SIGMA is providing support in improving the quality of the legal drafting process by sharing the experience of different ways to manage transposition of the acquis into national legislation of a Member State and a Candidate Country.

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Workshop on
Different Approaches to Legal Harmonisation:
The ways and means to harmonise the national legal framework with the
requirements of the acquis
Programme
25 June 2015
Skopje

2. 2
Objective
The Secretariat for Legislation asked for SIGMA support in improving the quality of the legal drafting
process in the country through assistance in strengthening capacity in legal drafting. One of the main
challenges in the process is the approximation of the country’s legislation with the acquis.
The adoption of the acquis in the accession process is a difficult and challenging exercise for the
countries to perform. To avoid the purely mechanical transposition of the acquis into the national
legislation and to ensure the conformity with the Constitution and the national legal system, as well as
the legal traditions of the country, require clear procedures and proper co-ordination mechanisms within
the national public administration.
The main aim of the workshop is to share experience of different ways to manage transposition of the
acquis into national legislation and:
• to demonstrate different approaches to legal harmonisation in different Member States of the
European Union, especially of a Member State (Hungary) that joined the EU in 2004.
• to present the experience of a current Candidate Country (Serbia) from the Western Balkan
region on its way of managing transposition of the acquis.
The workshop will provide examples of experience in other countries about the negotiation process and
the role of legal secretaries (or similar institutions) in this process. The following programme may be
adapted on the day to reflect the needs of the participants at the event.
SIGMA experts
Anita Nemeth, Hungary
Vladimir Medjak, Serbia
Erika Bozzay, SIGMA

3. 3
Thursday, 25 June 2015
08.45 – 09.00
09.00 – 09.15
09.15 – 10. 30
Registration
Introduction to the workshop
Example of a country that joined the European Union in 2004: Hungary
 Institutional framework and its changes during the different phases of
the accession process – challenges, experiences, co-ordination of
institutions
 Programme for the transposition of the acquis into the Hungarian
legislation (programming, planning)
 Monitoring the transposition of the EU acquis
 Methodological support (guidelines, handbook)
 Capacity needs in the relevant ministries and institutions
 How to ensure the national interests in the transposition process?
10.30 – 10.45 Coffee break
10.45 – 12.00 Example of a current Candidate Country: Serbia
 Institutional framework – challenges, experiences, co-ordination of
institutions
 Programme for the transposition of the acquis into the Serbian
legislation (programming, planning)
 Monitoring the transposition of the EU acquis
 Methodological support (guidelines, handbook)
 Capacity needs in the relevant ministries and institutions
 How to ensure the national interests in the transposition process?
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.15
14.15 – 14.30
Transposing EU legislation into national legislation in practice:
techniques and tools for achieving compliance with the acquis
Concluding remarks