Benelux Parliament
The Benelux Parliament, despite the limits of representation and power, has certainly produced important outcomes. It has managed to catalyze dialogue not only among its members, but also in the wider Community context as well as through a promotion of transfrontier co-operation contributed to the launch of Schengen process (1985). The ability to address issues of common interest in terms of pragmatic dialogue has also made judicial and policy co-operation (Senningen, 1996) a success for the Benelux and a model to be promoted on a continental scale.
On the other hand, the Interparliamentary Assembly has been faced with structural problems such as ethno-linguistic nationalism in Belgium, which have made the political debate and the defence of rights priorities on its agenda. In this respect, the president of parliament also plays the role of ombudsman, who is commissioned to handle complaints regarding errors in law enforcement and acts which are contrary to the political and territorial principles that the union is based on. The Benelux Parliament has also extended its activities at an inter-regional level, strengthening ties with the European Parliament and other supranational parliamentary bodies, such as the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council. It has cooperated with these organizations to encourage the creation of working groups and discussions that welcome contributions from government and NGO representatives in order to promote the harmonization of the legislation for environmental protection, transportation and the fight against organized crime.
On the other hand, the Interparliamentary Assembly has been faced with structural problems such as ethno-linguistic nationalism in Belgium, which have made the political debate and the defence of rights priorities on its agenda. In this respect, the president of parliament also plays the role of ombudsman, who is commissioned to handle complaints regarding errors in law enforcement and acts which are contrary to the political and territorial principles that the union is based on. The Benelux Parliament has also extended its activities at an inter-regional level, strengthening ties with the European Parliament and other supranational parliamentary bodies, such as the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council. It has cooperated with these organizations to encourage the creation of working groups and discussions that welcome contributions from government and NGO representatives in order to promote the harmonization of the legislation for environmental protection, transportation and the fight against organized crime.
There have been proposals to make parliamentary sessions open to the public in order to bring institutions closer to civil society and to fill the visibility and legitimacy gap of the transnational political process.