursuant to the provisions of these Standing Orders, adopt rules of procedure for its work. If the working body referred to in paragraph 1 hereof does not adopt its rules of procedure, the provisions of these Standing Orders referring to the work at sessions of Parliament shall apply accordingly to the work at the meeting of the working body. CHAPTER II – NAMES, TYPES AND COMPETENCES OF WORKING BODIES OF PARLIAMENT General provision Article 59 The working bodies of Parliament are: 1. Committee on the Constitution; Standing Orders and Political System; 2. Legislation Committee; 3. European Affairs Committee; 4. Foreign Affairs Committee; 5. Domestic Policy and National Security Committee; 6. Defence Committee; 7. Finance and Central Budget Committee; 8. Committee on the Economy; 9. Tourism Committee; 10. Committee on Human and National Minority Rights; 11. Judiciary Committee; 12. Labour, Retirement System and Social Partnership Committee; 13. Health and Social Policy Committee; 14. Committee on the Family, Youth and Sports; 15. Committee on Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia; 16. War Veterans Committee; 17. Physical Planning and Construction Committee; 18. Environment and Nature Conservation Committee; 19. Education, Science and Culture Committee; 20. Agriculture Committee; 21. Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds ; 22. Committee on Maritime Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure ; 23. Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee; ----------------------- Page 17----------------------- 24. Petitions and Appeals Committee; 25. Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee; 26. Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media; 27. Gender Equality Committee; 28. Local and Regional Self-Government Committee; 29. Credentials and Privileges Commission. The Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly shall have the status of a working body set forth in paragraph 1 hereof. Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System Article 60 The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall: - monitor and consider the implementation of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - consider matters of principle pertaining to the alignment of legislation with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - consider positions and proposals of a constitutional nature submitted to Parliament; - prepare the relevant draft legislation in procedures to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - conduct the procedure to nominate the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia and to propose to Parliament their election; - conduct the procedure to nominate the Ombudsman of the Republic of Croatia and to propose to Parliament his/her election; - conduct the procedure to nominate the information commissioner and to propose to Parliament his/her election; - prepare the relevant draft legislation in procedures to hold referenda, if this is sought by the number of voters stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - settle disputes on the competence of working bodies of Parliament; - monitor the implementation of these Standing Orders; - propose the adoption and amendment of these Standing Orders; - consider matters of principle on issues pertaining to the protection and exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms and national minority rights, stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. The determination and monitoring of policy implementation fall under the competence of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System, and during the procedure to enact laws and other regulations it has the rights and duties of a competent working body in fields pertaining to: - association, public assemblies and peaceful protests by citizens; - voting franchise, the election of Members of Parliament, the election of the President of the Republic, the election of Croatian Members of the European Parliament, elections for local and regional self-government units and referenda; - the legal position of religious communities ; - the use and protection of the coat of arms, flag and national anthem of the Republic of Croatia and other national symbols, national holidays, awards and other forms of recognition; - general matters of constitutionality and legality; - public information; - general matters in the functioning of the political system; - matters pertaining to the structure and authority of state bodies, the structure, authority and operating procedures of state administration bodies; ----------------------- Page 18----------------------- - matters and relations in the field of state administration and issues concerning the fulfilment of legality in the work of state administration bodies; - reports from state administration bodies on the application of laws and on general problems of state administration; - fundamental property rights issues; - the structure, authority and operating procedures of the post of ombudsman. The Committee shall also perform other activities stipulated by these Standing Orders and law. Article 61 The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. Legislation Committee Article 62 The Legislation Committee shall: - consider draft legislation and other draft regulations which are enacted by Parliament with a view to their compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and the legal system, European Union law and with a view to their appropriate legal processing; - consider matters of uniform legislative methodology and other matters essential to uniform legal techniques and the terminological compliance of legislation enacted by Parliament, and propose the adoption of and amendments to the uniform rules of methodology and principles of the legislative technique for drafting legislation enacted by Parliament; - provide opinions on proposals for individual provisions of laws to have retroactive effect; - oversee the unity of the legal system and provide opinions on matters of principle pertaining to the development of the legal system or the uniform application of laws; - consider regulations that are ratified by Parliament or to which Parliament provides its consent and opinion; - establish and issue consolidated texts of legislation and other regulations enacted by Parliament when such regulations have been amended no fewer than three times; - consider proposals to provide authoritative interpretations of laws or other regulations enacted by Parliament; - performs other activities as stipulated by these Standing Orders. Article 63 The Legislation Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. European Affairs Committee Article 64 The European Affairs Committee shall perform activities pertaining to European affairs in accordance with these Standing Orders and law, unless stipulated otherwise by Parliament. The European Affairs Committee shall adopt its Rules of Procedure that shall be ratified by Parliament. ----------------------- Page 19----------------------- The Rules of Procedure referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall be published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine). Article 65 The European Affairs Committee shall: - monitor the activities of Parliament in European affairs; - adopt the Work Programme for the Consideration of the Positions of the Republic of Croatia; - consider the documents of the European Union and the positions of the Republic of Croatia in relation to the documents of the European Union and may adopt conclusions thereon; - consider the reports of the Government on the meetings of the Council of the European Union; - conduct the procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity; - adopt a conclusion proposing to the competent authority to implement a regulatory impact assessment procedure in accordance with law; - take part in the process of nominating candidates of the Republic of Croatia for EU institutions and bodies; - monitor the alignment of the legal system of the Republic of Croatia with the EU acquis; - participate in the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC); - co-operate with the European Parliament and the European affairs committees of national parliaments; - propose to the Speaker of Parliament to conduct a debate on the position of the Republic of Croatia for European Council meetings; - submit an annual report on its activities to Parliament. The European Affairs Committee shall have the rights and duties of a competent body in European Affairs pertaining to: - adopting conclusions on the application of the passerelle clause; - amending the Treaties of the European Union. The Committee shall perform other duties specified by these Standing Orders and law. Article 66 The European Affairs Committee shall have a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons and 14 members, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. Two deputy chairpersons shall be elected in such a manner that one of them is elected at the proposal of the parliamentary majority and the other at the proposal of the parliamentary minority. Croatian Members of the European Parliament shall be invited to the meetings of the European Affairs Committee. Foreign Affairs Committee Article 67 The Foreign Affairs Committee shall: - consider matters of foreign policy and international relations which Parliament debates and decides upon, and prepare draft regulations within Parliament’s authority in matters pertaining to this field; ----------------------- Page 20----------------------- - monitor and consider matters related to the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union; - participate in interparliamentary oversight of the common foreign and security policy of the European Union by participating in meetings of the Interparliamentary Conference of the European Union on the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union together with the members of the Defence Committee and/or other committees; - co-operate with the corresponding parliamentary committees of other countries ; - provide opinions on the appointment and dismissal of heads of the Republic of Croatia diplomatic missions abroad; - discuss the international development co-operation and humanitarian aid provided by the Republic of Croatia to other international legal entities ; - consider reports of standing or temporary delegations of Parliament to interparliamentary institutions in co-operation with the Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee; - consider international treaties that are to be ratified by Parliament and submit its proposals and opinions to Parliament; - co-operate with bodies in the Republic of Croatia engaged in the field of foreign policy and international relations. The Foreign Affairs Committee shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in procedures to enact legislation on the ratification of international treaties. Article 68 The Foreign Affairs Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. Domestic Policy and National Security Committee Article 69 The Domestic Policy and National Security Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the structure and authority of state administration bodies in the field of internal affairs; - control and oversight of the work of the police; - citizenship and the personal status of citizens; - state and public security, traffic safety, information security, fire protection and protection from natural disasters; - reports from the Central Auditing Office and criminal investigation police in the portion that pertains to irregularities in the financial operations of state bodies ; - other matters of internal policy and national security. The Committee shall oversee the bodies of the security and intelligence system pursuant to law, particularly with a view to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms established by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, and shall provide opinions on the appointment of directors of security agencies in accordance with the Constitution. Article 70 The Domestic Policy and National Security Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members. Defence Committee Article 71 ----------------------- Page 21----------------------- The Defence Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies , and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the structure and authority of state administration bodies in the field of defence; - defence; - co-operation with bodies in the Republic of Croatia that operate in the fields of defence; - other matters of defence. Article 72 The Defence Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while up to 6 additional members shall be appointed to the Committee from among public officials, scholars and professionals engaged in matters of the defence system. Finance and Central Budget Committee Article 73 The Finance and Central Budget Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the system to finance public needs in the Republic of Croatia; - the Central Budget, the final settlement of the Central Budget and funds ; - the report of the Central Auditing Office on conducted audits; - the tax system and tax policy; - financial relations with foreign countries ; - the foreign currency system; - credit relations with foreign countries; - the customs system; - the credit and banking system; - the state treasury; - securities; - the monetary system; - the Croatian National Bank; - the system of insurance for property and persons and other issues pertaining to the budget and finances; - matters pertaining to the structure, authority and operating procedures of the Central Auditing Office and the Financial Agency. The Committee shall debate draft legislation which gives rise to financial commitments and report to Parliament on its opinions, positions and proposals. Article 74 The Finance and Central Budget Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed to the Committee: one from among higher- level trade union representatives, the Croatian Employers’ Association, and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce respectively, and three representatives of scientific and professional institutions. Committee on the Economy Article 75 ----------------------- Page 22----------------------- The Committee on the Economy shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the strategy of economic development of the Republic of Croatia ; - the basis of the economic system and ensuring conditions for the operation of markets and the protection of market competition; - consumer protection; - the adjustment and improvement of economic life; - commodity reserves and current economic trends; - the electricity network and supply, shipbuilding and other industrial branches; - restructuring and transformation of ownership; - ensuring conditions for investments by foreign partners and economic relations abroad; - small and medium sized enterprises, trades and crafts and co-operatives. Article 76 The Committee on the Economy shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed to the Committee: one from among higher-level trade union representatives, the Croatian Employers’ Association, the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts respectively, and two representatives of scientific and professional institutions. Tourism Committee Article 77 The Tourism Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies , and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the concept and strategy of the development of Croatian tourism; - the establishment and monitoring of the implementation of tourism development policies of the Republic of Croatia; - the hospitality industry and tourism activities and directly related activities; - the monitoring of concessions in tourism; - developmental programmes in tourism of particular importance to the economic development of the Republic of Croatia; - the establishment and monitoring of the implementation of the policy of protection and maintenance of the quality of tourist sites. Article 78 The Tourism Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed to the Committee: one representative of the Croatian National Tourist Board and 2 members from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. Committee on Human and National Minority Rights Article 79 The Committee on Human and National Minority Rights shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the implementation of ratified international treaties that regulate the protection of human rights; ----------------------- Page 23----------------------- - matters of principle, proposals and opinions related to the implementation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia dealing with human rights and fundamental freedoms ; - the exercise and protection of human rights and freedoms ; - the exercise of the rights of national minorities set forth in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and laws, and the proposal of measures to exercise these rights; - international treaties and programmes of international cultural, educational and other cooperation when this is of interest to individual national minorities in the Republic of Croatia and to Croatian minorities in European countries; - the financing of specific needs of national minorities ; - other activities established by these Standing Orders. The Committee on Human and National Minority Rights shall co-operate with scholarly and professional, governmental and non-governmental organisations that operate in the field of the protection of human and ethnic rights, with the relevant working bodies of parliaments in other countries and with foreign and international bodies that operate in the field of the protection of human and ethnic rights. The Committee on Human and National Minority Rights shall co-operate with working bodies entrusted with petitions and appeals and with other working bodies of Parliament and may additionally consider matters under the competence of these working bodies if it assesses that they are of significance to the protection of human and ethnic rights. Article 80 The Committee on Human and National Minority Rights shall have a chairperson, a deputy chairperson, and 13 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 4 members shall be appointed as follows: two from among the ranks of representatives of religious communities (one representative of the Roman Catholic Church and one representative of all other religious communities) and two representatives of human rights protection associations. Not less than one Member of Parliament from among the ranks of each national minority that has a Member of Parliament shall be a member of the Committee. Judiciary Committee Article 81 The Judiciary Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the establishment, structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of the courts ; - the establishment, structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of public prosecution; - the establishment, structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of