The representative function of political parties, parliamentary control, the different functions and operation of the Parliament in times of crisis, the regulation of parliamentary lobby, etc. These and other issues are addressed in the book El Parlamento a discussion in a new time that has been presented today in the Parliament of Navarra, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of classroom of Parliamentary Law (ADP) promoted by the School of Law of the University and the Parliament.

Edited in partnership of the University, the Parliament and the Giménez Abad Foundation, the publication has been coordinated by the professor and director of the classroom of Parliamentary Law, Asunción de la Iglesia.

The president of the Legislative Foral, Unai Hualde, has been in charge of introducing and contextualizing the presentation of a work that, as he has warned, "should be read with attention and critical sense. We are facing a good reading for the new elected representatives who in a few days will assume the high honor and responsibility of representing the people of Navarre".

In this regard, and after highlighting the concern generated around the "decline of the functioning of the Cortes Generales, the role of political parties, the crisis of parliamentary democracy or the relationship of the autonomic chambers with society", Hualde has underlined the "informative eagerness" of the partnership undertaken with the University of Navarra and the Giménez Abad Foundation and has recalled the difficulties of the last legislature, mediated by the "successive crises" attributable to the Covid and the war in Ukraine. "I hope that this publication will also be a reference for other legislatures".

For her part, the dean of the School of Law, Mercedes Galán, stressed the great interest of the institutional partnership , of which the classroom of Parliamentary Law is a magnificent example. "This activity provides an opportunity to bring the Parliament closer to the university and also to put the institutions in the focus of the task professor and research," he stressed.  

Ignacio Astarloa, lawyer of the Spanish Parliament and author of one of the articles in the book, also intervened. Astarloa advocated that Parliaments should act with deliberation, calm and rationality. Astarloa stressed the need to find formulas to combine the needs of the times we live in with the functioning of an institution "which, if it is not governed by its characteristic principles, it becomes distorted and loses its usefulness", he concluded.

The secretary of the Giménez Abad Foundation, José Tudela, pointed out the timeliness of the publication at a time when the entire democratic system is under strong tensions that, of course, also affect parliament. "Today, more than ever, it is necessary to reflect on Parliament. It must be the central institution for the renewal of the democratic system and the strengthening of institutions to face the challenges of the new social model ," he said.

Twenty years of study of the political and parliamentary system

The book El Parlamento a discussion en un tiempo nuevo gathers the works elaborated from the papers presented at the XXII of the XXII conference of the classroom of Parliamentary Lawheld in November 2021, coinciding with the discussion of the State of the Comunidad Foral.

It is a compilation of articles that, as stated, "aims to contribute to the recovery of the parliamentary institution adapted to the opportunities of the 21st century, in a complex and global context of crisis of democracy".

The publication includes the signatures of Ignacio Astarloa, María Salvador, Piedad García-Escudero, Josep M. Castellá, José Tudela, Rafael Rubio and Fernando Simón. Professor Manuel Aragón Reyes signature wrote the epilogue to the book and Ángel J. Gómez Montoro, Full Professor of Constitutional Law and first director of the ADP, the prologue.

Gómez Montoro thanked the authors for their contribution and analysis and also had words of recognition to all those people from the University and the Parliament who made possible the classroom of Parliamentary Law, which materialized with the signature of a agreement in May 2002, with José Luis Castejón as president, as he recalled.

The professor and director of classroom of Parliamentary Law, Asunción de la Iglesia, commented on the need for regeneration and update of the parliamentary institution for the functioning of constitutional democracy. In this sense, she emphasized that the works are a contribution of the best doctrine to warn of the risks and point out possible solutions to improve the functioning of the Parliament.

Asunción de la Iglesia has coordinated the publication and wanted to highlight the quality of the contributions that make up the collective work to improve the representative, legislative, budgetary and control functions, the interest of the new forms of open parliament as a complement to representative democracy or, also, the role of majorities, minorities and of the parliamentary civil service examination , so that the institution develops the role required by the complexity of the democracies of the 21st century.

attendance The event at presentation was attended, among others, by Silvia Doménech, Senior Counsel of the Parliament of Navarre, Pablo Díez Lago and Miguel Esparza, former Senior Counsel, and Ignacio Astarloa, Counsel of the Spanish Parliament and member of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation.

The 'classroom of Parliamentary Law' is an instrument at the service of the university community, aimed at deepening the study and knowledge of the political and parliamentary system. To develop this goal, the classroom organizes every year conference and conferences with speakers of recognized prestige and a high scientific level.