site.btaUPDATED Justice Minister Georgiev Comments on End to PACE's Post-Monitoring Dialogue with Bulgaria

Bulgarian Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev on Thursday commented on an October 1, 2025 resolution by which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) closed its 26-year-long post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria.

The post-monitoring dialogue was opened by a PACE resolution in January 2000 on a number of outstanding concerns arising from non-fulfilment of Bulgaria's commitments entered into upon its accession to the Council of Europe in 1992 and obligations incumbent upon every member State. The areas of concern listed in the resolution included guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and of the media with regard to the executive authorities, improving and respecting the rights of members of minorities with regard to education and broadcasting in their mother tongue, instituting an ombudsman for human rights should be created, stepping up efforts to combat corruption and police brutality, amending the Constitution to bring the immunity of members of parliament, magistrates and senior officials in line with European standards, decriminalizing sanctions against journalists and limiting awards for damages to reasonable amounts.

The Justice Minister argued that "PACE can hardly be accused of political partiality or of doing favours to the [ruling] majority [in Bulgaria]". 

In Georgiev's words, "it is a matter of national dignity and pride for Bulgaria not being treated as a state on probation". 

He added that three or four government ministers had reported the country's progress in various areas during a series of interviews with PACE representatives held in recent months. According to Georgiev, the Parliamentary Assembly appreciated Bulgaria's progress in protecting human rights, executing the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, the ongoing judicial reform, changes in protection against domestic violence, and anti-corruption legislation.

The Justice Minister thanked for the efforts of the Chairperson of Bulgaria's national delegation and PACE Vice-President Denitsa Sacheva and to her predecessor Georg Georgiev, who is currently Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"Regrettably, I cannot possibly thank former Bulgarian justice minister Nadejda Iordanova [MP of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria] who did not vote in favour of that resolution [on October 1]," Georgiev pointed out, adding that Iordanova and several PACE members from North Macedonia were the only ones who did not back Bulgaria.

Iordanova abstained in the vote, which was adopted by 101 in favour and 3 against.

In a further comment later in the day he suggested that Iordanova may have been under pressure to abstain in the vote. "What happened last night is clearly not the result of a personal decision by Ms. Nadejda Iordanova. Some political guru must have decided to pressure her, because as justice minister, she made conscientious efforts to carry out reforms that are recognized as progress," said the Minister. "If you don’t support your own reforms with your vote, either the reforms aren’t good, or something else has happened," he added. He used even stronger words, calling Iordanova's vote "a symbol of disgrace, of national betrayal, of breaking the oath, and of irresponsible behavior when political selfishness prevails over dignified statesmanship".