Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2020-2022, including the Applications for Budget Financing for 2020,
During the meeting with the First Deputy Finance Minister, which took place on 29 March within the framework of the EU funded “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project, the Secretariat of the Constructive Dialogue Network of Armenian CSOs – the Armenian Lawyers Association (ALA) among the other issues, discussed the issue of involvement of the civil society organizations in the budgeting process as well. In particular, ALA expressed willingness to coordinate the involvement of sector CSOs and their cooperation with public authorities and local government bodies in order to make the process of compiling of applications for budget financing more transparent, inclusive and consequently more effective.
Taking into account the aforementioned, with the mediation of the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister instructed the state authorities to conduct public discussions with the involvement of CSOs on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2020-2022 compiled for each authority, including related to the Applications for Budget Financing for 2020, as well as the cost-based justifications for applications. Accordingly, the ALA organised and coordinated over two dozen public discussions with the state bodies.
As a result of public discussions, comments and recommendations from sectoral CSOs were presented to public authorities.
They addressed both content and technical issues, the correction of which would greatly improve the effectiveness of financial planning and project implementation.
In response to the comments and recommendations submitted to the state bodies we received written comments from them. The comments and recommendations that we had presented were generally accepted, which was also mentioned in the letters from the state bodies. Moreover, many of them expressed their satisfaction with the CSOs’ initiative to engage in this process and look forward to its continuation, and expressed willingness to cooperate in the future.
The Armenian Lawyers’ Association, attaching importance to the ongoing oversight and involvement in the budget process, has sent the comments and recommendations that the ALA had sent to the state bodies as well as the response letters received from them, to the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance and the NA Committees
It was also recommended to include a separate clause in the work schedules provided by the Prime Minister’s decisions on starting a budgetary process in the coming years, providing mandatory involvement of sectoral CSOs in the process of preparing applications for budget financing (before submitting applications to the Ministry of Finance).
Below are the links to recommendations and comments sent to the government agencies (available in Armenian language):
- Recommendations and comments – Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia,
- Recommendations and Comments – Ethics Committee of Senior Officials – final,
- Recommendations and Comments – Supreme Judicial Council,
- Suggestions and Comments – Agriculture,
- Recommendations and Comments – Central Election Commission of the Republic of Armenia,
- Recommendations and Comments – Ministry of Health of RA,
- Recommendations and Comments – Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia,
- Recommendations and Comments – RA Special Investigation Service,
- Recommendations and Comments – RA Human Rights Defender,
- Recommendations and Comments – RA Police,
- Recommendations and Comments – Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia,
- Recommendations and Comments – Ministry of Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources,
- Recommendations and Comments – Investigative Committee of RA.
The response letters from government agencies are available below(available in Armenian language):
- Ministry of Health of RA,
- Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia,
- Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Armenia,
- RA Prosecutor’s Office,
- Ethics Committee of the RA High Ranking Officials,
- Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia,
- Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia (Agriculture),
- Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of RA,
- RA Central Electoral Commission,
- RA Special Investigation Service,
- RA Human Rights Defender,
- Police of the Republic of Armenia
- Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia,
- Investigation Committee of RA.
Letters sent to the Prime Minister, the NA Committees and the Ministry of Finance(available in Armenian language):