A delegation from the Max Planck Foundation met with the General Director of the Parliamentary Legislative Department (PLD) of the Iraqi Parliament, Dr Mohammed Qassim Al Mayahi, and the Heads of the Legislative Drafting and Legislative Impact Assessment divisions, to discuss the overall objectives of the cooperation and the substantive topics that would be covered in the framework of that cooperation. The discussion focused on the need to improve the governance of the legislative process through streamlined drafting processes and impact assessment mechanisms. The need to enhance the participatory nature of law-making was further stressed. Dr Al Mayahi welcomed the cooperation and highlighted the added value of the Foundation’s comparative law approach, expertise, and neutrality.
The delegation from the Foundation also met with other relevant actors, both institutional and non-institutional, including the Parliamentary Development Institute and a number of think tanks focused on public policy reforms and enhancing Parliament’s ability to deliver effective legislation.
The meetings were conducted in the framework of the project ‘Democratising the legislative process in Iraq’, which is being implemented with the generous financial assistance of the German Federal Foreign Office.