misdemeanour courts and other bodies authorised to conduct misdemeanour proceedings; - the structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of the State Judicial Council; - the issuing of prior opinions in procedures for the election and recall of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia; - the issuing of prior opinions on the appointment and dismissal of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia; - the nomination of two candidates for membership in the State Judicial Council from among the ranks of Members of Parliament; - the nomination of two candidates for membership in the State Prosecutorial Council from among the ranks of Members of Parliament; ----------------------- Page 24----------------------- - the structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of the notary public service ; - the structure and operating procedures of the attorney profession ; - ownership and other proprietary rights, contractual and other legal relations in civil matters; - the regulation of criminal material and procedural rights and misdemeanour law and the execution of legal sanctions; - matters of amnesty and pardons; - the regulation of court proceedings; - free legal aid and probation ; - other judicial matters. Article 82 The Judiciary Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members of the Committee shall be appointed from among public officials, scholars and professionals. Labour, Retirement System and Social Partnership Committee Article 83 The Labour, Retirement System and Social Partnership Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - employment, labour and the employment status of employees working in the public and private sectors; - pension insurance schemes; - safety at work; - social dialogue and social partnership; - housing policy. Article 84 The Labour, Retirement System and Social Partnership Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while up to 4 additional members may be appointed to the Committee as follows: two from among higher-level trade union representatives, one from the Croatian Employers’ Association and two from among scientific institutions dealing with matters of labour law and pension insurance schemes. Health and Social Policy Committee Article 85 The Health and Social Policy Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - health protection and the organisation of healthcare services; - combating addiction; - social welfare; - the rights of disabled persons; - the protection of displaced persons; - the protection of elderly and indigent persons and other matters of social policy and healthcare. ----------------------- Page 25----------------------- Article 86 The Health and Social Policy Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and eleven members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed to the Committee as follows: one from the Croatian Medical Chamber, one from the Croatian Chamber of Nurses, three from among experts in the field of healthcare and one from among experts in the field of social welfare. Committee on the Family, Youth and Sports Article 87 The Committee on the Family, Youth and Sports shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - marriage, the family and guardianship, and special protection of children, motherhood and young people; - the quality of life of young people and their participation in all societal activities; - the protection of children and adolescents from all forms of addiction; - family planning and demographic renewal; - sports. Article 88 The Committee on the Family, Youth and Sports shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and eleven members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among the ranks of public officials, scholars and professionals. Committee on Croats outside the Republic of Croatia Article 89 The Committee on Croats outside the Republic of Croatia shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the legal and actual status of Croatian ethnic communities and Croatian minorities in other countries, and proposals for measures to improve overall co-operation in order to achieve and protect their rights and preserve their national identity; - all forms of international and other co-operation whenever this may be in the interest of Croats living in neighbouring countries and throughout the world, as well as the related targeting of financial support; - the promotion of programmes for the return of Croatian emigrants and the care for Croatian immigrants in areas of special state concern; - initiatives and suggestions presented by Croats from neighbouring countries and throughout the world; - the maintenance of regular contacts with the representatives of Croats outside the Republic of Croatia; - the protection of the rights and interests of Croatian citizens living or residing abroad as well as the provision of special care and protection for Croatian ethnic communities outside the Republic of Croatia. Article 90 ----------------------- Page 26----------------------- The Committee on Croats outside the Republic of Croatia shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 4 members shall be appointed from among public officials, sc holars and professionals. War Veterans Committee Article 91 The War Veterans Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the protection of victims of Greater Serbian aggression and the rebellion in the Republic of Croatia; - the protection of the rights of Croatian defenders/soldiers from the Homeland War and members of their families; - the protection of military personnel and civilians disabled in the Homeland War and all participants in the Homeland War and members of their families; - the protection of military personnel and civilians disabled during World War II as well as all veterans of that war; - the protection of other victims of totalitarian regimes. Article 92 The War Veterans Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and eleven members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among representatives of war veterans associations and associations ensuing from the Homeland War. Physical Planning and Construction Committee Article 93 The Physical Planning and Construction Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the promotion of physical planning for the purposes of the more efficient use, management and protection of spatial resources; - the co-ordination of activities to protect spatial resources; - the co-ordination of regional spatial development; - protected areas of particular interest to the Republic of Croatia and the construction of buildings of importance to the Republic of Croatia; - the utilisation and protection of the architectural heritage; - the conditions and methods of preparing, adopting and implementing physical planning documents; - the system to monitor the spatial status (the information system for physical planning and spatial status reporting); - construction site development; - other physical planning matters; - construction. Article 94 The Physical Planning and Environmental Protection Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among scholars and professionals. ----------------------- Page 27----------------------- Environment and Nature Conservation Committee Article 95 The Environment and Nature Conservation Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - fundamental solutions to the protection and promotion of comprehensive environmental protection activities pursuant to international criteria; - measures to monitor, preserve and reinforce the biological and ecological balance between natural resources (sea, water, air, soil, mineral wealth, flora and fauna) and economic development; - measures to utilise and manage specific parts of the environment, particularly with regard to specially protected parts of nature; - the monitoring and analysis of issues concerning nuclear and radiological safety in order to secure a high level of security and effective protection of persons and the environment from ionising radiation; - the promotion of measures to remediate the current status of environmental degradation and the further prevention of pollution in order to promote the quality of human life and health (municipal and industrial waste treatment, hazardous waste treatment, secondary materials management); - complaints directed to Parliament indicating harmful activities concerning environmental degradation and examining whether such complaints are well founded. Article 96 The Environment and Nature Conservation Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among public officials, scholars and professionals. Education, Science and Culture Committee Article 97 The Education, Science and Culture Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - pre-school education, primary, secondary and higher education; - science, culture and technical culture; - international scientific and technical co-operation; - protection and utilisation of cultural resources, historical materials and heritage, archives and archival materials, and the commemoration of historical events and persons; - co-operation with religious communities; - information technology and other matters of education, science and culture. Article 98 The Education, Science and Culture Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed to the Committee as follows: two from the field of science, two from the field of education and two from the field of culture. Agriculture Committee Article 99 ----------------------- Page 28----------------------- The Agriculture Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - agriculture; - maritime and freshwater fishing, and mariculture; - veterinary medicine; - village and rural development; - forestry and water management. Article 100 The Agriculture Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among public officials, scholars and professionals. Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds Article 101 The Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - regional development; - the absorption of EU funds; - economic and social development of islands and coastal regions; - reconstruction and development of areas affected by the Homeland War. Article 102 The Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed from among public officials, scholars and professionals. Committee on Maritime Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure Article 103 The Committee on Maritime Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - maritime affairs, transportation and infrastructure; - protection of the sea by preventing pollution from ships. Article 104 The Committee on Maritime Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, and an additional 5 members shall be appointed to the Committee as follows: one scholar from the field of telecommunications, one scholar from the field of maritime law, one professional from the field of rail transportation, one professional from the field of road transportation, and one professional from the field of postal services. Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee Article 105 The Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee shall: ----------------------- Page 29----------------------- - prepare and submit to Parliament proposals for the election and recall of chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of working bodies of Parliament; - propose the appointment and dismissal of representatives of Parliament in specific national and other bodies and associations; - propose the election, appointment, recall and dismissal of other officials who are appointed or elected by Parliament, unless specified otherwise by law; - establish and submit to Parliament draft regulations on the material rights of Members of Parliament; - have the rights and obligations of a competent working body in matters pertaining to labour relations, salaries and other income earned by public officials in procedures involving the enactment of legislation and other regulations; - draft individual solutions pertaining to permanent monetary remuneration and other income of Members of Parliament and the salaries of officials appointed and dismissed by Parliament and its working bodies, unless specified otherwise by law, - decide on criteria to establish income and compensation of costs to scholars, professionals and public officials who are members of parliamentary working bodies or are involved in their work; - draft individual solutions pertaining to monthly monetary remuneration paid to scholars, professionals and public officials who are members of parliamentary working bodies; - perform other activities stipulated by these Standing Orders and law. Article 106 The Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members. Petitions and Appeals Committee Article 107 The Petitions and Appeals Committee shall: - consider petitions, appeals and proposals directed to Parliament and alert the responsible authorities of violations of laws and citizens’ rights in procedures before the state administration and bodies which are vested with public authority; - alert Parliament to the violation of laws and other negative phenomena of wider significance and propose the initiation of necessary measures for their elimination ; - investigate, through the offices of the authorised bodies, the grounds for petitions, appeals and proposals, indicate the need for undertaking legally founded measures to the authorised bodies and report thereon to the lodger of the petition, appeal or proposal; - submit an annual report on its work to Parliament. Article 108 The Petitions and Appeals Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members. Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee Article 109 The Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee, together with the Foreign Affairs Committee, shall oversee the implementation of the foreign policy of the Republic of Croatia within the framework of interparliamentary co-operation with other countries and international organisations in activities of common interest. ----------------------- Page 30----------------------- The Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee shall facilitate co-operation with representative bodies of other countries and international organisations by establishing joint bodies and friendship groups, undertaking joint actions, aligning positions on issues of common interest, and exchanging experiences through mutual work exchange programmes, documentation and informative materials and bulletins, joint meetings between Members of Parliament and exchanges of delegations. The Interparliamentary Co-operation Committee, together with the Foreign Affairs Committee, shall consider reports from permanent and temporary delegations of Parliament to international parliamentary institutions, as well as reports on the work of friendship groups with the representative bodies of individual countries. The chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Committee are elected by Parliament from among the ranks of Members of Parliament who are elected to permanent delegations of Parliament to international parliamentary institutions, while the members of the Committee are members of these delegations. Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media Article 110 The Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to information and the print and electronic media. In particular, the Committee shall: - consider matters of communications, information and the media that are subject to decisions by Parliament; - monitor, encourage and participate in the enactment of legislation on print and electronic media (the press, radio, television, the Internet); - promote the emergence, formation and signing of relevant international documents on information and the media; - monitor the application of international documents on information and the media and monitor the work of media and/or information committees in other countries ; - uphold the right to information, the protection of intellectual property, and the protection of privacy in the electronic media; - promote the right to information and communication with new technologies and means of electronic communication (the internet, electronic commerce, internet education); - promote technical/technological culture and international technical/technological co- operation in terms of the use of computers and computer networking (the internet); - be involved in activities aimed at the co-ordination, promotion and advancement of economic activity based on information technologies; - monitor existing and propose and encourage the use of new information technologies in the work of Parliament and on the work of Parliament; - co-operate with associations, the media, research institutions, commissions of the Government and the President of the Republic with reference to the study of communications, information and the media. The Committee shall also perform other activities stipulated by these Standing Orders and law. Article 111 The Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 6 members shall be appointed to the Committee as ----------------------- Page 31----------------------- follows: two from the media, two from the field of science and research and two from relevant associations. Gender Equality Committee Article 112 The Gender Equality Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to promoting and monitoring the application of the principles of gender equality in the legislation of the Republic of Croatia. In particular, the Committee shall: - promote the signing of international documents on gender equality and monitor the application of these documents; - participate in the drafting, implementation and analysis of the implementation of the National Gender Equality Policy in the Republic of Croatia; - co-operate and establish measures and activities to improve gender equality; - propose packages of measures to eliminate discrimination between the sexes; - promote equal gender representation in the composition of the working bodies and delegations of Parliament; - participate in the drafting of documents on integration activities of the Republic of Croatia through the amendment and adaptation of legislation and executive measures to achieve gender equality according to the standards applied in the legislation and programmes of the European Union; - prepare draft legislation and other regulations on gender quality; - undertake efforts to introduce the principles of gender equality in education, healthcare, public information, social policy, employment, free enterprise, decision- making processes, family relations, etc. Article 113 The Gender Equality Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 3 members shall be appointed to the Committee from among representatives of non- governmental organisations and scientific and professional institutions engaged in the promotion of gender equality and the protection of human rights. Local and Regional Self-government Committee Article 114 The Local and Regional Self-government Committee shall establish and monitor the