Bureau of the Community Parliament chaired by its Speaker Side Mohamed Tunis on Monday, November 2, 2020 met in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin to consider adoption of next year’s budget in conformity with Article 25.3f (v) of the Supplementary Act.
“Consider the draft budget of parliament and present it to the appropriate committee”, in relation to the enhanced powers of Community Parliament.
In light of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Plenary is unable to meet in its Extraordinary Session to consider and adopt the budget for the ensuing year, hence the Community Parliament had to evoke Article 25.3(vii), touching on the functions of the Bureau: “Assume the authority of Parliament in emergency situations, the details of this mandate will be provided for in the rules of the procedure of Parliament as emergency powers of the Bureau”.
The Rt. Honourable speaker Sidie Mohamed Tunis chairing the fourth Bureau meeting of the fifth Legislature had in attendance the Deputy Speakers, members of the Finance Committee among others.
Speaker Tunis thanked the participants and urged them to scrupulously consider the budget to ensure that it focuses on high impact programmes and projects that have long-lasting effects that meet the priority needs of ECOWAS members states, while taking into account two exogenous shocks that affect the Community member states namely COVID-19 and security challenges especially in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin.
The budget represents the second budget of the fifty legislature and covers the period of January 1 to December 31, 2020 as the exercise is expected to continue until November 6, 2020 within which time it is expected that the budget would be adopted.
Meanwhile, the Speaker is also expected to open a delocalized meeting of joint committees which would hold from, November 3 to 7, 2020 in Cotonou to review the African continental Free Trade Area; how feasible in the face of cross-border threats.
In attendance would be the Speaker of the National Assembly of Benin, Government officials, parliamentary committees on administration, finance and budget; Macroeconomic policies and Economic Research, Public Accounts, Trade Customs and Free Movement.