site.btaCouncil of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Ends Monitoring over Bulgaria

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided to end its monitoring of Bulgaria, the institution said on Wednesday. 

PACE resolved to close the post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria and will now follow developments in the country through periodic reviews.

PACE welcomed Bulgaria’s resolution of the political crisis and instability caused by seven consecutive snap parliamentary elections from 2021 to 2024, and the formation of a coalition government in January 2025. This development showed consistent political will to meet its commitments and obligations under PACE Resolution 2296 (2019), in cooperation with Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms.

PACE welcomed reforms to the Criminal Procedure Code, constitutional amendments reducing the powers of the prosecution service, anti-corruption measures such as the Anti-Corruption Act, legislation protecting whistleblowers, and amendments to the Public Procurement Act meant to increase transparency.

The resolution, informed by a report from Deborah Bergamini (Italy, EPP/CD) and Yves Cruchten (Luxembourg, Socialists), acknowledges that Bulgaria has made substantial progress in strengthening laws on freedom of expression and has implemented measures to address hate speech and violence against women.

The assessment notes that, despite the authorities’ efforts, judicial and prosecutorial reforms have been only partially implemented. It states that progress stalled following a Constitutional Court decision in Bulgaria on July 26 of last year. PACE urges the authorities to continue reforms through additional legislative or constitutional measures.

There are concerns on the status of the Roma population and the continued need for measures to support their social inclusion. PACE calls on the authorities to continue making concrete progress in implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments, particularly those concerning judicial reform, forced evictions and the demolition of Roma homes, and the refusal to register associations of individuals who self-identify as Macedonian.

The statement notes that Bulgaria joined the Council of Europe in 1992 and was under full monitoring until 2000. With Resolution 1211 (2000), PACE ended full monitoring and began a post-monitoring dialogue to track unresolved issues and regularly assess progress.