National Assembly chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn wraps up the session in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Wednesday concluded its fourth session after completing an extensive agenda comprising 45 legislative items, making it one of the busiest meetings in the body's history.

During the session, the Standing Committee assessed and commented on 28 of the 33 items to be submitted to the NA at its first extraordinary session, as well as two draft laws scheduled for consideration at the legislature's second sitting. It also adopted three ordinances and eight resolutions, while reviewing four other matters within its authority.

In his closing remarks, NA chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn said that despite tight deadlines and the complexity of many issues, the quality of the proposals presented at the session has broadly met the required standards. He noted that consensus has largely been reached between the drafting agencies and the reviewing bodies, leaving the documents well prepared for submission to the NA.

"The success of a National Assembly session should not be measured solely by the number of laws and resolutions adopted, but more importantly by whether those decisions effectively remove institutional bottlenecks, unlock resources, promote development and improve people's quality of life," he said.

The top legislator noted that the fourth session represents only the preparatory stage of the legislative process. The period leading up to the NA's consideration and approval of the agenda at its first extraordinary session would be decisive in determining the quality of each policy decision.

Mẫn called on the relevant agencies to ensure that every revision and amendment makes draft legislation clearer, closer, more feasible and capable of securing broader consensus.

At the same time, he urged agencies to begin preparations for the second sitting of the 16th NA, scheduled for October, which is expected to have another demanding agenda covering legislation, oversight and decisions on major national issues.

As an immediate priority, he stressed that relevant agencies must ensure that reports on the items already scheduled under the third quarter's work programme are submitted to the NA Standing Committee on time for its regular sessions in August and September.

Earlier on Wednesday, while commenting on proposed policy directions for amendments to the 2023 Law on Housing, Mẫn said the legislation would have far-reaching implications, directly affecting citizens' right to housing, social welfare policies, the healthy development of the property market and the consistency of the broader legal framework.

He therefore emphasised that the amendments should be approached with a long-term perspective, placing policy quality above all other considerations.

According to the leader, the aims of the revised housing law focus on removing institutional barriers that hinder housing development, unlocking land, investment and social resources, expanding access to housing, particularly for policy beneficiaries and low-income groups, and establishing a stable, coherent and transparent legal framework to support the safe, healthy and sustainable development of the market.

"The housing policy should expand people's opportunities to access housing, not create additional barriers," he said. — VNA/VNS