site.btaGovernment Hails Closure of PACE Monitoring as Victory, Opposition Cautions Reforms Still Needed

The decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to close its post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, prompted a wave of reactions in the Bulgarian Parliament Thursday. The ruling majority hailed the decision and the opposition warned against complacency. 

PACE announced its decision to close the 26-year-long post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria on October 1, 2025. Former Bulgarian justice minister Nadejda Iordanova, now an MP of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, abstained in the vote and together with several PACE members from North Macedonia were the only ones who did not back Bulgaria.

The parties in the government coalition slammed Iordanova for her position.

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.

Following is a takeaway from the comments:

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev praised the ending of the 26-year post-monitoring dialogue, calling it a matter of national dignity and pride that Bulgaria is no longer treated as a state on probation. He highlighted the country’s progress in judicial reform, human rights protection, and anti-corruption measures, crediting government efforts and thanking Bulgaria’s delegation leaders at PACE. He criticized MP Nadejda Iordanova for abstaining during the vote, describing her action as ungrateful and questioning her loyalty.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov welcomed the closure of the monitoring mechanism as a major success for the current government coalition. He asserted that it took this particular government to finally bring an end to the PACE post-monitoring process, framing the decision as a political and diplomatic victory.

BSP – United Left Floor Leader Dragomir Stoynev also called the decision “very important,” recognizing the end of a long-standing process that had scrutinized Bulgaria’s fulfillment of European obligations, and implicitly supporting the positive step forward for the country.

Junior government coalition partner There Is Such a People (TISP) strongly condemned MP Iordanova’s abstention as “anti-Bulgarian.” Deputy Floor Leader Stanislav Balabanov accused her of working against national interests and demanded that she explain her vote to the National Assembly. He praised the overwhelming support Bulgaria received in the PACE vote and the removal of controversial language regarding ethnic Macedonians from the report.

MRF-New Beginning MPs Stanislav Anastasov and Yordan Tsonev accused the opposition of betraying Bulgaria. Anastasov claimed that Iordanova supported turning the post-monitoring mechanism into a full monitoring procedure, which he framed as a threat to national sovereignty. Tsonev called opposition actions political sabotage and warned that they would not be allowed to control institutions in a way harmful to the country.

MP Atanas Slavov (CC-DB), a former justice minister, stressed that despite the closure of the PACE monitoring, significant problems remain in the judiciary and the rule of law. He warned against complacency, noting issues like the unchecked power of the prosecutor general and political influence in judicial bodies. Slavov called for continued reforms and legislative initiatives, pointing out that the abolition of specialized courts was a positive step initiated by their group. Bozhidar Bozhanov of Yes, Bulgaria (which is part of Democratic Bulgaria), explained that abstaining from the vote did not mean opposing the resolution but reflected a realistic stance on the ongoing challenges within the judicial system. He emphasized that simply voting “yes” would have been misleading given Bulgaria’s unresolved rule-of-law issues.

Velichie party leader Ivelin Mihaylov expressed skepticism toward PACE’s conclusions, questioning how Bulgaria could be deemed free of corruption and governed by the rule of law when political repression and media restrictions persist domestically. He criticized the lack of functioning institutions and transparency in Bulgarian politics.