Fernand Etgen, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, highlighted the exceptional workload of MPs over the last five years, describing it as a record legislature. With more than 4,100 parliamentary sessions and committee meetings, including over 300 public sessions, it has been an exceptionally busy period for elected representatives.
The final week of the legislative session was particularly intense, with seven legislative projects - including significant topics like affordable housing - scheduled for debate on Friday, 21 July, alone. Such a high volume of legislative work raises the question of whether the quantity of debates might compromise quality.
To address this concern, the Chamber of Deputies has taken proactive measures. A special service has been introduced to provide guidance to MPs and staff of parliamentary groups, focusing on improving the quality of legislation.
Effectively disseminating the vast amount of information which results from the Chamber of Deputies’ decisions remains a challenge. The Secretary General stressed the need for constructive communication during the implementation phase of laws, to ensure their relevance and effectiveness over time.
During the Covid-19 crisis, committee meetings held via videoconferencing proved to be highly effective, leading to the decision to make them a standard practice in the future. This pragmatic approach has streamlined meetings “that are not highly political” and is helping to manage an extensive workload.
