Inter-parliamentary institution

An inter-parliamentary institution (also known as parliamentary assembly) is an organization of more than one national legislatures (parliament, assembly, council and other types).

Most of the inter-parliamentary institutions are part of an intergovernmental organization. Such branches of intergovernmental organizations are typically established in order to provide for representation of citizens, rather than governments who are represented in other bodies within the organization. Most of the inter-parliamentary institutions have an assembly comprising members of the national legislatures (whose members are directly elected in most cases).

Most of the inter-parliamentary institutions do not hold legislative power and have a consulting or informal cooperation-stimulating role.[1] When the intergovernmental organization chooses to operate through a hybrid system of not only intergovernmentalism, but also supranationalism an organization-level legislature is established (or a predecessor inter-parliamentary institution is granted legislative power) in the form of international parliament. Members of international parliaments could be assigned in the same way as members of inter-parliamentary institutions or in cases of more advanced supranationalism they could be directly elected.

List of inter-parliamentary institutions

Since 1949, more than 40 parliamentary assemblies have been brought into being.[2]

Inter-parliamentary institutions and international parliaments
Name Sessions Direct election Legislative power Related organization and notes
Inter-Parliamentary Union 1889 - no no none
ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) 1977 - no no ASEAN
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) 1949 - no no CoE
European Parliament[note 1] 1952 - 1979 1970 EU
Nordic Council 1953 - no no none
Benelux Parliament 1955 - no no Benelux Economic Union
Assembly of the Western European Union 1955-2011 no no WEU that dissolved and was effectively succeeded by the EU.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly 1955 - no no NATO
Latin American Parliament 1964 - no no none [note 2]
African Parliamentary Union 1976 - no no none
Andean Parliament 1979 - no no CAN
British Irish Parliamentary Assembly 1990 - no no none [note 3]
Central American Parliament 1991 - no no SICA
Baltic Assembly 1991 - no no none
Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 1992 - no no OSCE
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States 1992 - no no CIS
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States 1999 - no no OIC
Asian Parliamentary Assembly 1999 - no proposed none [note 4]
ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly 2000 - no no none [note 5]
East African Legislative Assembly 2001 - no no EAC
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Eurasian Economic Community 2002 - no no EurAsEC
Arab Parliament 2004 - no no AL
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly 2004 - no no none [note 6]
Pan African Parliament 2004 - no [note 7] no [note 7] AU
Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly 2006 - no no none [note 8]
Mercosur Parliament 2007 - 2014 [note 9] Mercosur
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries 2008 - no no Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States
Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians no CARICOM
Inter-Parliamentary Committee of the West African Economic and Monetary Union no UEMOA
Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States no ECOWAS
Parliamentary Assembly of French-speaking countries no no OdLF
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean no no none
Euronest Parliamentary Assembly proposed no no none [note 10]
South American Parliament proposed UNASUR
United Nations Parliamentary Assembly proposed UN
Parliamentary assembly of the World Trade Organization proposed WTO
  1. ↑ The initially consultative European Parliamentary Assembly of ECSC, EEC and Euratom subsequently was renamed, gained legislative powers and became directly elected.
  2. ↑ Multiple regional organizations in Latin America such as the Rio Group, Latin American Economic System and Latin American Integration Association have similar membership.
  3. ↑ Multiple regional organizations in the British Isles have similar membership.
  4. ↑ The Asian Cooperation Dialogue continental organization has similar membership.
  5. ↑ Parliamentary Assembly established by the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
  6. ↑ Related to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership initiative of the EU's European Neighborhood Policy.
  7. 1 2 There are proposals to transform the Pan African Parliament into a directly elected international parliament with legislative powers.
  8. ↑ Established by the parliaments of the European Union, Mercosur, Andean Community, Central American Integration System, Mexico, Chile and the Latin American Parliament.
  9. ↑ The Mercosur Parliament is expected to transform into a directly elected international parliament in 2014.
  10. ↑ Related to the Eastern Partnership initiative of the EU's European Neighborhood Policy.

See also

  1. ↑ There are cases of national assemblies also lacking legislative power such as the Consultative Assemblies of Oman and Qatar.
  2. ↑ http://www.swp-berlin.org/de/common/get_document.php?asset_id=4299
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