implementation of policies, and in procedures to enact legislation and other regulations it shall have the rights and duties of a competent working body in matters pertaining to: - the structure, jurisdiction and operating procedures of local and regional self- government units; - the establishment, dissolution and merger of local and regional self-government units and the functioning of representative bodies in local and regional self-government units; - the financing of local and regional self-government units; - the legal position of employees in the administration of local and regional self- government units. Article 115 The Local and Regional Self-government Committee shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 11 members from among the ranks of Members of Parliament, while an additional 9 members shall be appointed to the Committee at the proposal of ----------------------- Page 32----------------------- representative bodies of local or regional self-government units as follows: one each from Zagreb, Osijek, Split and Rijeka, two from regional self-government units, two from local self-government units (one from the inland section and the other from the coastal section of the Republic of Croatia) and one from among legal experts. Credentials and Privileges Commission Article 116 The Credentials and Privileges Commission shall: - propose to Parliament decisions on the termination of the term of office of a Member of Parliament, decisions on the suspension of the term of office of a Member of Parliament, decisions on the cessation of the suspension of the term of office of a Member of Parliament, decisions on the commencement of the term of office of a substitute Member of Parliament, and decisions on the suspension of the term of office of a substitute Member of Parliament; - propose to Parliament the passage of decisions on the legal immunity of Members of Parliament, and, when Parliament is not in session , it decides on legal immunity itself, provided that such decisions are subsequently confirmed by Parliament; - perform other activities as stipulated by these Standing Orders. Article 117 The Credentials and Privileges Commission shall have a chairperson, deputy chairperson and 7 members. PART VI RELATIONS BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC Article 118 A motion to institute proceedings for the impeachment of the President of the Republic may be tabled with the Parliament by one fifth of all Members of Parliament. The motion to institute the proceedings referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, together with a declaration of the facts and the legal designation and evidence of violations of the Constitution with which the President is charged, shall be submitted in written form to the Speaker of Parliament with the signatures of Members of Parliament no later than 30 days before the session of Parliament that is scheduled for debate thereon. The motion referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be submitted by the Speaker of Parliament to the President of the Republic. The President of the Republic shall be entitled to respond to the motion referred to in paragraph 1 hereof in writing within a period of 30 days upon receiving the motion. Before decision-making on the institution of proceedings for the impeachment of the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament shall forward the official documents referred to in paragraph 2 hereof to the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System in order to obtain the Committee’s position on the grounds for the motion. The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall state its position within a period of three days upon receiving the official documents referred to in paragraph 2 hereof. The decision to institute proceedings for the impeachment of the President of the Republic shall be passed by Parliament by a two thirds majority of all Members of Parliament within a period of 15 days upon receiving the position of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System. PART VII ----------------------- Page 33----------------------- RELATIONS BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT CHAPTER I - PRESENTATION OF THE GOVERNMENT TO PARLIAMENT Article 119 Immediately after selecting the Government and no later than 30 days after accepting the appointment, the Prime Minister Elect shall be obliged to present the Government’s programme and the Government to Parliament and seek a vote of confidence. Together with the request for a vote of confidence, the Prime Minister Elect shall submit the Government’s programme and the biographies of the proposed members of the Government. A debate shall be conducted on the Government’s programme and on the candidates for member of Government, followed by a vote of confidence in the Government as a whole . The vote of confidence shall be passed if a majority of all Members of Parliament vote for the proposal. The duties of the Government shall commence upon receiving the confidence of Parliament. If an individual member of the Government is to be appointed subsequently, a debate on the proposed candidate shall be conducted in the working body of Parliament competent for matters pertaining to the jurisdiction of the central state administration body, the head of which is proposed for nomination. If the jurisdiction of two or more working bodies of Parliament has been determined, the debate shall be conducted at a joint session of the relevant working bodies. Exceptionally, if an individual member of the Government who is not competent for a particular area pursuant to paragraph 6 hereof is subsequently appointed, or if it is not possible to determine the jurisdiction of a relevant working body for other reasons, the debate shall be conducted in the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System. During the debate referred to in paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 hereof, the proposed candidate for member of the Government may take questions and is required to provide answers thereto. The proposed candidate for member of the Government pursuant to paragraphs 6 and 8 hereof shall be subject to a vote of confidence at the session of Parliament without debate. Article 120 After passing a vote of confidence on the Prime Minister and members of the Government, the Prime Minister and members of the Government shall swear an oath of office. The text of the oath shall be established by law. The Prime Minister shall recite the text of the oath and thereafter call on each individual member of the Government, and the members of the Government shall swear the oath by standing up and saying “I do so swear”. Any member of Government not present for the swear ing of the oath of office shall swear the oath of office at the next scheduled session of Parliament. Article 121 The Government shall designate a member of the Government and Deputy Minister as its representative in Parliament during debate on draft legislation and other regulations. The representative of the Government referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, when present at sessions of Parliament or its working bodies, shall participate in their work, declare ----------------------- Page 34----------------------- the position of the Government, provide notifications and expert explanations, adopt a position on submitted amendments if so authorised, and inform the Government of the positions and opinions of Parliament and its working bodies. If the representative of the Government referred to in paragraph 1 hereof is not present at the debate, Parliament or its working body may – if it deems the presence of a Government representative necessary – discontinue or postpone the debate. Parliament shall so decide without debate. Aside from the Government representative referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, other members of the Government may also participate in debates in Parliament and in its working bodies. Article 122 The Speaker of Parliament and the chairpersons of working bodies of Parliament shall inform the Prime Minister of scheduled sessions. The authorised representatives of the Government shall also be informed of scheduled sessions of Parliament and its working bodies. In cases where it is not the sponsor, the Government shall be obliged to submit to Parliament the opinions, positions and proposals requested of it and designate its representative. CHAPTER II - GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY TO PARLIAMENT Article 123 The Government shall be obliged, at the request of Parliament, to inform Parliament of its work, of the policies it is implementing (in their entirety or for an individual area), of the execution of laws and other regulations and of other matters within its authority. The Government may, at its own initiative, submit to Parliament a report on its work and the status of individual areas. Article 124 The Government shall be accountable to Parliament for its work and for the decisions it makes. The Prime Minister and members of the Government shall be jointly accountable for the decisions made by the Government, and they shall be particularly accountable for their own area of work. Article 125 No less than one fifth of the total number of Members of Parliament may move to initiate a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, individual members of the Government or the Government as a whole. The Prime Minister may also request a vote of confidence in the Government. The motion on the initiation of a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, individual members of the Government or the Government as a whole shall be immediately placed on the agenda, without prior decision-making. The Government shall be obliged to declare a position on the motion referred to in paragraph 1 hereof within a period of 8 days after it is placed on the agenda. The matter of confidence may not be discussed or voted upon prior to the expiry of seven days after the date on which the motion is forwarded to Parliament. Parliament shall deliberate on the matter of confidence and vote no later than 30 days after the motion is submitted to Parliament. ----------------------- Page 35----------------------- In a debate on confidence in the Prime Minister or the Government as a whole, the Prime Minister may orally clarify the Government’s position on the motion, while, with reference to motions on confidence in an individual member of the Government, that member of the Government may clarify his/her position. The Prime Minister or member of the Government may, prior to the concluding speech by the sponsor, hold a speech, and they may also stand and take the floor during the debate in order to provide clarifications. The decision of no confidence is made if a majority of the total number of Members of Parliament votes in favour. Article 126 If Parliament rejects the motion to pass a vote of no confidence in the Government or an individual member thereof, the Members of Parliament who so moved may not do so again before the end of a period of six months. If a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister or the Government as a whole passes, then the Prime Minister and Government shall resign. If a vote of no confidence in an individual member of the Government passes, the Prime Minister may propose to Parliament another member in his/her stead for a vote of confidence, or the Prime Minister and Government may resign. Article 127 Parliament or its working bodies may seek a report and data from Ministers or officials who administer the operations of other state administration bodies, and upon receiving such a request they shall be obliged: - to report on issues and affairs within the authority of the Ministries or other state administration bodies; - to submit a report on the execution and implementation of laws and other regulations and the tasks entrusted to them; - to submit data at their disposal, or data they are obliged to collect and record within the scope of their duties, as well as records and other things necessary for the work of Parliament or its working body; - to respond to posed questions. In addition to the reports and data referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, Parliament may request the Government to perform specific tasks for which it is competent. CHAPTER III – THE GOVERNMENT'S ANNUAL REPORT Article 128 Once a year, at the beginning of the second ordinary session of Parliament in accordance with Article 217 paragraph 1 of these Standing Orders, the Prime Minister shall present to Parliament the Government’s annual report, informing Parliament about the identified phenomena, problems and situation in society , as well as about the Government’s activities. The Prime Minister’s speech about the report referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall not exceed one hour. No reply shall be allowed after the Prime Minister’s speech. Article 129 The annual report referred to in Article 128 paragraph 1 hereof shall be followed by debate. Only political groups shall take part in the debate. Representatives of political groups in the debate shall speak for no longer than 20 minutes. ----------------------- Page 36----------------------- After the debate, the Prime Minister shall submit the final presentation which shall not exceed 20 minutes. No reply shall be allowed in the debate. Article 130 Based on the annual report referred to in Article 128 paragraph 1 hereof and the conducted debate, Parliament may adopt acts in accordance with these Standing Orders obliging the Government to take specific actions. CHAPTER IV – QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SECTION A – GENERAL PROVISION Article 131 Members of Parliament may pose questions to the Government and individual members of the Government on the exercise of the Government’s constitutional rights and duties, and particularly on the status in specific areas of social life and on the execution of laws and other acts of Parliament, or the work of ministries and other state administration bodies and legal entities vested with public authority. Questions from Members of Parliament may also be posed in writing. Members of Parliament must indicate to whom the question is directed. SECTION B – ORAL QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT Article 132 Oral questions posed to the Government or to individual members of the Government may be posed by Members of Parliament at sessions during “Morning Question Time”. “Morning Question Time” shall be held at the beginning of each session of Parliament prior to proceeding to the first item on the agenda. During “Morning Question Time”, Members of Parliament organised in political groups shall be entitled to pose a total of forty questions. Independent Members of Parliament not elected on the slate of a political party, Members of Parliament representing national minorities and not organised in a political group and one Member of Parliament each from political parties that have no political group may pose a question at every other session. The number of questions that may be posed by Members of Parliament from an individual political group shall be determined in proportion to the number of members of an individual political group in relation to the total number of Members of Parliament in such a manner that the number of members of an individual political group is divided by four, wherein any fraction of 0.5 or greater shall be rounded up to the next whole number. Members of Parliament may pose one question. It must be brief and unambiguously formulated so that as a rule it can be answered immediately without preparation. The posing of a question may not exceed two minutes. A Member of Parliament may express satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the response to the question in an explication of reasons that may not exceed one minute. If the Member of Parliament is dissatisfied with the answer, he/she may request that the Government or an individual Minister submit a written response. During “Morning Question Time”, a Member of Parliament may not seek the floor to respond to a statement in the question of another Member of Parliament or to a statement in the response to a question of a Member of Parliament by the Prime Minister or member of the Government. Article 133 ----------------------- Page 37----------------------- Members of Parliament shall serve notice of their intent to pose an oral question in writing 24 hours prior to the commencement of the session of Parliament. The written notice referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be placed in a box in the Secretariat of Parliament and shall contain: the name and surname of the Member of Parliament who wishes to pose the question, the designation of the person to whom the question is directed, and the designation of the topic to which the said question pertains. Article 134 The Speaker of Parliament shall be obliged to organise a draw to determine the order for posing oral questions immediately after the end of the period specified in Article 133 paragraph 1 hereof. The draw shall be public. The draw shall be conducted in such a manner that the Secretary of Parliament shall draw the written notices referred to in Article 133 hereof from the box . A list establishing the order of Members of Parliament who are to pose oral questions shall be compiled based on the order in which the written notices are drawn from the box specified in Article 133 hereof. The questions of independent Members of Parliament not elected on political party slates, of Members of Parliament representing national minorities and one Member of Parliament each from political parties that have no political group shall be placed in the first position and in all subsequent places on the list whose ordinal number is divisible by five and based on the order in which they are drawn in relation to the remaining questions. After the draw, the list with photocopies of the written notices referred to in Article 133 hereof shall be submitted to the Prime Minister. Article 135 With reference to the importance of individual questions, political groups shall be authorised to change the topic and order of no more than three questions submitted by members of a given political group, of which they shall be obliged to notify the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister at the latest one hour prior to the commencement of the session of Parliament. Article 136 The Prime Minister or other member of the Government shall respond to questions posed to the Government. An individual member of the Government shall respond to a question posed to him/her, and his/her response may be supplemented by the Prime Minister. If the member of the Government to whom the question has been posed is absent, the Prime Minister or one of the Deputy Prime Ministers shall respond to such a question. The Prime Minister shall be obliged to ensure the presence of no less than half of the members of the Government at sessions of Parliament during the time allotted for