Pan African Parliament (PAP) The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has finally gotten the approval to exercise full functions as the legislative organ of the African Union (AU). This followed the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union on the Pan African Parliament as envisaged under Article 11 of the existing protocol at the recently held 23rd ordinary session of the General Assembly of the AU on June 27, at Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Before now, the functions of the PAP to the AU had been basically advisory but with the ceding to it of full legislative powers, the PAP can now function as the voice of the people of Africa in matters concerning continental integration and shared development amongst all Africans. Headed by a Nigerian, Hon. Bethel Amadi, the PAP had been passing through a gradual but arduous process of assuming legislative functions since its establishment in March this year. But through dint of hard work, the Amadi leadership of the PAP was able to galvanise the support of all relevant collaborative agencies that needed to make input into the final granting of legislative functions to the PAP. The approval of the new status of the PAP at the Malabo session followed the adoption of the Draft Protocol by the first ministerial meeting of the specialised Technical Committee on Justice and Legal Affair of the AU at an earlier meeting between May 15 and 16, this year. In taking the decision, the committee upheld the widely held view across the continent that PAP needed to be given the mandate to draft model laws in subject areas so as to meet the evolving aspirations of peoples of Africa in sundry areas such as policy harmonisation, unhindered intra African trade, movement of people, goods, services, intra-continental infrastructure, climate changes, facilitation of remittances across the continent to address poverty, etc. According to Article 8 of the Draft Protocol, the PAP “shall be the legislative organ of the AU.” While the Protocol gives the General Assembly the power to determine the subject areas on which the PAP may legislate or propose draft model laws, the PAP may also on its own make proposals on the subject areas on which it may legislate, as well as submit recommend draft model laws to the General Assembly for its consideration, and approval. Other areas in which the PAP are expected to function include, receive and consider reports of other organs of the African Union as may be referred to it-by the Council or the Assembly, including audit and other reports and make recommendations thereon. *debate and discuss its own budget and the budget of the Union and make recommendations thereon to the relevant policy organs; establish any Parliamentary Committee and determine its function, mandate, composition and term of office; discuss any matter relevant to the African Union and make recommendations to the council or the Assembly as it may deem appropriate; make proposals to the council on the structure of the Secretariat of the parliament taking into account its needs; request the attendance of officials of the other organs of the African Union at its sessions to offer assistance to the parliament in the discharge of its duties; promote the programmes and objectives of the AU in member states; receive, consider and submit opinions on draft legal instruments, treaties and other international agreements as may be referred to it by the council or assembly; liaise with national parliaments or other deliberative bodies and the parliaments of the Regional Economic Communities on all matters relating to the AU and regional integration in Africa; carry out such other activities as it deems appropriate to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3 of this protocol
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 08:43:36 +0000
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