Azerbaijani parliament holds extraordinary session
By Sabina Idayatova
An extraordinary session of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani
Parliament) was held on June 13. The agenda included seven
questions.
The MPs adopted the draft Migration Code in the third reading.
The Code sets standards for public policy in migration, regulation
of the migration processes and relationships that arise in this
field, as well as rules on the legal status of foreigners and
persons without citizenship in Azerbaijan.
The agenda also included draft laws on ensuring the uniformity of measurements, on custom tariffs, on public participation, amendments made to the Administrative Code of Violation, and the Code of Execution of Sentences.
The same day parliament adopted a law on Customs Tariff in the third reading.
The law defines the rules of formation and application of
customs and tariffs, including withholding of customs duties on
goods transported across the customs border. The law also requires
the use of seasonal tariffs for the operational management of
export and import activities in the country. The application of
such duties cannot last more than six months.
This law will regulate the structure of imported goods, provide
favorable ratio of foreign exchange income and expenditure, protect
the economy from the adverse effects of the competition, and create
conditions for the country's integration into the world
economy.
Declaration of the customs value of goods, maintaining data
privacy, the rights and obligations of declarations, the rights and
duties of the customs authority, exemption from customs duties and
tariff exemptions are also reflected in the document.
The system of customs fees, adopted in 2001, is currently in effect in Azerbaijan. The rates of 0, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 percent are applied in the country. The document consists of five chapters and 23 articles.
During the plenary session Azerbaijani Parliament has also approved the law on ensuring the uniformity of measurements at the third reading.
The bill determines the areas, which are subject to state
regulation in the field of metrology, and the areas where there is
no any need for such regulation.
This law is important from the point of view of Azerbaijan's
accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The current law in this area was adopted in Azerbaijan in 2000, and regulates relations in the field of design, manufacture, inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, sales, import and export of measurement.
The parliament adopted a draft law on public participation in the second reading.
"The bill is aimed at the provision of guarantee of the Azerbaijani citizens' participation in the government in the form of public participation," the chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs under the President of Azerbaijan, MP Azay Guliyev, said while introducing the draft law.
The new law, which consists of 4 chapters and 20 articles, secures the legal forms of public participation, which include Public Council, public discussion, public hearing, study of public opinion and public examination.
The document notes that the legislation may also define other legal forms of public participation.
Public Council is an entity created by the executive authorities
and local self-government bodies, whose term of office is three
years. Member of the Board may be any of the citizen who has
attained the age of 18 and eligible to vote. Public Council is
elected by the institution of civil society. The members of the
Council are not receive salary, fee, compensation or other benefits
for their working activity. In this period salary at work and other
payments is maintained for a member of the Public Council.
Furthermore, amendments were made to Article 29 of the
Administrative Violations Code.
According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building Ali Huseynli, the right to re-entry of foreigners and stateless persons, who were administratively expelled from Azerbaijan, is limited in the period from one to five years depending on the court decisions.
According to the amendments, the persons deported from Azerbaijan must leave the territory of the country in 48 hours.