questions from Members of Parliament. Article 137 The member of the Government to whom a question is directed shall respond to such a question immediately or shall state the reasons why he/she cannot respond. The response to a question may not exceed four minutes. If a Member of Parliament does not receive a prompt response to a posed question or if he/she requests a response in written form, the Government or individual member of the ----------------------- Page 38----------------------- Government shall be obliged to respond within a period of 30 days after the date on which the question was posed. If the Government or member of the Government is unable to respond within the period referred to in paragraph 3 hereof, the Member of Parliament shall be informed, through the Speaker of Parliament, of the reasons therefor and the timeframe within which the response shall be provided. The provisions of Articles 143 and 144 hereof shall apply accordingly to the delivery of the response referred to in paragraph 3 hereof. Article 138 A member of the Government to whom a q uestion is posed may decline to respond to the question if such a question does not pertain to his/her work or to the activities under his/her authority. Article 139 If the response is of a confidential nature, the member of the Government may move to respond directly to the Member of Parliament or at a closed session of the working body under whose competence such a question belongs. SECTION C – WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT Article 140 Members of Parliament may, through the Speaker of Parliament, pose questions in writing and, after receiving a response, pose supplemental questions. Article 141 Questions from Members of Parliament shall be posed in accordance with the provisions of these Standing Orders. If the question is not posed in accordance with the provisions of these Standing Orders, the Speaker of Parliament shall call on the Member of Parliament to align his/her question with the provisions of these Standing Orders. If the Member of Parliament fails to align his/her question with the provisions of these Standing Orders, the Speaker of Parliament shall not direct this question to the Government or member of the Government and shall inform the Member of Parliament thereof. Article 142 A written response to a question posed in writi ng shall be provided within a period of 30 days after the date on which the question was posed to the Government or individual member of the Government. If the Government or member of the Government is unable to respond within the period referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, the Member of Parliament shall be informed, through the Speaker of Parliament, of the reasons therefor and the timeframe within which the response shall be provided. Article 143 The Government or Minister shall submit a written response to the question posed by a Member of Parliament through the Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker of Parliament shall direct the written response to all Members of Parliament, except for the case referred to in Article 139 hereof. Article 144 ----------------------- Page 39----------------------- If the Government or member of the Government does not respond to the question of a Member of Parliament pursuant to Article 143 of these Standing Orders, at the end of question time the Speaker of Parliament shall inform the Members of Parliament of the questions to which the Government or member of the Government has not provided a response within the stipulated period and request that a response be provided within a period of eight days. CHAPTER V – INTERPELLATION Article 145 Debate on the work of the Government as a whole or on individual decisions of the Government or Ministries if they deviate from the general positions of the Government or the Ministries in the implementation of laws and established policy, shall be opened at sessions of Parliament by interpellation. Interpellations may also be submitted when a Member of Parliament is not satisfied with a supplemental written reply from the Government or member of the Government to a question, and if the question and response indicate particularly justifiable grounds to open debate thereon in Parliament. Interpellations shall be submitted in writing. They must clearly pose and explain the question that is to be considered. Interpellations shall be signed by all the Members of Parliament who initiated it. Interpellations to the Speaker of Parliament may be submitted by no less than one tenth of the Members of Parliament. Article 146 The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the interpellation to the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament within a period of 15 days upon receiving the said interpellation. The Speaker of Parliament shall forward the report to the Members of Parliament within a period of 15 days upon receiving the said report. Article 147 Pursuant to an interpellation, the Government shall be obliged to submit to the Speaker of Parliament a report containing its opinions and positions on the interpellation within a period of 15 days upon receiving the said interpellation. Article 148 The interpellation shall be added to the agenda of the session of Parliament held after the delivery of the Government’s report. If the Government fails to submit the report referred to in Article 147 paragraph 1 of these Standing Orders, the interpellation shall be added to the agenda after the expiry of that period. Article 149 The Members of Parliament who initiated the interpellation may appoint their representative to explain the interpellation at a session of Parliament. When an interpellation is initiated on the work of the Government as a whole or on individual decisions of the Government, the Prime Minister shall be entitled to orally explain the report of the Government on the interpellation, while a Minister shall do so when an interpellation pertains to the work of a Ministry. Parliament shall conduct a debate thereafter. Article 150 ----------------------- Page 40----------------------- Parliament may close debate on an interpellation by establishing positions on the question that served to initiate the interpellation and the conclusions posed therein. Upon establishing positions on an interpellation, Parliament may raise the question of the Government’s accountability or initiate a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, an individual member of the Government or the Government as a whole. Article 151 Members of Parliament who initiated an interpellation may withdraw it prior to decision- making thereon. If an interpellation is rejected at a session of Parliament or withdrawn, an interpellation may not be initiated on the same topic before the end of a period of three months after the date on which Parliament rejected the initial interpellation or the date on which the interpellation was withdrawn. PART EIGHT EUROPEAN AFFAIRS CHAPTER I – PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS AND WORK PROGRAMME Basic provision Article 152 Based on the work programme of the European Commission and the programme of the Presidencies of the EU Council, the European Affairs Committee shall conduct preliminary discussions on the actions of Parliament in European affairs at sessions to which the Speaker of Parliament, the chairpersons of parliamentary worki ng bodies and the chairpersons of political groups shall be invited. Parliamentary working bodies shall consider the list of draft legislative acts of the European Union submitted by the Government and inform the European Affairs Committee about the draft legislative acts of the European Union from within their scope of competence for the purpose of adopting the Work Programme. The European Affairs Committee shall adopt the Work Programme upon receiving the proposals of the competent working body. The European Affairs Committee shall submit the Work Programme referred to in paragraph 3 hereof to the Speaker of Parliament. Based on the information submitted by the Government on other documents of the European Union for which debate is envisaged in the institutions of the European Union, parliamentary working bodies may propose to the European Affairs Committee to supplement the Work Programme. In addition to the situation referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article, the European Affairs Committee may supplement the Work Programme at its own initiative and submit it to the Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the Work Programme and its supplements to the Government. Submitting the positions of the Republic of Croatia Article 153 The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the received position of the Republic of Croatia on a document of the European Union from the Work Programme to the European Affairs Committee. The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the received position of the Republic of Croatia on documents of the European Union pertaining to the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union from the Work Programme to the Foreign Affairs Committee. ----------------------- Page 41----------------------- Conclusions of the European Affairs Committee Article 154 The European Affairs Committee shall submit the position of the Republic of Croatia on a document of the European Union from the Work Programme to the competent working body of Parliament immediately upon its receipt. Taking account of the timeframes in which documents of the European Union are to be enacted in the institutions of the European Union, the European Affairs Committee may specify a timeframe in which the working body referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall express an opinion thereon. The European Affairs Committee shall conduct a debate on a document of the European Union and the position of the Republic of Croatia on a document of the European Union, taking into account the opinion of the parliamentary working body referred to in paragraph 1 hereof. After the conducted debate, the European Affairs Committee may adopt a conclusion on the position of the Republic of Croatia and shall submit it to the Speaker of Parliament. If the parliamentary working body referred to in paragraph 1 hereof does not express an opinion within the specified timeframe, the European Affairs Committee may autonomously adopt a conclusion on the position of the Republic of Croatia. Conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Committee Article 155 The Foreign Affairs Committee shall submit the position of the Republic of Croatia on documents of the European Union pertaining to the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union from the Work Programme to the competent working body of Parliament immediately upon its receipt. After the conducted debate on the document of the European Union and the position of the Republic of Croatia referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, the Foreign Affairs Committee may adopt a conclusion on the position of the Republic of Croatia and shall submit it to the Speaker of Parliament. The provisions of Article 154 of these Standing Orders shall apply accordingly to the work of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Designating European Union documents Article 156 In the upper right-hand corner of the title page, documents of the European Union from the Work Programme shall bear the designation “D.E.U. br ___”. All documents of the European Union shall receive a number at the end of the designation referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, and this designation must be cited in all other written materials (positions of the Republic of Croatia, reports, opinions, conclusions, etc.) that pertain to a document of the European Union from the Work Programme until its enactment in the institutions of the European Union. The ordinal numbers referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall start from number one and continue consecutively for the duration of one year in line with the Work Programme. CHAPTER II – CONSIDERING REPORTS AND THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY Considering the Government's reports on the meetings of the Council of the European Union Article 157 The chairperson of the European Affairs Committee shall convoke a session of the Committee to discuss the Government's report on a held meeting of the Council of the ----------------------- Page 42----------------------- European Union and preparations for the next meeting of the Council of the European Union immediately upon receiving the report. After the conducted debate on the report referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, the European Affairs Committee may adopt a conclusion thereon and shall submit it to the Speaker of Parliament. The Committee may hold a joint session with the competent working body of Parliament on the report referred to in paragraph 1 hereof. Monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity Article 158 Every Member of Parliament and political groups, parliamentary working bodies and the Government shall have the right to launch a procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity in the draft legislative acts of the European Union. A proposal to initiate a procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity shall be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament within a period of two weeks after the date on which a draft legislative act was submitted by the institutions of the European Union. The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the proposal to initiate a procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity to the European Affairs Committee, which shall conduct the monitoring procedure within a period of seven weeks after the date on which the draft legislative act was submitted by the institutions of the European Union. The European Affairs Committee may, at its own initiative, initiate a procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity after an elapse of two weeks after the date on which the draft legislative act was submitted by the institutions of the European Union and shall inform the Speaker of Parliament thereof. If the Committee establishes that the said draft legislative act of the European Union breaches the principle of subsidiarity, it shall adopt a reasoned opinion thereon and submit it to the Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker of Parliament shall submit the reasoned opinion referred to in paragraph 5 hereof to the Government, the Presidents of the European Parliament and of the European Commission and to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The date on which the draft legislative act of the European Union was transmitted to the national parliaments of the EU Member States in the official languages of the European Union shall be regarded as the date on which the draft legislative act was submitted by the institutions of the European Union. The provisions of this Article shall apply accordingly to the procedure of monitoring compliance with the principle of subsidiarity in the legislative acts of the European Union. PART NINE – ACTS OF PARLIAMENT CHAPTER I – BASIC PROVISIONS Article 159 Parliament, pursuant to the rights and authorisations established by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and these Standing Orders, shall enact the Constitution, laws, the Central Budget, decisions, declarations, resolutions, charters, recommendations and conclusions, and issue authoritative interpretations of individual provisions of laws. Article 160 Parliament may, by a decision, charter, certificate of gratitude or other official act, confer recognition to Croatian or foreign citizens or organisations for their work which is of ----------------------- Page 43----------------------- exceptional importance to the Republic of Croatia. The proposal for recognition shall be submitted by the Speaker of Parliament. Article 161 A decision, which signifies the exercise of Parliament’s rights, shall determine elections or appointments, dismissal or recall, appointments to specific bodies, the ratification of acts of other bodies and legal entities vested with public authority or the issuance of consent for such acts when specified by law and the exercise of other rights established by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and law. A decision is passed as an act regulating the internal structure, operating procedures and relations in Parliament. Article 162 Decisions, standing orders and rules shall be passed to determine the internal structure, operating procedures and relations in Parliament or to stipulate general methodology and nomotechnical rules for the preparation of acts. Article 163 A declaration shall express the general position of Parliament on domestic or foreign policy matters and on other matters vital to the Republic of Croatia. Article 164 A parliamentary resolution shall indicate the status and problems in a specific area and measures that should be implemented therein. Recommendations denote petitions and appeals submitted on irregularities in the work of legal entities vested with public authority and proposals for their solution. Article 165 Parliamentary conclusions serve to accept proposals, enact laws and other acts and establish positions on specific events and circumstances. Based on the status in an individual field, conclusions may be used to communicate a position, express an opinion or ascertain the duties of the Government, Ministries and other state administration bodies. Article 166 Parliamentary working bodies may, within the framework of their authority, pass conclusions on their work and the work of the Staff Service of Parliament whereby they communicate a position, express an opinion or submit proposals and comments. Parliamentary working bodies pass other official acts within the framework of their authority, as stipulated by these Standing Orders, law and other regulations. Article 167 The texts of laws and other official acts of Parliament are signed by the Speaker of Parliament. Conclusions and other official acts passed by parliamentary working bodies shall be signed by the chairperson of the working body that passed the conclusions or other official acts. Article 168 The seal of Parliament is affixed to the original text of laws, other regulations and general acts of Parliament. ----------------------- Page 44----------------------- The original text of laws, other regulations and general acts of Parliament shall mean that text of a law or other regulation or act enacted at a session of Parliament. The original text of all enacted legislation shall be kept in the facilities of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall be entrusted with the drafting of original acts of Parliament, the affixation of the seal on such acts of Parliament, and the keeping of the original texts and records thereof. Article 169 The Constitution, laws and other regulations and acts of Parliament, the authoritative interpretation of laws, decisions