Podgorica (MINA) – The leaders of the opposition parliamentary groups in the Parliament of Montenegro have requested from the European Commission (EC) an official position on whether the Law on Internal Affairs and the National Security Agency (ANB) Law, in their amended form, fully comply with the EU acquis and relevant standards.

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) stated that the leaders of the opposition parliamentary groups sent a letter to the EC and the EU Delegation to Montenegro, pointing out the procedure and content of laws and amendments to law on internal affairs and ANB.

In the letter to the EC, Andrija Nikolic from the DPS, Milos Konatar from the Civic Movement URA, Boris Mugosa from the Social Democrats and Adrijan Vuksanovic from the parliamentary group of the Croatian Civic Initiative and the Democratic Union of Albanians, stated that the draft laws on internal affairs and the ANB, as well as their substantial amendments, significantly modify institutional powers, oversight mechanisms and fundamental rights protection.

The letter also notes that concerns have been expressed by numerous relevant civil society organizations and experts.

“We formally request the Delegation of the European Union and European Commission’s position on whether these draft laws, as amended, fully comply with the EU acquis and relevant standards”, the press release says.

It is added that Nikolic, Konatar, Mugosa and Vuksanovic expressed expectation that the European Commission, or the head of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, Johann Sattler, would respond to their request prior to the opening of the plenary session scheduled for Friday.