Prime Minister Zoran Zaev reiterated that the government has requested the Venice Commission’s final opinion on the Law on Use of Languages to be postponed so that they have time to analyze the Commission’s remarks in the draft version and respond to them. In any case, he said, the Commission’s final position and opinion can be expected by the end of the year and the government is committed to applying it.

The government requested it because of the time it takes to analyze their arguments and give our views and we said we would wait for the final opinion. We have been informed that the draft version has been delivered to us, we need time to look at the analysis, because the Venice Commission backs up its opinion with arguments, European rules and norms and European practice, but also analyzes our system’s capacity. So that the measurement of getting justice versus the right to use the language, if it threatens the first one then the question is whether the citizens need it, Zaev said, answering a journalist question at a press conference in the government building.

We, Zaev added, will make analyzes whether we have sufficient capacity and will give the answers immediately. I expect, said the prime minister, that by the end of the year, according to the information we have received, the final opinion will come.