on elections, appointments, dismissals and recall of officials elected or appointed by Parliament, decisions on the form of identification cards of Members of Parliament, and declarations and resolutions shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia and in the Parliament’s bulletin. Conclusions whereby positions are communicated, opinions are expressed and the obligations of the Government, Ministries and other state administration bodies are established with a view to the application of laws shall be published in the Parliament’s bulletin and additionally in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia if so decided by Parliament. Other conclusions shall be submitted to those entities to which they pertain. Acts on the ratification of international treaties shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia together with the text of the treaty. The Secretary of Parliament shall be responsible for the publication of acts of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall, based on the original text of acts of Parliament, provide corrections to errors in the published texts of such acts. Article 170 If the Speaker of Parliament establishes that a submitted draft act of Parliament or other draft was not compiled in accordance with the provisions of these Standing Orders, he/she shall request that the sponsor align the draft act with the provisions of these Standing Orders within a specific period. Until the sponsor corrects any and all shortcomings in a draft act, none of the designated periods for the consideration of such acts as established by these Standing Orders shall commence, and if such shortcomings are not corrected within a period of 15 days after the request to make such corrections was made, it shall be deemed that such a draft act was not submitted to Parliament. CHAPTER II – PARLIAMENTARY ENACTMENT PROCEDURES SECTION A – REGULAR PARLIAMENTARY ENACTMENT PROCEDURE Subsection 1 – Initiation of procedures General provision Article 171 The law enactment procedure shall commence with the submission of a bill to the Speaker of Parliament. Authorised sponsors Article 172 All Members of Parliament, political groups and parliamentary working bodies and the Government shall be entitled to propose bills. All those mentioned in paragraph 1 hereof shall be entitled to propose other draft legislation unless the Constitution or these Standing Orders or law stipulate that ----------------------- Page 45----------------------- individual proposals may only be submitted by specific bodies or a specific number of Members of Parliament. Preliminary discussions Article 173 Parliament may, by a conclusion, determine that preliminary discussions be held on the reasons for the enactment of a law and the fundamental issues to be regulated by such a law in working bodies based on a review of the status in individual fields and reports delivered on possible normative solutions. The motion to conduct preliminary discussions may be made by the authorised sponsor of the bill referred to in Article 172 of these Standing Orders. Preliminary discussions may also be conducted at sessions of Parliament. After conducting preliminary discussions, all positions, opinions and proposals shall be submitted to the sponsor, who shall be obliged, when drafting the bill, to take them into account and explain the grounds for those that could not be accepted. Content of bills Article 174 Bills shall contain: - the constitutional grounds for the enactment of the law; - an assessment of the status and fundamental issues to be regulated by the law and the impact of the enacted law; - an assessment and sources of necessary funds to implement the law; - the text of the draft law, with its interpretation and explanation; - the text of the provisions of the existing law being amended or supplemented, if it is a matter of amending a law. The sponsor shall be obliged to inform the Speaker of Parliament about the person(s) in parliamentary working bodies and Parliament who shall provide notifications and explanations or necessary explications in relation to the submitted bill. The sponsor may additionally submit the corresponding document to accompany the bill, particularly expert opinions, ratified international treaties and other acts used to explain the grounds for the bill. The sponsor shall enclose with the submitted bill a report on the conducted consultations with the interested broader public. The text of bills shall be drafted in line with the uniform methodology and nomotechnical rules for the drafting of acts enacted by Parliament. Sponsors shall be obliged to submit the bill only after it has been thoroughly edited and corrected. When the sponsors are Members of Parliament, working bodies or political groups, their bills shall be edited and corrected by the Staff Service of Parliament during the procedure to enact the law. Form of bills Article 175 The text of bills shall contain solutions in the form of legal provisions. Individual solutions may be proposed alternatively, with the necessary explanation of each of the proposed alternatives. The explanations of bills shall contain the explanation of individual provisions contained in the bill. Retroactive application of provisions ----------------------- Page 46----------------------- Article 176 When a bill specifies that individual provisions are to be applied retroactively, the sponsor shall be obliged to explain in particular the reasons justifying such provisions. Designating bills Article 177 In the upper right-hand corner of the title page, bills shall bear the designation “P.Z. br ___” (abbreviations of the Croatian terms Prijedlog zakona – Bill, and broj – number) while legislation being aligned with the regulations of the European Union shall bear the designation “P.Z.E. br ___”. All bills shall receive a number at the end of the designation referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, and this designation must be cited in all other written materials (reports, opinions, amendments, final drafts, etc.) that pertain to the draft of a given law until its enactment. The ordinal numbers referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall start from number one and continue consecutively for the duration of the given convocation of Parliament. Receiving and forwarding bills Article 178 The Speaker of Parliament shall forward bills to the chairpersons of all working bodies, to all Members of Parliament and to the Prime Minister, when the Government is not the sponsor. Consideration of a bill in working bodies Article 179 Prior to debate on a bill at a session of Parliament, the chairperson of the competent working body and the Legislation Committee shall be obliged to place the bill on the agenda of the session of the working body and conduct a debate thereon. Except for the working bodies referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, other working bodies may consider a bill. Working bodies shall adopt a position on all elements of the bill, while the Legislation Committee must particularly adopt a position on the constitutional grounds of the law. Reports from working bodies Article 180 Upon considering a bill, the competent working body shall submit its report to Parliament containing the opinions, positions, comments and proposals initiated during its consideration. The competent working body may consider the opinions, positions, comments and proposals submitted to it by other working bodies that considered the bill, and may request other working bodies to deliver such reports. In the report it submits to Parliament, the competent working body shall additionally communicate its position on the opinions, positions, comments and proposals of other working bodies if they have been received prior to concluding the debate on the bill. Delivery of reports from working bodies Article 181 The Speaker of Parliament submits the received reports from the working bodies to the sponsor of the bill and Members of Parliament. Designating rapporteurs of working bodies ----------------------- Page 47----------------------- Article 182 When considering a bill, a working body shall designate a rapporteur who shall present the opinions, positions and comments and explain the proposals of this body at a session of Parliament. Subsection 2 – First reading General provision Article 183 The first reading of a bill is the first stage in the procedures to enact a law that is conducted at sessions of Parliament. The first reading of a bill shall encompass the introductory speech of the sponsor, general debate on the bill, debate on details that include debate on the text of the bill, debate on the positions of working bodies that considered the bill and the adoption of a conclusion on the need to pass the bill into law. Commencement of the first reading of a bill Article 184 The first reading of a bill shall commence with the introductory speech of the sponsor or the representative designated by the sponsor at the commencement of the debate. In addition to the introductory speech, the sponsor of the bill or the representatives designated by the sponsor shall be entitled to provide explanations, express opinions and adopt a position on the opinions, positions, comments and proposals made throughout the course of the debate in line with the provisions of these Standing Orders. A representative of the Government may request the floor during the course of the debate in Parliament even when the Government is not the sponsor of the bill. The sponsor of the bill may withdraw a bill up to the conclusion of the debate. Rapporteurs of working bodies Article 185 A rapporteur of the working body that considered the bill may present the opinions, positions, comments and proposals adopted by the working body. General debate and debate on details Article 186 At the session of Parliament, there is a general debate and a debate on details which, as a rule, are unified. Conducting general debate and debate on details Article 187 A general debate on a bill is conducted in such a manner that Members of Parliament express their opinions on whether it is necessary to enact the law, on fundamental matters that are to be regulated by the law, on the constitutional authority that the proposal be regulated by law, and on the scope and manner of the legal regulation of these relations. A debate on details shall be conducted in such a manner that the text of a bill and the individual provisions are discussed. If Members of Parliament assess that the need to enact the law does not exist, the bill will be rejected by a conclusion that must be explained and submitted to the sponsor. The bill rejected at a session may not be placed on the agenda again before three months have passed after the date of its rejection by Parliament. ----------------------- Page 48----------------------- Upon the conclusion of the debate by a conclusion whereby the bill is accepted, opinions, positions, comments and proposals shall be established pertaining to the bill and then submitted to the sponsor for the preparation of the final draft. In the conclusion on the acceptance of a bill, Parliament may specify that the sponsor be obliged, instead of a proposal to enact amendments to a valid law, to compose a final draft that shall regulate a specific area in its entirety. Parliament may specify that the sponsor be obliged to obtain the opinions of individual bodies or legal entities vested with public authority on issues pertaining to the bill prior to submitting the final draft or the final draft referred to in paragraph 6 hereof. Conclusions of Parliament Article 188 Based on the conclusion of Parliament on the acceptance of a bill, the sponsor shall compose the final draft or the final draft referred to in Article 187 paragraph 6 of these Standing Orders, or the final draft shall be composed by another body if so determined by Parliament with the agreement of the sponsor. With the consent of the sponsor, it may be decided that the final draft of the bill or the final draft referred to in Article 187 paragraph 6 of these Standing Orders be composed by a working body of Parliament or the Government and such a body is thereby deemed the sponsor, while the previous sponsor loses this status. Subsection 3 – Second reading General provision Article 189 The second reading of a bill is the second stage in the procedure to enact a law that is conducted at sessions of Parliament. The second reading of a bill encompasses an introductory speech made by the sponsor, general debate on the bill, debate in detail that includes a debate on the text of the final draft of the bill, debate on the positions of the working bodies which examined the final draft, debate on tabled amendments, decision-making on amendments and enactment of the law. Final draft of a bill Article 190 The final draft of a bill shall be submitted by the sponsor within a period of six months after the acceptance of the initial bill. If the sponsor fails to submit the final draft within the period stipulated in paragraph 1 hereof, the enactment procedure shall be deemed suspended. Form of the final draft Article 191 The final draft shall be submitted in the form in which the law is to be enacted. The explanation of the final draft shall encompass the grounds for the enactment of the law, matters resolved thereby, explanations of the provisions of the bill, data on funds necessary to implement the law and methods to secure such funds and other circumstances pertinent to the matters to be regulated by the law. In the explanation of the final draft, the sponsor shall be obliged to state the differences between the solutions being proposed and the solutions contained in the bill, the reasons why these differences emerged and the proposals, objections and opinions that were expressed regarding the bill and that were not accepted by the sponsor, with a statement of reasons why they were not accepted. ----------------------- Page 49----------------------- Application of the provisions of these Standing Orders Article 192 The provisions of these Standing Orders pertaining to bills shall be applied accordingly to the submission of final drafts of bills, the referral thereof to working bodies and the consideration thereof by working bodies. Retroactive effect of individual provisions of a law Article 193 If the final draft of a bill foresees that individual provisions contained therein are to have retroactive effect, a special assessment and conclusion, based on a special explanatory statement provided by the sponsor of the bill and reports from the competent working body and the Legislation Committee, shall establish that there are particularly justified grounds for the retroactive effect of these individual provisions. Barring the above, decision-making on the retroactive effect of individual legal provisions cannot commence. Application of the provisions of these Standing Orders on debate on the final draft Article 194 When the final draft of a bill is being debated, the provisions on the debate at the first reading shall be applied accordingly to the provisions on the debate at the second reading. Debate on the final draft of a bill Article 195 During debate on the text of the final draft of a bill, the final draft shall be debated by sections or articles, as shall the tabled amendments. After the debate referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, decisions shall be adopted on the submitted amendments. The sponsor of the bill shall state whether he/she accepts or opposes each tabled amendment. Only the sponsor of the amendment may respond to such a statement of the sponsor of the bill, in a speech that shall not exceed two minutes. After conducting the debate and deciding on amendments, the debate shall be concluded and the enactment of the law shall be decided upon. Subsection 4 – Amendments Article 196 The proposal to amend the final draft of a bill shall be submitted in writing in the form of an amendment accompanied by an explanatory statement. All Members of Parliament, political groups and working bodies of Parliament and the Government shall be entitled to table amendments. If the purpose of the final draft of a bill is to amend an existing law, then amendments may only be tabled to the articles encompassed by the initially proposed amendments. By way of derogation from paragraph (3) hereof, amendments may be tabled to the articles of a law not encompassed by the initially proposed amendments if this is necessary for alignment with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia or documents pertaining to international integration or pertaining to rulings of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia. Article 197 ----------------------- Page 50----------------------- Amendments shall be tabled with the Speaker of Parliament by the end of the debate on the final draft of the bill held at the session of Parliament. Article 198 The Speaker of Parliament shall immediately refer the tabled amendments to Members of Parliament, the sponsor of the bill and the Government when it is not the sponsor. The Speaker of Parliament shall also refer the tabled amendments to the competent working body and the Legislation Committee so that, if necessary, they can submit their reports with opinions and proposals thereon. Article 199 By way of derogation, if the majority of present Members of Parliament agree, the sponsor may table amendments to the final draft of a bill during the decision-making procedures on tabled amendments at the session. Such amendments shall also be tabled in writing with the necessary explanations. The amendments referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be subject to debate and voting. Only representatives of political groups may participate in the debate. Article 200 If tabled amendments are such that they significantly alter or deviate from the final draft of the bill, Parliament may decide to postpone the debate so that Members of Parliament have sufficient time to prepare prior to decision-making. Voting on amendments shall be postponed if this is sought by a representative of the sponsor, the Government (regardless of whether or not it is the sponsor), the chairperson of the competent working body, the chairperson of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System, or the chairperson of the Legislation Committee or the Legislation Committee. Article 201 The sponsor and the Government, if it is not the sponsor of the bill, shall adopt a position on the amendments. The position referred to in paragraph 1 hereof is generally communicated orally and the duration of such a statement may not exceed two minutes. After the sponsor states his/her position on a given amendment, only the sponsor of the amendment may respond to such a position, and the duration of this speech may not exceed two minutes. Article 202 Amendments tabled within the period referred to in Article 197 of these Standing Orders shall become a component of the final draft of the bill and voting thereon shall not be conducted separately: - if it is tabled by the sponsor of the bill; - if the