DIALOGUES ON PARLIAMENTARY ETHICS
When does deputy ethics transform into professional practice?
October 21, 2016, Verkhovna Rada
On October 21, II Dialogues on Parliamentary Ethics took place in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Meeting participants analyzed practical cases and tried to solve ethical dilemmas. The purpose of the Dialogues is to improve the quality of the parliamentary process through the support of intra-party dialogue and promotion of ethical standards in the parliament. At the moment, there is a search for consensus on ethical standards at the regulatory level. The meeting, attended by MPs of Ukraine, was moderated by MEP Kaja Kallas.
Kaja Kallas noted that the purpose of a code of conduct is to raise the professional standards of MPs, just like any other profession, i.e. lawyer or teacher. Without doubts, everyone acts within the framework of the law but some actions may be unethical. If one deputy does so, this affects the reputation of the entire parliament. Ms. Kallas emphasized:
Ihor Kohut, Director of the USAID RADA Program: Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly said the following:
Margit Sutrop, Professor of Practical Philosophy, Head of the Center for Ethics, University of Tartu, told about the Estonian experience of adoption of the Code of Conduct.
Dirk Toornstra, Independent Parliamentary Governance Advisor, believes that the code of conduct should be shared by all members of Parliament, and one has to be careful speaking about sanctions for noncompliance:
The meeting was held within the framework of the project of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives aimed at improving the quality of parliamentary process by supporting international dialogue and promoting ethical standards and implemented with the support of Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine and in partnership with OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), RADA Program, and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy.
During the events, an inclusive dialogue platform was created to discuss ethical dilemmas. It will serve as the basis for the elaboration of a Code of Conducts for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
