A new report from the think tank Justitia reveals that the increased use of social media is putting significant pressure on members of parliament. Time spent on social platforms is stealing crucial hours from parliamentary work, ultimately affecting a thorough legislative process. The report, titled “Challenges in the legislative process,” highlights that it has become a central part of politicians’ daily lives to communicate their messages via social media.
The conclusions of the report are based on analyses of legislative proposals and interviews with both former and current members of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget). An anonymous source within the Parliament describes the situation as follows: “It is now rare for members of parliament to actually do what they should, namely sit down and read legislation critically and understand what they are legislating about.”
According to Justitia, lack of time is a common challenge in legislative work. Many members of parliament hold multiple spokesperson roles and attend meetings that often overlap. This results in only a few members being able to thoroughly read the entire bill and its accompanying notes.
Birgitte Arent Eiriksson, director of Justitia, emphasizes in a press release that an efficient, transparent, and thorough legislative process is essential to maintain a democratic rule of law. “When it goes wrong, it can have significant consequences for citizens and businesses, as well as slowly erode trust in the democratic system and belief that society’s problems can be solved at Christiansborg,” she says.
To address these challenges, Justitia has presented a series of recommendations. Among other things, the think tank proposes the establishment of an independent law council under the Danish Parliament. This council should be able to assess the quality of legislative and decision proposals and possibly provide advice to members of parliament.