In Palestine, like in Europe, improving the quality of legislation can increase transparency, clarity, legitimacy and enhance compliance and understanding by the citizens. On the contrary, poor-quality legislation can lead to disaffection among citizens and mistrust in institutions responsible for producing, implementing, and enforcing the legislation.

Mohammed is 31 years old and was born in Jericho, Palestine. He is a legal assistant to Head of the official Palestinian Gazette, the “Diwan”. Mohammed is among the 14 assistant legal advisors of the Diwan (6 males and the 9 females) who participated in the “Legislation quality course” organised by EUPOL COPPS on 26 and 27 June, in Ramallah. One legal advisor from the Ministry of Justice also participated in the training activity.

This course aims at improving the quality of drafting the legislation and/or its amendments before these get published. Topics included the concept of quality legislation, forms of quality legislation, quality of policy legislation, compliance of quality of legislations and linking the quality of legislation to the stages of its development.

According to Mohammed the course was relevant as it explained the importance of focusing also on pre-drafting stages. “In fact – details Mohammed – we now know that this is even more important, as we can pitch elements to be included in the legislation at early stages, which decreases the likelihood of wasting efforts for elements not to be included in the legislation”.

For Alia, 31 years old, legal advisor, an enhanced quality of legislation leads to and increased abidance to the legislation among the Palestinian population: “in order to respect of the law, you need to know it, the clearer the law, the more it is respected”.

EUPOL COPPS Justice section experts strive to support their Palestinian partners’ expressed needs on by working together, sharing international best practices, learning from each other every day.