Skopje, 18 October 2024 (MIA) – Parliament’s Secretary General Marina Dimovska met Friday with the Deputy Secretary General of the German Bundestag, Leyenberger. Along with Parliament staff, our resident ambassador to Berlin, Ilber Sela, was present at the meeting.

During the meeting, they reaffirmed the strong and ongoing cooperation between the two parliaments, with discussions on proposals for collaboration in the coming years, reads the Parliament’s press release.

Dimovska expressed gratitude for the intensity and dynamics of the exchange of expertise, best practices and experiences between the Bundestag and the Parliament. The focus of the discussion was on finalizing the reform to establish independent assembly security in the context of the Parliament’s complete institutional independence.

“The meeting was also an opportunity to initiate new collaboration possibilities between the services of the two parliaments, addressing the needs of the Assembly and areas where we have unresolved issues that require thorough arrangement. She highlighted the significance of the International Parliamentary Scholarships (IPS) programme, which is implemented annually for young people from our country who intern in the German Bundestag, gaining invaluable experiences and knowledge about parliamentary procedures. Upon returning home, they share these experiences within the Parliament. Dimovska also extended an invitation to the leadership of the Bundestag's service to visit our Parliament,” reads the press release.

Leyenberger expressed great satisfaction with today's meeting, highlighting that the Assembly is a key priority for cooperation with the Bundestag. She expressed confidence that this cooperation will continue to deepen in the already identified areas and extend to new topics of mutual interest. She commended the practice of having scholarship recipients spend two weeks in the Parliament before their departure for Germany, allowing them to become acquainted with its functioning, as particularly positive, an experience that is valuable and helps them be better prepared for their internships in the Bundestag.

They both agree that in this dynamic world, where every institution must keep pace with new technology, parliaments need to invest even more in digitalization, data protection, as well as in a more active presence on social media, ensuring greater accessibility of information for citizens and youth. They also emphasized the importance of involving the public and experts in the legislative process, as well as promoting gender equality and gender-responsive budgeting as new trends in parliamentary work.

Photo: Parliament