ЈАВНО СЛУШАЊЕ – ОБЛИК НЕПОСРЕДНОГ УЧЕШЋА ГРАЂАНА У КОНТРОЛИ ВЛАСТИ
PUBLIC HEARINGS: A SPECIFIC FORM OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN EXERCISING CONTROL OVER PARLIAMENTARY FUNCTIONS

Summary/Abstract: This paper focuses on the citizen participation in the exercise of public authority, in particular, their impact on the exercise of control over the work of public authorities. The exercise of citizens’ authority to control the activities of the public authorities is guaranteed by the rights envisaged in the domestic and international law (such as: the right to petition, the right to public criticism of the authorities, the right to address public authorities and seek answer to certain questions, etc.). One of these rights is exercised in a special form of public hearing which enables citizens to take part in exercising control over parliamentary activities. This special form of public hearing is a parliamentary inquiry. Unlike the public hearing (scrutiny) related to scutinizing the normative function of Parliament, parliamentary inquiry is a form of public debate aimed at enabling citizens to exercise control over the workings of Parliament. This kind of debate is organized to examine the investigative work of the state administration, ministries, public services, organizations and institutions entrusted with public authority, ministers and other senior government officials. Besides demonstrating the citizens’ influence on exercising control over parliamenatry functions, parliamentary hearings reinforce the citizens’ relations with their directly elected representatives in parliament. In addition, they further legitimize the parliament as a controller of the executive power, and strengthen its democratic capacities and authority.

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