HRA: The European Commission has said that all amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs must be harmonized with EU law

All amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs must be harmonized with European Union (EU) law and international standards, the European Commission (EC) stated in response to a letter sent to it by the Human Rights Action (HRA) regarding the proposal for that act.

HRA reminded that on December 19, they sent a letter to the EC, in which they pointed out the controversial Proposal for Amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs, especially in relation to the human rights of police officers and the risk of politicization of the police.

As stated by the non-governmental organization (NGO), the EC's response confirms that these issues are being considered as rule of law issues in the context of Montenegro's accession process to the EU.

"In its response, the Commission recalled that the rule of law is a fundamental value of the Union and stressed that all amendments to the Home Affairs Act must be aligned with EU law and international standards," the HRA said.

It is particularly significant, as stated by the NGO, that the EC pointed out the need for "appropriate procedural guarantees to prevent undue political influence in law enforcement bodies", which directly confirms the essence of the concerns raised by the HRA.

The HRA said that the response states that the revised version of the amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs has been submitted to the EC and that it is "currently subject to assessment by the competent Commission services in order to verify compliance with the EU acquis and European standards."

"This formulation clearly indicates that the proposed legal solutions have not been accepted in advance and will only be assessed in relation to the protection of human rights, the institutional independence of the police and the prohibition of political influence," the HRA pointed out.

They warned that the adoption of a law that allows for arbitrary decisions on the status of police officers, without clear criteria, the right to defense, and effective judicial control, would represent a serious setback in the area of ​​the rule of law and could have negative consequences for Montenegro's European integration process.

"Therefore, we expect the Government of Montenegro to withdraw the Bill from the parliamentary procedure until the EC's opinion is received, as previously promised," HRA said.