sponsor of the bill has accepted the amendment. An amendment adopted at a session of Parliament shall become a component of the final draft of the bill subject to decision-making. If the sponsor of the amendment seeks a separate explanation of an individual amendment referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, voting on this amendment shall be conducted separately. If the final draft of the bill is not submitted by the Government, voting on amendments not supported by the Government shall be conducted separately. ----------------------- Page 51----------------------- Voting on amendments shall be conducted according to the order of the articles of the final draft of the bill to which they pertain. If multiple amendments to the same article of the final draft of the bill are tabled, voting on the amendments is conducted according to the order determined by the chair, without debate. If multiple amendments tabled to the same article of the final draft of the bill are identical in content, then voting shall be conducted on only one of them. If multiple mutually exclusive amendments to the same article are adopted, the last accepted amendment in the order of voting shall be adopted. Subsection 5 – Third reading Article 203 The third reading of a bill is a special stage in the procedure to enact a law and it is conducted at a session of Parliament. The third reading of a bill shall be conducted according to the decision of Parliament or at the request of the sponsor in cases where the text of the final draft is subject to a larger number of amendments or when the amendments are such that they significantly alter the content of the final draft. The third reading shall be conducted under the conditions and according to the procedure stipulated in these Standing Orders for the second reading. SECTION B – ENACTMENT OF LAWS UNDER URGENT PROCEDURE Reasons for urgent procedure Article 204 By way of derogation, laws may be enacted under urgent procedure when this is required on particularly justified grounds, which shall be specifically explained in the request. The request to enact the law under urgent procedure shall be submitted together with the final draft of the bill, which shall contain all that is contained in the bill, with the exception that instead of the text of the bill, the text of the final draft of the bill shall be attached. When the request to enact a law under urgent procedure is submitted by a Member of Parliament, he/she must have the support of an additional 15 Members of Parliament. The request to enact a law under urgent procedure may be submitted by a political group that has 15 or more members and by political groups that together have 15 or more members. The first and second readings are consolidated in urgent procedures. The request to enact a law under urgent procedure is submitted to the Speaker of Parliament at least 24 hours prior to the confirmation of the agenda at the session. The Speaker of Parliament shall immediately refer the request to enact the law under urgent procedure to the chairpersons of working bodies, all Members of Parliament and the Government if it is not the sponsor. Decision on the request Article 205 The request referred to in Article 204 of these Standing Orders shall be subject to decision during the confirmation of the agenda at the beginning of the session , and it may be subject to decision during the adoption of addenda to the agenda if a Member of Parliament objected to applying the urgent procedure. If an objection referred to in paragraph 1 hereof is not stated, the request for urgent procedure shall be deemed accepted. ----------------------- Page 52----------------------- If the request to enact a law under urgent procedure is not accepted, the Speaker of Parliament may move to conduct the first reading at the same session of Parliament, i.e. to proceed in line with Article 224 paragraph 3 of these Standing Orders. Alignment with the documents of the European Union Article 206 Legislation being aligned with the documents of the European Union shall be enacted under urgent procedure if so sought by the sponsor. By way of derogation, if the competent working body, the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System or the Legislation Committee propose that the legislation referred to in paragraph 1 hereof be debated at the first reading due to its failure to comply with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia or the legal system, Parliament may adopt a decision to debate the legislation at the first reading. SECTION C – ORGANIC LAW Article 207 Organic laws shall govern the rights of national minorities and elaborate human rights and fundamental freedoms set forth in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, the electoral system, structure, authority and operating procedures of state bodies and the structure and authority of local and regional self-government. The provisions of these Standing Orders pertaining to the legislation procedure shall apply to the procedures for enacting organic laws and the constitutional law regulating equality and protection of the rights of national minorities. CHAPTER III – AUTHORITATIVE INTERPRETATION OF LAWS Article 208 Motion to provide authoritative interpretations of laws may be submitted by authorised sponsors of laws referred to in Article 172 of these Standing Orders. The provisions of these Standing Orders pertaining to the procedures to enact laws shall be applied accordingly to the procedures for providing authoritative interpretation of laws. Article 209 Motions to provide authoritative interpretations of laws shall be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament, and shall contain the title of the law, the designation of the provision requiring interpretation and the grounds for seeking interpretation, sources of the needed means and a draft text of the authoritative interpretation of the law. The Speaker of Parliament shall refer the motion to provide authoritative interpretation of laws to the Legislation Committee, the competent working body and the Government (if it is not the mover) in order to assess its validity. The competent working body and the Government shall be obliged to submit an opinion to the Legislation Committee within a period of 30 days. If the competent working body and the Government do not submit their opinions within the stipulated period, it shall be deemed that they concur with the motion to provide an authoritative interpretation of the law. Article 210 Upon obtaining the opinions of the competent working body and the Government, or after the expiry of the deadline referred to in Article 209 paragraph 3 hereof, the Legislation Committee shall assess whether a validly submitted motion to provide ----------------------- Page 53----------------------- authoritative interpretation of a law has grounds and shall report its position to Parliament within a period of 30 days. If it assesses that the motion has grounds, the Legislation Committee shall submit the draft text of the authoritative interpretation which shall be attached to its report to Parliament. If the Legislation Committee assesses that the motion to provide authoritative interpretation has no grounds, it shall inform Parliament thereof and Parliament shall make a decision thereon. Parliament shall debate on a motion to provide authoritative interpretations in one reading. CHAPTER IV – PASSING THE CENTRAL BUDGET Article 211 The Draft Central Budget accompanied by an explanation shall be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament by the Government. Draft financial plans for extra-budgetary funds shall be submitted together with the Draft Central Budget with explanations and the final draft of the Central Budget Execution Bill. Article 212 The provisions of these Standing Orders pertaining to the procedures to enact laws shall be applied accordingly to the passage of the Central Budget. Joint debate in general, by sections and by amendments shall be held on the Central Budget in one reading. Voting on tabled amendments and the budget as a whole may not be conducted prior to the expiry of three days after the date of the debate referred to in paragraph 2 hereof. Article 213 The Government shall submit a report on budget execution to the Speaker of Parliament within the period stipulated by law. During the debate on the execution of the Central Budget, and based on segments of implemented operational programmes, the foundations of policy for future periods or guidelines for budget development may be established, and the conditions and criteria to finance the tasks of state bodies and organisations and to finance other state needs may additionally be established. CHAPTER V – PASSAGE OF OTHER ACTS OF PARLIAMENT Article 214 With reference to the procedures to pass decisions, declarations, resolutions, recommendations and other acts of Parliament, the provisions of these Standing Orders on the procedure for the debate on the final draft of a bill shall be applied unless Parliament decides otherwise. The debate on these acts of Parliament shall be unified, unless it is decided to first deliberate on the proposal in principle and then in detail. The procedures to pass other acts of Parliament, regardless of whether they are passed under the procedures for bills or final drafts of bills, shall always be initiated by a draft act. The sponsor of the act of Parliament referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be obliged to submit the draft act to the Speaker of Parliament, and this draft by its nature must be accompanied by an explanatory statement. Reports, acts and other information not submitted to Parliament by the Government shall be referred to the Government by the Speaker of Parliament for its opinion. ----------------------- Page 54----------------------- Article 215 If the reports, acts and other information exceed 30 pages, a summary shall be submitted to Members of Parliament, while the original material shall be made available to them in the Staff Service of Parliament. The summary shall contain all essential points of the original material and the sponsor shall be obliged to submit it to Parliament simultaneously with the original materials. Persons submitting reports, acts or information shall be obliged to indicate the sources and documentation upon which the original materials are based. When, after debate on an individual act at a sitting of Parliament, two or more sponsors move to pass conclusions or other acts, the chair shall decide on the order of voting. PART TEN SESSION OF PARLIAMENT CHAPTER I – BASIC PROVISIONS SECTION A – HOLDING AND CONVENING SESSIONS OF PARLIAMENT Convening sessions Article 216 A session of Parliament shall be convened by the Speaker of Parliament. Parliament may hold regular and extraordinary sessions. Regular sessions Article 217 Parliament shall hold regular sessions twice annually: the first between 15 January and 15 July, and the second between 15 September and 15 December. During the regular session of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament shall be obliged to convene Parliament for session within a period of 8 days after the date of receiving the written request from a majority of the total number of Members of Parliament. If the Speaker of Parliament fails to convene Parliament during the period of regular session, it shall be convened by at least three Deputy Speakers of Parliament. National anthem of the Republic of Croatia Article 218 At the beginning of each regular session of Parliament, the national anthem of the Republic of Croatia shall be played. Draft agenda Article 219 During its regular session, Parliament shall convene once a month and more frequently if necessary. The draft agenda for regular sessions shall be delivered to Members of Parliament 8 days before the session. By way of derogation, the Speaker of Parliament may, when it is necessary to enact specific legislation under urgent procedure or when this is required by other particularly justifiable reasons, convene Parliament within a period shorter than 8 days, and propose the agenda for that session at the session itself. Extraordinary sessions Article 220 Outside the periods set forth in Article 217 paragraph 1 hereof, Parliament may hold extraordinary sessions at the request of the President of the Republic, the Government or a majority of all Members of Parliament. ----------------------- Page 55----------------------- Upon obtaining the prior opinion of political groups of parliamentary parties, the Speaker of Parliament may convene an extraordinary session of Parliament. The request referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be submitted to the Speaker of Parliament in writing and an explanation shall be provided. When the authorised proposer referred to in paragraph 1 hereof submits a request in line with paragraph 3 hereof, the Speaker of Parliament shall be obliged to convene an extraordinary session of Parliament within a period of eight days upon receiving such a request. If the Speaker of Parliament fails to convene an extraordinary session within the period referred to in paragraph 4 hereof, the extraordinary session shall be convened, based on a validly submitted request, by at least three Deputy Speakers of Parliament. Draft Agenda Article 221 When convening extraordinary sessions of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament may proceed in the manner provided in Article 219 paragraph 2 of these Standing Orders. Duration of regular and extraordinary sessions Article 222 Unless Parliament decides otherwise, a session of Parliament shall continue until all items on the agenda are covered and resolved, while the ordinal number of each session shall be determined consecutively for sessions held regularly and extraordinarily during a single term of Parliament. Documentation delivery Article 223 When these Standing Orders stipulate that individual proceedings in the enactment of laws and other acts of Parliament be conducted within a specific period, and such a period is tied to the delivery of materials to Members of Parliament (bills, summons to session, reports of working bodies, etc.), the date of making the materials available to Members of Parliament by email or the date of deposition of the materials in the boxes of Members of Parliament shall be deemed the date of delivery. SECTION B - AGENDA Proposing the Agenda Article 224 The agenda of sessions of Parliament shall be proposed by the Speaker of Parliament, as a rule in written form, and shall be delivered in an attachment to the summons to the session. The Speaker of Parliament may amend the draft agenda at the session itself, in such a way that individual matters are removed from or added to the draft agenda. An agenda amended or supplemented in such a way shall be submitted to Members of Parliament in the form of a final draft agenda. The Speaker of Parliament shall include in the draft agenda all matters and acts which are submitted pursuant to the provisions of these Standing Orders within a period of 30 days from the day of receipt when pertaining to bills, or 15 days from the day of receipt when pertaining to final drafts of bills or other acts of Parliament. Bills and other acts submitted while Parliament is not in session shall be added to the agenda of the next session of Parliament. Objections ----------------------- Page 56----------------------- Article 225 A Member of Parliament or other sponsor may file a written objection to the draft agenda attached to the summons to a session not later than one day prior to the scheduled session of Parliament. The written objection to the draft agenda may be filed if the Speaker of Parliament failed to proceed pursuant to Article 224 paragraph 3 of these Standing Orders. If the Speaker of Parliament establishes that the objection has valid grounds, he/she shall add the matter to the agenda without debate. If none of the Members of Parliament or other sponsors of bills file written objections pursuant to paragraph 1 hereof, the draft agenda shall be deemed established. At sessions of Parliament, Members of Parliament or other sponsors of bills may file written objections only to those items of the agenda not contained in the draft agenda attached to the summons to a session or those omitted from the final draft agenda that were contained in the draft agenda attached to the summons to a session. Decisions on objections to the agenda shall be made at sessions without debate. Adopting and amending agendas Article 226 As a rule, the agenda of a session of Parliament shall be adopted at the beginning of the session. If a session of Parliament lasts more than one day, the Speaker of Parliament may subsequently propose that new items be added to the agenda. The addenda to the agenda shall be adopted in the manner set forth in Article 224 paragraph 3 of these Standing Orders. The Speaker of Parliament shall be obliged to propose addenda to the agenda when this is sought in writing by one third of the total number of Members of Parliament during a session. Barring the cases referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 hereof, addenda to the agenda may not be proposed at sessions of Parliament. Motions for enactment of laws under urgent procedure Article 227 When adopting the agenda at sessions of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament shall first notify Members of Parliament about the proposal that a law be enacted under urgent procedure. If none of the Members of Parliament states an objection to enactment under urgent procedure, the motion for enactment under urgent procedure shall be deemed adopted. If a Member of Parliament states an objection to enactment under urgent procedure, the motion shall be put to a vote. Prior to the vote, the Speaker of Parliament shall grant the floor to the Member of Parliament who opposes enactment under urgent procedure and to the sponsor of the bill. Proclamation of the agenda Article 228 After the agenda has been adopted , the Speaker of Parliament shall proclaim the adopted agenda accordingly. As a rule, the established order of debating the items on the agenda shall not be altered in the course of the week in which the session is held. At the beginning of each working day of the session, the Speaker of Parliament shall, as a rule, proclaim which items on the agenda are to be discussed on that day. By way of derogation, the Speaker may alter the order of debate or decision-making during ----------------------- Page 57----------------------- sessions if there are no reports on individual items on the agenda from the competent working bodies, the sponsor or the Government. At the close of a daily sitting, the chair shall, as a rule, proclaim which items on the agenda are to be covered on the following day of the session. CHAPTER II – CHAIRING AND PARTICIPATION General provision Article 229 Sessions of Parliament shall be chaired by the Speaker of Parliament, and when the Speaker is absent or prevented from attending, sessions shall be chaired by one of the Deputy Speakers of Parliament. All