General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam chaired a working session in Hanoi on May 13 with representatives from ministries, central agencies and relevant bodies to review the organisation and operations of the central steering committees for institutional and legal reform and for judicial reform.
Following reports and discussions at the meeting, the top leader stressed that legal institutional and judicial reforms are organically linked and closely interconnected, requiring a unified leadership mechanism to ensure that law-making, law enforcement and judicial reform function as a coherent, synchronised and effective whole.
He stated that consolidating the two steering committees is necessary in order to streamline organisational structures without reducing responsibilities, while ensuring clear accountability, measurable outputs and concrete results. Following the restructuring, the body will be renamed the central steering committee for institutional improvement and law enforcement, with the Party General Secretary and State President serving as its head.
He emphasised that improving legal institutions is not merely a matter of legislative technique, but also involves effective law enforcement, power oversight, the protection of justice, safeguarding human and citizens’ rights, and creating a stable, transparent and secure legal environment conducive to national development.
General Secretary and President Lam further noted that the new steering committee must serve as a body for leadership, direction, coordination, supervision and oversight, rather than replacing the National Assembly in legislation, the Government in state administration and law enforcement, or other competent state agencies in carrying out their legal mandates.
He called for the restructured body to deliver substantive improvements, particularly through resolving major legal bottlenecks, addressing inter-sectoral obstacles, improving the quality of legislation and law enforcement, enhancing judicial performance, preventing miscarriages of justice, protecting fairness and justice, reducing compliance costs, improving the investment and business environment and strengthening public and business access to justice.
The top leader assigned the Party Committee of the Ministry of Justice to take the lead, in coordination with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs, in incorporating the meeting’s recommendations and finalising a report for submission to the Politburo.
