Party General Secretary Tô Lâm (centre) had a meeting with Party Civil Affairs Board of the Ministry of Justice in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm held a working session in Hà Nội on Thursday with the Party delegation to the Ministry of Justice on Việt Nam Law Day (November 9).

Lâm acknowledged, appreciated and honoured the achievements and results that the ministry and the justice department have earned over the past few years.

However, he pointed out that there are still many shortcomings and limitations in improvements to the institutional framework -- particularly making and perfecting laws -- for which the ministry bears a significant responsibility. Some of the Party's major policies and directions have not been fully or promptly institutionalised -- or even when they have, their feasibility is low, the Party leader said. The standards applied to lawmaking and legal refinement do not fully meet practical requirements, as some newly enacted laws have already needed amending.

Furthermore, numerous regulations are not fully consistent, often overlapping, unclear or overly complicated, hindering enforcement and causing waste and inefficiency in resource use. There has also not been an effective environment created to foster innovation, attract both domestic and foreign investment or mobilise resources from the people, he said.

The Party chief urged the ministry to promptly implement solutions to address these issues.

Emphasising the critical and central role of lawmaking, particularly in seizing opportunities, mobilising resources for development and improving the wellbeing of the people, Lâm said it is no coincidence that since the 12th National Party Congress in 2016, the Party has consistently identified institutional reform, with a focus on legal reform, as a strategic breakthrough.

In order to confidently step into a new era and successfully achieve the strategic goals set by the Party, reality demands that lawmaking be elevated to a new level, truly creating a powerful driving force for development.

As for the Law and Ordinance Building Programme proposed annually by the Party delegation to the ministry, the Party General Secretary requested that it be based on the practical development needs of Việt Nam, emphasising the need to focus on building a legal framework for emerging issues and new trends like artificial intelligence, digital transformation and the green transition. He also stressed the need to establish breakthrough mechanisms to attract talent both at home and abroad, and the need to implement the 'amend one law, adjust many laws' mechanism to immediately address the contradictions and overlaps between existing laws.

Regarding the process to evaluate laws and draft legal documents, the Party chief stressed the absolute need to prevent the influence of interest groups or legal manipulation, ensuring that no negative impacts on national interests, public benefits or the rights of citizens are overlooked or inadequately assessed, particularly with regard to security concerns.

Meanwhile, Lâm highlighted innovations in lawmaking and the importance of ensuring democracy, transparency, timeliness, feasibility, effectiveness and practicality, while saving time and costs; ensuring substantial policy impact assessments; and ensuring the implementation of a mechanism for collecting and addressing feedback from those impacted by the laws, such as citizens and businesses.

In addition, it is essential to fully promote the Party characteristics in the process of building, perfecting and implementing laws, he added.

Since the 13th National Party Congress, the Party delegatioin to the ministry has issued 31 resolutions and conclusions regarding lawmaking, and organised five working sessions with law drafting units to provide orientations on major issues and solve difficulties in this area.

The Ministry of Justice has closely coordinated with other ministries and agencies to advise the Government to submit 43 laws and 19 regulatory resolutions to the National Assembly for approval. The ministry has also submitted 552 decrees to the Government for issuance, creating a legal foundation that promotes the country’s socio-economic life and addresses challenges faced by people and businesses. — VNS