persons invited by the Speaker of Parliament may attend sessions as guests. Foreign state officials may hold speeches as guests at sessions at the invitation of the Speaker of Parliament. Requesting the floor Article 230 No person may speak at sessions prior to requesting and obtaining the floor from the chair. Requests for the floor shall be submitted no later than one hour after the commencement of the debate. Giving the floor Article 231 The chair shall give the floor to Members of Parliament in the order in which the floor has been requested. Regardless of the order, a Member of Parliament may be granted the floor when he/she wishes to reply to statements or to point out violations of the Standing Orders. A speaker may be called to order or interrupted only by the chair. The chair shall ensure that speakers are not otherwise interrupted or prevented from speaking. Matters on the adopted agenda Article 232 A speaker may only speak on the matter being debated in accordance with the adopted agenda. If the speaker departs from the matter on the agenda, the chair shall caution him/her to adhere to the matter on the agenda. If a speaker does not adhere to matters on the agenda even after being called to order twice, he/she shall be denied the right to speak by the chair. In this case, the Member of Parliament may no longer participate in the debate on that matter of the agenda. Time limits for speeches Article 233 As a rule, Members of Parliament may speak for no longer than 10 minutes during debate, while representatives of political groups may speak for up to 15 minutes. Exceptionally, depending on the importance of the matter at hand, Parliament may decide to allow individual representatives of political groups or Members of Parliament to speak longer. The sponsor, or representatives of the sponsor, may deliver an introductory speech at the beginning of the debate that may not exceed 30 minutes, while upon providing individual explanations during the debate their speech shall be limited to five minutes. ----------------------- Page 58----------------------- A representative of the Government, when not the sponsor, may deliver an introductory speech at the beginning of the debate no longer than 15 minutes, while each time when given the floor to provide individual explanations during the debate, his/her time shall be limited to five minutes. A Member of Parliament who requests the floor but is not present in the session hall when called upon shall lose the right to speak on the item of the agenda for which the floor was requested. The representative of a political group who is not present in the session hall when called upon shall lose the right to speak on behalf of that political group on the item of the agenda for which the floor was requested. After all Members of Parliament who requested the floor complete their speeches, the representatives of political groups may once more request the floor and then may speak for no longer than five minutes , regardless of whether a representative of a political group has already participated in the debate on a given item of the agenda. Exceptions to time limits for speeches Article 234 The Presidency of Parliament may decide that the debate on a given item of the agenda may be limited to a specific time period within which the sponsor may speak for no longer than 20 minutes, while the representative of the competent working body, the representative of the Legislation Committee and the representatives of other working bodies that considered the matter may speak for no longer than 10 minutes. The remaining time shall be allocated to political groups in proportion to the existing party composition of Parliament, in such a way that Members of political groups may not be allocated less than 15 minutes and Members who do not belong to a political group may speak for up to five minutes. Decisions referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be made by Parliament, without debate. Sponsors, political groups, working bodies and Members of Parliament who do not belong to a political group may use the time specified in paragraph 1 hereof in a manner they determine themselves. Reply Article 235 If a Member of Parliament requests the floor to respond to a statement (reply), the chair shall give him/her the floor immediately after the end of the speech in which the statement was made. The reply of the Member of Parliament or the response thereto may not exceed two minutes. Members of Parliament may reply to a statement only once, and that based on the original statement. Members of Parliament may not reply to statements made by the chair. Members of Parliament may not request the floor to respond to statements for which the chair imposed disciplinary measures against the speaker. Violations of Standing Orders Article 236 A Member of Parliament who wishes to point out violations of the Standing Orders shall be given the floor by the chair immediately upon requesting the floor. The speech of that Member of Parliament may not exceed one minute, and the Member of Parliament must immediately indicate the Article of the Standing Orders being violated. The chair is obliged to provide an explanation after hearing the objection. If the Member of ----------------------- Page 59----------------------- Parliament is not satisfied with such an explanation, he/she may announce the filing of a request to the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System for its opinion on the violation of the Standing Orders. The request referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be submitted in writing and shall be explained. The request shall be submitted within a period of 24 hours from the execution of the act the request refers to. A Member of Parliament who does not submit the request in the form and within the period referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall lose the right to speak about the violation of the Standing Orders referred to in paragraph 1 hereof until the end of the current session. If a Member of Parliament announces the request on the last day of the current session but does not submit it in the period referred to in paragraph 2 hereof, he/she shall lose the right to speak about the violation of the Standing Orders referred to in paragraph 1 hereof at the next session of Parliament. The chair shall inform Members of Parliament of the names of the Members of Parliament who do not have the right to speak about violations of Standing Orders at the session of Parliament. The Committee shall deliver its opinion to Parliament within 24 hours from the receipt of the request. If Parliament is not assembled at the time of receiving the request, the Committee shall deliver its opinion by the beginning of the next session. The Speaker of Parliament shall place the opinion of the Committee on the agenda of the session of Parliament. Parliament shall decide on the opinion of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System without debate. CHAPTER III – MAINTAINING ORDER AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES General provision Article 237 Order at sessions shall be maintained by the chair. The following disciplinary measures may be imposed by the chair against Members of Parliament for disrupting order at sessions: 1. call to order; 2. call to order and denial of the right to speak; 3. exclusion from the session. The disciplinary measures referred to in paragraph 2 hereof shall be final and not subject to debate. Reasons for imposing disciplinary measures Article 238 During debate, Members of Parliament shall not: - speak on a matter other than the one being debated; - speak without the approval of the chair; - interrupt or otherwise hinder the speech of a speaker; - request the floor due to violations of the Standing Orders and then begin speaking of other matters for which they were not given the floor; - belittle or insult the chair or other Members of Parliament; - behave so as to deviate from the general rules of conduct in Parliament; - disturb the order at sessions by other means. Call to order Article 239 Members of Parliament shall be called to order if they violate Article 238 hereof. ----------------------- Page 60----------------------- Call to order and denial of the right to speak Article 240 Members of Parliament who after being called to order continue to violate Article 238 of these Standing Orders shall be called to order and denied the right to speak. Members of Parliament who advocate violence and hatred, insulting the Croatian people, religious, national and other communities, sexual, gender and other minorities, foreign states and international organisations and their representatives shall be called to order and denied the right to speak. Exclusion from the session Article 241 A Member of Parliament shall be excluded from the session when he/she violates the provisions of these Standing orders and by his/her behaviour renders the work of Parliament impossible. Exclusion from sessions may be imposed for the duration of the debate and decision- making on one or more items on the agenda or for the entire day on which such a disciplinary measure was imposed. When a Member of Parliament is excluded from a session of Parliament, he/she is obliged to immediately depart from the session, and if he/she does not do so, the chair may double the duration of such a disciplinary measure. If, even after the measure referred to in paragraph 3 hereof has been imposed, the Member of Parliament does not depart from the session, the chair shall suspend the session and order that the Member of Parliament be removed from the session hall. In this case, the chair may request that the Parliamentary Guard remove the Member of Parliament from the session hall. The chair may request that the Parliamentary Guard prevent the Member of Parliament who is removed from the session from entering the session hall for the duration of the disciplinary measure. Objection against the disciplinary measure of exclusion from a session Article 242 A Member of Parliament shall have the right to file an objection against the disciplinary measure of exclusion from a session. The objection referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be submitted in writing and must be explained. The objection shall be filed with the Speaker of Parliament within a period of 24 hours after the disciplinary measure was imposed, and the Speaker shall forward it to all Members of Parliament. If a Member of Parliament fails to file the objection in the form and the period referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 hereof, he/she shall lose the right to file the objection. The chair shall add the validly filed objection to the agenda of the next scheduled sitting if the session is in progress, or of the next scheduled session. The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall provide an opinion on the objection. The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall deliver its opinion to Parliament within 24 hours upon receiving the objection. If Parliament is not assembled at the time of receiving the objection, the Committee shall deliver its opinion by the beginning of the next session. Parliament shall decide on the opinion of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System without debate, and only the Member of Parliament who filed the objection and the rapporteur of the Committee on the Constitution, Standing ----------------------- Page 61----------------------- Orders and Political System shall be entitled to the floor. Their speech shall not exceed five minutes. Decision on the objection Article 243 Upon receiving an objection, Parliament may: - confirm the imposed disciplinary measure; - annul the disciplinary measure. The decision of Parliament shall be final. Removal of other persons Article 244 The chair may request that any other person disrupting the order at sessions be removed from the session hall . In this case, the chair may request that the person disrupting the order at sessions be removed from the session hall by the Parliamentary Guard. CHAPTER IV – COURSE OF SESSIONS Opening of the session Article 245 After the opening of the session, the chair shall provide the necessary clarifications pertaining to the work of the session and notifications on other preliminary matters. Commencement of debate Article 246 Upon the adoption of the agenda, debate shall commence on individual items on the agenda in the order in which they are established on the agenda. Debate on individual items on the adopted agenda shall be conducted regardless of the number of Members of Parliament in attendance. In debate on items on the adopted agenda, representatives of political groups shall also be entitled to express their positions and they shall have precedence in the order of speakers. Debate Article 247 Each item on the adopted agenda shall be debated and then decided upon at sessions unless these Standing Orders stipulate that an item shall be decided upon without debate. The chair shall ensure that the debate on individual items on the agenda proceeds according to the scheduled programme and shall provide interpretations and clarifications on procedures to enact laws and other regulations. At the proposal of the chair, the competent working body, the Legislation Committee or political groups, a joint debate on two or more items on the adopted agenda may be conducted. Recess Article 248 During the course of a session of Parliament, a representative of a political group may ask for a recess for a meeting of the political group. In a statement no longer than two minutes, the representative of the political group shall state the reasons for asking for a recess and propose its duration. ----------------------- Page 62----------------------- The chair will grant the recess, which shall be no shorter than 10 and no longer than 30 minutes. After the recess, the representative of the political group shall explain the position of the political group in a statement that shall not exceed five minutes. Replies to statements of the representative of the political group shall not be permitted. Reasons for not granting recess Article 249 The chair shall not grant a recess for a meeting of the political group if the request for the recess is made: a) before the agenda is adopted and before proceeding to the agenda; b) for reasons pertaining to the work of the working bodies of Parliament ; c) in connection to a declaration or statement made by a Member of Parliament outside Parliament. Closure of debate and session Article 250 The chair shall close the debate when he/she establishes that there are no more scheduled speakers. As a rule, the chair shall close a session when the list of items on the established agenda has been exhausted. CHAPTER V – DECISION-MAKING AND VOTING SECTION A – DECISION-MAKING General provision Article 251 Decision-making at sessions of Parliament shall require the presence of a majority of Members of Parliament, except in cases when specified otherwise in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia or these Standing Orders. As a rule, the chair shall establish the number of those in attendance each time a decision is to be made. Enactment by a majority vote Article 252 Laws, decisions, resolutions, conclusions and other acts of Parliament shall be passed by a majority vote, provided that a majority of Members of Parliament are present at the session, unless specified otherwise in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and these Standing Orders. By a majority vote of all Members of Parliament, Parliament shall pass: - decisions to initiate the amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and the establishment of draft amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - laws (organic laws) that elaborate constitutionally established human rights and fundamental freedoms, the electoral system, the structure, authority and operating procedures of state bodies and the structure and authority of local and regional self- government; - the decision under Article 7 paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - votes of confidence in the Prime Minister and members of the Government or votes of no confidence in the Prime Minister, the Government as a whole or individual members of the Government; - decisions to dissolve Parliament, ----------------------- Page 63----------------------- - the Standing Orders of Parliament; - the Central Budget. Enactment by a two-thirds majority vote Article 253 By a two-thirds majority vote of all Members of Parliament, Parliament shall: - enact the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - ratify international treaties whereby an international organisation or alliance is granted authority vested by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - enact the Constitutional Act on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia; - pass the decision under Article 7 paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia given the conditions under Article 7 paragraph 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - enact constitutional laws (organic laws) governing the rights of national minorities and other constitutional laws; - pass decisions to institute proceedings for the impeachment of the President of the Republic; - pass preliminary decisions on the association of the Republic of Croatia into alliances with other states, as well as its dissociation ; - pass the decision under Article 8 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - pass the decision under Article 126 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia; - pass laws as stipulated under Article 17 paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. Preliminary decisions and authoritative interpretation Article 254 When, during the procedures to enact laws at sessions of Parliament pursuant to the provisions of these Standing Orders, decisions are made that precede the enactment of laws and other acts of Parliament in the sense of Articles 252 and 253 of these Standing Orders, a majority vote of all Members of Parliament in attendance shall be necessary for their passage, regardless of whether individual laws or acts of Parliament are passed by a majority vote of all Members of Parliament or a two-thirds majority vote of all Members of Parliament, unless the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia or these Standing Orders specify that the decision be passed by a qualified majority. By way of derogation from paragraph 1 hereof, decisions on providing or not providing authoritative interpretation of individual provisions of a law shall be made by the same type of majority vote by which that law was enacted. SECTION B – VOTING General provision Article 255 Voting at sessions shall be public, unless it is stipulated by these Standing Orders that the vote shall be secret. Public voting shall be conducted by raising hands, a roll call or electronically. As a rule, public voting shall be conducted electronically. Voting by raising hands may be conducted at the request of the representative of