CoE, NATO, OSCE: Parliaments have key role, they should work

NEWS 16.04.202019:51
Frederick Florin/AFP

The presidents of the Council of Europe (CoE), NATO and OSCE parliamentary assemblies said on Thursday that the member states; parliaments had a key role in defending democratic values, processes and fundamental freedoms and that they should continue work, the Beta news agency reported.

„It’s vital for the parliaments to continue working during this crisis, to approve the package s of economic aid and extraordinary health measures, while trying to preserve democratic control and secure the effective division of power where possible,“ the presidents said in a joint message to the member countries of all three organisations.

„In the next months, our parliaments will have to play a vital role in securing that emergency measures are adequately implemented and in line with democratic standards, that the limits of freedoms are appropriate and temporary, that the economic aid is distributed where most needed and that safety and stability are preserved,“ they said.

CoE, NATO and OSCE have 57 member states from North Americas, Europe and Asia with over a billion-strong population.  

Serbia’s Parliament does not meet, and its speaker, the head of state and Prime Minister have taken decision normally under the assembly’s jurisdiction.