Central American Parliament

President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli vowed he would remove Panama from PARLACEN, fulfilling a campaign promise. On 11 December 2009, law 78 passed withdrawing Panama from PARLACEN, but a resolution of the Central American Court of Justice declared the law unconstitutional. The court said there is no mechanism to withdraw from the PARLACEN and Panama could not opt out. In January 2012, the Panamanian Supreme court re-affirmed that ruling[3] and Panama returned to PARLACEN. Panama also showed more interest in membership after SICA signed a free trade agreement with the European Union.

•  Mexico
•  Venezuela
•  Puerto Rico
•  Morocco
•  Taiwan

• Proposal of legislation concerning the integration.
• Democratic control of the integration.
• Initiatives to deepen and amplify the integration.

• Promoting the process of integration and leading the way to the greatest possible cooperation between the Central American states.
• Proposing draft treaties and agreements which are to be negotiated by the Central American states and forming an opinion of what the SICA proposes.
• Creating special commissions to determine the discordances between the states that could affect the integration.
• Helping to consolidate a democratic, pluralistic, and participative form of government in the Central American states.
• Promoting the validity of international law.
• Knowing the official executive authorities of SICA.
• Knowing the budgets of the institutions of SICA.

The Plenum is the highest body of PARLACEN and is includes all representatives. The committees and parliamentary parties are also involved with its tasks.

The responsibilities of the Plenum are the following:

• Advice to the presidents' assembly concerning affairs of peace, security of Central America, and development of the region.
• Annual election of the board of parliament.
• Approval of the budget of PARLACEN.
• Assessment and decision concerning the reports of the board of parliament.
• Composition and approval of internal decrees of PARLACEN and other necessary regulations.
• Formation of working commissions.
• Proposal of drafts of contracts and agreements that are to be negotiated between the states of Central America.
• Annual discharge of the boards of the parliamentary standing committees.
• Other tasks which are assigned to it by its constitutive contract or its additional instruments.

The parliamentary committees are parliamentary authorities who – in order to draw up a corresponding report – are supposed to conduct studies and examinations which are either within their sphere of competence or are directed to them by the board or the Plenum.

The working committees of PARLACEN can be structured as follows.

Permanent commissions are established in the internal rules to work on affairs of the commission with unlimited duration. The permanent commissions are formed of at most two representatives per state, not exceeding twelve members in total.

As of 2015, there were thirteen permanent commissions:[4]

• Commission of Agriculture, Fishing, Environment and Natural Resources
• Commission of Urban Development, Public Participation
• Commission of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
• Commission of Women, Children, Youth and Family
• Commission of Macroeconomics and Finance
• Commission of Tourism
• Commission of International Relations and Migration Affairs
• Commission of Health, Social Security, Population, Labour and Corporation Affairs
• Commission of Peace, Public Security and Human Rights
• Commission of Integration, Trade and Economic Development
• Commission of Legal Affairs and Regional Institutions
• Commission of Politics and Party Affairs
• Commission of Indigenous Peoples and Afro Descendants

There is also a delegation of EUROLAT.

Extraordinary commissions are established by the Plenum for affairs that are of special importance and institutional significance for PARLACEN as well as for the process of integration.

Special commissions are established by the board of parliament to handle special affairs.

The parliamentary groups monitor the political trend of the Central American representatives and are organized according to the political orientation of their groups.

The parliamentary groups are founded by the adoption of an internal statute by the plenary assembly. The board of parliament registers each parliamentary group. The statute is published and states the group's ideological principles, the political objectives and the regulations.

In 2016-2017 there were four parliamentary groups: The Democratic Alliance, The Parliamentary Group of the Left, Centre-Democratic Integration and Democratic Integrationist Union,[5]

The board of parliament is the executive body for decisions that emerge from the Plenum and is the administrative body of PARLACEN. It is expandable according to its internal rules.

The board of parliament is elected from the members. Its term is one year, made up of one president, five vice-presidents, and six secretaries.

The board makes its decisions by approval of a majority of its members. In the event of a tie, the votes of the presidency count as qualified majority. The presidency is filled by a rota system corresponding to the alphabetical order of the member states, starting with the state which holds the head office.

It is possible to appeal any resolution at the Plenum.

The tasks of the board are

• Consideration and handling of all requests for which PARLACEN is in charge.
• Conveying of the invitations for the ordinary and extraordinary meetings of the Plenum of PARLACEN.
• Draft of the budget – designated in Central American Pesos – for the routine work of PARLACEN.
• Realizing the resolutions of PARLACEN.
• Handing in the annual report about the execution of its duties and the result of its administration to the plenary as well as the report about the budget.
• Management and control of the secretary office and appointment of necessary personnel. Here, the equal treatment of all Central American states has to be taken into consideration.
• Handling of the economic and organizational affairs which affect PARLACEN.
• Proposal to the Plenum of regulating instruments which are required by the internal order.
• Creation of special commissions to carry out a task or realize a special function.
• Proper filling in of vacancies that occur in absence of a representative.
• Calling of the deputy representative in case of vacancies.
• Proposal of a suitable list of candidates for the appointment of the internal and external accountants of PARLACEN to the plenary.
• Formation of delegations for official missions. This has to be done in accordance to the regulating norms for the integration of special missions of PARLACEN.
• Establishing its own internal rules
• Dividing tasks among its members.
• Other tasks which are assigned to the board by the constitutive contract or by additional instruments.

The secretary office is the technical-administrative organ of PARLACEN and is divided into three sections, which have the following basic functions and responsibilities:

The secretary office for parliamentary affairs handles and obeys the decisions of PARLACEN. It reports to the Plenum on a regular basis and is of technical assistance to the Plenum as well as to the commissions in all of their activities. It coordinates and manages the advice of the commissions and has to assist the extended board with developing the agenda for Plenum meetings when necessary.

The secretary office for administration and finance has to administer all branches, manager's offices, departments and administrative units, as well as the personnel of PARLACEN, and has to control the proper administration of its resources.

The secretary office of the board offers technical help to the board in questions relating to the responsibilities of and the topics determined by the board.