a political group. Voting by roll call shall be conducted when this is requested by a political group or the sponsor. ----------------------- Page 64----------------------- Electronic voting Article 256 When voting electronically, each Member of Parliament shall confirm his/her presence and identify himself/herself appropriately. Electronic voting shall be conducted in such a way that the chair shall call on Members of Parliament to declare in the appropriate manner whether they are ‘for’ or ‘against’ a bill or motion, or to abstain from voting. The chair shall proclaim the results of the vote based on the results of the vote displayed on the control screen. Voting by raising hands Article 257 Voting by raising hands shall be conducted in such a way that the chair shall first call on Members of Parliament to declare whether they are ‘for’ a bill or motion, and then call on those ‘against’, and those who ‘abstain’. The votes of Members of Parliament who are present in the session hall and have not voted ‘for’ or ‘against’ a bill or motion and did not declare that they had abstained shall be deemed to have abstained. By way of derogation from paragraph 1 hereof, when adopting the agenda of the session, voting shall be ‘for’ or ‘against’, and when voting on amendments, if less than half of the present Members of Parliament vote for the amendment, the chair may immediately conclude that the amendment has been rejected. Roll-call voting Article 258 Roll-call voting shall be conducted in such a way that each Member of Parliament, when called by name, shall stand and state whether he/she is ‘for’ or ‘against’ a bill or motion, or state that he/she ‘abstains’. When the calling is complete, those Members of Parliament whose votes have not been recorded shall be called once more. Members of Parliament shall be called and their votes counted by the Secretary of the Session of Parliament. Ascertaining voting results Article 259 After voting, the chair shall ascertain whether the decision received the required majority of votes and proclaim the result of the vote. The votes of Members of Parliament who are present in the session hall and have not voted ‘for’ or ‘against’ a bill or motion and have not declared that they have abstained shall be deemed to have abstained. The chair shall order a renewed count and once more proclaim the results of the vote at the request of a Member of Parliament who requests a verification of the vote. A verification of the vote must be requested before the chair establishes that an individual decision is passed. Secret voting Article 260 As a rule, secret voting shall be conducted for elections or appointments when the number of candidates is greater than the number of posts being filled. At the proposal of no less than one tenth of Members of Parliament, Parliament may decide on public voting in the case referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, provided that the ----------------------- Page 65----------------------- voting on the nomination submitted by the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee is conducted first, followed by other nominations in alphabetical order of the candidates’ surnames. Conducting secret voting Article 261 Secret voting is conducted by ballot. Ballots shall be the same size, colour and form and authenticated by the seal of Parliament. The surnames of candidates shall be listed on ballots in alphabetical order. Ballots shall be prepared by the Secretary of Parliament. Organisation of secret voting Article 262 A certain number of Members of Parliament shall assist the chair and the Secretary of the Session of Parliament in secret voting. Members of Parliament who assist the chair in conducting a secret vote shall hand the ballots to Members of Parliament. The Secretary of the Session of Parliament shall record the hand-over of ballots on the register of Members of Parliament by circling the number preceding the name of the Member of Parliament who has been given a ballot. Technical conditions for conducting secret voting Article 263 The number of ballot boxes and their location shall be determined by the Secretary of Parliament. Voting at each ballot box shall be attended by one of the Members of Parliament selected to assist the chair. Renewed secret voting Article 264 In the case of renewed voting, the session shall be discontinued to prepare new ballots. Renewed voting shall be conducted under the same procedure as the first vote. Procedure of secret voting Article 265 A Member of Parliament may only vote with one ballot, personally, and only for the candidates whose names are indicated on the ballot. A valid ballot is a ballot which in a certain and undisputed manner indicates the candidate the Member of Parliament voted for. Members of Parliament vote in such a way that they circle the number preceding the name of the candidate on the ballot. An invalid ballot shall be: - a blank ballot; - a ballot on which the Member of Parliament has voted for a greater number of candidates than the number of candidates being elected; - a ballot so completed that the candidates voted for by the Member of Parliament cannot be indisputably ascertained. Proclaiming the secret voting completed Article 266 ----------------------- Page 66----------------------- After all present Members of Parliament have cast their ballots and after the chair proclaims the voting completed, the results of the vote shall be ascertained in the hall in which the session is being held. The result of the voting shall be ascertained on the basis of the ballots submitted. The result of the voting shall be ascertained by the chair in the presence of the Members of Parliament who assisted him/her in the voting process. Proclamation of the results of the secret voting Article 267 The chair shall proclaim the results of the elections and appointments at the same session at which the ballots were cast. The chair shall proclaim how many Members of Parliament out of the total number received the ballots, how many Members of Parliament out of the total number voted, the number of invalid ballots and the number of Members of Parliament who voted for the election or appointment of a given candidate. Thereafter, the chair shall proclaim which candidates have been elected or appointed. PART ELEVEN ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS Article 268 Parliament shall elect or appoint officials to Parliament and state bodies and organisations, as well as to other institutions pursuant to proposals submitted by an authorised proposer. Article 269 Prior to the commencement of voting, the chair shall inform Members of Parliament of the voting methods and the methods for ascertaining the results of election or appointment, or recall and dismissal. Article 270 If the candidates elected or appointed cannot be ascertained because two or more candidates received an equal number of votes, voting shall be repeated only for these candidates. Article 271 If some of the candidates of the number to be elected do not receive the necessary majority, voting shall be repeated for those candidates who did not receive the necessary majority. Candidates who received less than one fifth of the votes of the Members of Parliament in attendance may not participate in the first repeated vote. Candidates who received less than one third of the votes of the Members of Parliament in attendance may not participate in the second repeated vote. If an individual candidate does not receive the required majority in the second repeated vote, the nomination of this candidate shall be removed from the list of candidates. Article 272 The Speaker and Deputy Speakers of Parliament and the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of working bodies of Parliament shall be elected for the duration of their term of office as Members of Parliament, or until the date of their dismissal. ----------------------- Page 67----------------------- The dismissal of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of Parliament may be proposed by political groups or by at least 40 Members of Parliament. The election, appointment and dismissal of the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of working bodies of Parliament shall be conducted at the proposal of the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee or at the proposal of at least 15 Members of Parliament. Article 273 Proposals for candidates for election or appointment or candidates for recall or dismissal shall be submitted to Parliament by the Elections, Appointments and Administration Committee unless the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, law or these Standing Orders stipulate that the nominations for election or appointment or petitions for recall or dismissal are to be submitted by another body or by a specific number of Members of Parliament. PART TWELVE MINUTES Article 274 Minutes shall be kept on the work at sessions. Minutes shall contain basic data on the work of the session, participation in debate and the decisions adopted. The results of voting on individual items shall be recorded in the minutes. Article 275 At the beginning of a new session of Parliament, all Members of Parliament shall be entitled to make remarks on the minutes of the preceding session. The grounds for remarks made on the minutes shall be decided upon without debate. If the remarks are accepted, the corresponding amendments shall be entered into the minutes. Minutes not subject to remarks, or minutes amended in accordance with the accepted remarks, shall be deemed adopted. Article 276 Adopted minutes shall be signed by the chair and the Secretary of the Session of Parliament. Article 277 The original minutes of a session of Parliament shall be maintained by the Secretary of Parliament, and after the end of the term of Parliament, they shall be stored in the archives of Parliament. Article 278 Audio recordings shall be made of sessions of Parliament. The Secretary of Parliament shall be obliged to permit Members of Parliament to review the audio recordings of sessions at their request. Members of Parliament may, if possible, receive a transcript of the audio recordings of sessions in written or electronic form at their own choice. Members of Parliament and others who spoke at sessions of Parliament may edit their speeches without entering any essential alterations into the text of these speeches within three days from the day of the speech. ----------------------- Page 68----------------------- Decision-making on questions as to the grounds of requests for corrections in transcripts of audio recordings of sessions shall be conducted at sessions without debate. PART THIRTEEN TRANSPARENCY OF WORK Article 279 Parliament shall inform the public of the work of Parliament and decisions made therein and of all matters debated therein. Draft acts of Parliament or acts of Parliament may be published in full in the public media or as separate publications. Article 280 In the interests of informing Members of Parliament and the public of its work, Parliament shall publish its bulletin and other publications. Parliament’s website shall be considered the official bulletin of Parliament where the following shall be published: - overview of basic matters subject to debate at sessions of Parliament; - individual bills or final drafts of bills and other acts of Parliament; - individual texts of enacted laws and other acts; - conclusions of Parliament and working bodies of Parliament; - initiatives, positions and opinions expressed with reference to matters subject to debate and decision-making in Parliament; - acts of the President of the Republic; - briefs of speeches delivered at sessions of Parliament; - questions of Members of Parliament and replies of the Government; - overview of the work of the Government; - history of important events in Parliament, the Office of the President of the Republic and the Government; - history of inter-parliamentary cooperation of Parliament; - biographies of officials elected or appointed by Parliament. In addition to the bulletin referred to in paragraph 2 hereof, Parliament may publish other reports to notify the public of its work. Article 281 Documents and materials of Parliament classified as confidential pursuant to special regulations shall not be made available to the public. Members of Parliament may not state at sessions any of the data from the documents referred to in paragraph 1 hereof. Article 282 The methods for handling documents deemed official, military or state secrets shall be governed by an act issued by the Secretary of Parliament. Article 283 Rules on the public transparency of the work of Parliament and its working bodies shall govern: - the presence of representatives of citizens associations, non-governmental organisations and citizen observers at sessions; - visits of organised groups of citizens to Parliament; ----------------------- Page 69----------------------- - methods of audio and visual recording of sessions of Parliament and its working bodies; - direct radio and television broadcasts during sessions; - Parliament website content management and methods of delivering documents electronically; - methods of registering domestic and foreign media representatives in Parliament; - other matters pertaining to the transparency of the work of Parliament. The rules referred to in paragraph 1 hereof shall be published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine). Article 284 Sessions or individual parts thereof held by the working bodies of Parliament may be closed to the public pursuant to a decision of such working bodies. Article 285 Correspondents of the mass media shall be entitled to follow the work of Parliament and its working bodies and inform the public of their work. Working bodies of Parliament may decide at sessions that correspondents from the mass media may attend sessions even if the discussion on a specific matter is closed to the public. Correspondents of the mass media may only provide to the public the information that is decided upon at the session. The working body may decide at such a session that information on a specific matter may only be released after the end of a specific period. Article 286 In order to provide assistance and create conditions conducive to the work of representatives of the press and other forms of media in Parliament, they shall be granted the timely delivery of materials and conditions to follow the work at sessions of Parliament and working bodies, interviews with representatives of sponsors or with officials in Parliament and other contacts with correspondents. Article 287 Parliament may issue transcripts of audio recordings on the course of the work at sessions of Parliament with the materials delivered to Members of Parliament for each item of the agenda of a session attached thereto, which shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of Parliament. Article 288 In order to make available to the public the most comprehensive and accurate information possible on the results of the work of Parliament and its working bodies, an official release for the press and other forms of media may be issued. Press conferences shall be held on the basis of a decision by the Speaker of Parliament or the Presidency of Parliament or on the basis of a decision by Parliament. Press conferences may also be called by working bodies of Parliament based on a decision by that body or the chairperson of that body or the chair of the working body. Press conferences may also be called by political groups of parliamentary parties. PART FOURTEEN WORK OF PARLIAMENT DURING A STATE OF WAR OR IN CONDITIONS OF CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO THE INDEPENDENCE AND UNITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA ----------------------- Page 70----------------------- Article 289 During a state of war or in conditions of clear and present danger to the independence and unity of the Republic of Croatia, Parliament shall continue its work in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. The work and organisation of Parliament during a state of war or in conditions of clear and present danger to the independence and unity of the Republic of Croatia shall be subject to the provisions of these Standing Orders unless specified otherwise in the provisions herein or in other acts of Parliament. Article 290 In the situation referred to in Article 289 of these Standing Orders, Members of Parliament shall be obliged to immediately inform Parliament, either in person or by means of the competent bodies, of their address of residence, work or unit or institution of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia to which summons to sessions and other notifications pertaining to the performance of their duties as Members of Parliament are to be sent. Article 291 The high command of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, state and other bodies and the Parliamentary Guard shall be obliged to enable Members of Parliament to attend sessions of working bodies or Parliament and provide all necessary assistance thereto during a state of war or in conditions of clear and present danger to the independence and integrity of the Republic of Croatia. Article 292 The Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System shall: – establish that it is impossible to convene Parliament and inform the President of the Republic and the Government thereof; – establish that the circumstances preventing the convening of Parliament have ceased and inform the President of the Republic and the Government thereof. Article 293 The structure, operating procedures and organisation of the working positions in the Staff Service of Parliament during a state of war or in conditions of clear and present danger to the independence and integrity of the Republic of Croatia shall be determined by the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System at the proposal of the Secretary of Parliament. PART FIFTEEN TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS Article 294 The opinions provided by the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System in cases of different interpretations of individual provisions of these Standing Orders and accepted by Parliament shall be a component of these Standing Orders. Article 295 As of the date of entry into force of these Standing Orders, the Standing Orders of the Croatian Parliament (Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 71/00, 129/00, 9/01 – consolidated text, 117/01, 6/02 – consolidated text, 41/02, 91/03, 58/04, 69/07 – Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, 39/08, 66/12 – Decision ----------------------- Page 71----------------------- of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia 86/08, 81/12 and 113/12 – correction) shall cease to be valid. Article 296 These Standing Orders shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia (Narodne novine) and shall enter into force on 1 July 2013. Class.: 021-12/13-06/16 Zagreb, 28 June 2013 CROATIAN PARLIAMENT Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Leko (signed)