Professor Helen Xanthaki appointed to the Greek Legislative Scrutiny Parliamentary Committee

Professor Helen Xanthaki has been appointed by the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic to the Parliamentary Committee for the Scrutiny of the Quality of the Legislative Process (Επιτροπη Αξιολογησης της Ποιοτητας της Νομοπαρασκευαστικης Διαδικασιας). The Committee was established by the Law on the Executive State, which introduces a holistic reform of Greek governance aiming to enhance the effectiveness of the state. The mandate of the Committee, which is a technical committee of experts, is to scrutinise the constitutional, legal, and legislative quality of primary legislation and, when scrutiny is completed and amendments implemented, give the green light for formal submission to Parliament for debate.

Professor Helen Xanthaki (Professor of Law at UCL Laws and Dean of Postgraduate Laws Programmes of the University of London) has been appointed by the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic as a member to the Parliamentary Committee on the Scrutiny of the Quality of the Legislative Process.  

The Committee’s benchmark is the Manual for the Scrutiny of the Legislative Process and Legislative Drafting. Professor Xanthaki served as the leading expert in the drafting of the Manual, which adopted by the General Secretariat of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the overarching body responsible for the quality of Greek legislation. The Manual implements Professor Xanthaki’s theory of effectiveness as a benchmark for legislative quality, and applies the recommendations of her research introduced in her 2014 Hart book “Art and Technology of Rules and Regulations”, applied in practice in her edition of Thornton’s Legislative Drafting, and further developed in her subsequent publications.

Professor Xanthaki’s research is now cited in the Greek Manual for the Scrutiny of the Legislative Process and Legislative Drafting, and well as the Cypriot and UK Legislative Drafting Guidance.

Professor Xanthaki says “It is a rare privilege for an academic legislative drafter to experience the application of their research as the sole benchmark for the scrutiny of primary legislation by governmental drafters and Parliament. It is the culmination of my career, and I enjoy every minute of the long weekly session of intense intellectual exchanges between the Ministers and Ministerial lawyers presenting the draft and the distinguished professors and judges of the Council of the State undertaking scrutiny. I look forward to learning from their expertise, and to incorporating any lessons learnt by practice to the next editions of my books”.

Professor Xanthaki has also been appointed as Visiting Professor at Xiamen University in Fujian, China. 

Read more 

• Prof Xanthaki contributes to Manual for the Scrutiny of Legislative Process and Legislative Drafting
• General Secretariat for Legal and Parliamentary Issues with the Manual (an English translation will be made available soon)