An official press release announced that on September 9, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) proposed to end the post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria. This means that from now on, the country will be monitored only through regular periodic reviews, just like all other member states.

The news was shared on Facebook by Denitsa Sacheva, MP from GERB-UDF and Vice President of PACE.

“PACE welcomes the fact that Bulgaria has overcome the political crisis and instability — illustrated by seven consecutive snap parliamentary elections between 2021 and 2024 — and that in January 2025 a coalition government was formed, demonstrating a ‘sustainable political will to uphold the commitments and obligations undertaken in cooperation with the Council of Europe mechanisms’,” Sacheva wrote.
The Committee also welcomed the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code, the constitutional amendments limiting the powers of the Prosecutor’s Office, the measures against high-level corruption, and the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and amendments to the Public Procurement Act aimed at greater transparency.

At the same time, the Committee recalled that judicial and prosecutorial reforms are only partially implemented and called on the Bulgarian authorities to complete them. It also emphasized the need to continue efforts to integrate the Roma population and to ensure the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

The final decision on ending the post-monitoring procedure will be taken on October 1, during the plenary session of PACE.

“This is an important moment for Bulgaria: after 26 years under post-monitoring procedures, our country is on the way to being recognized as a stable and equal member of the European democratic community,” Sacheva concluded.
BGNES recalls that at the end of January, Denitsa Sacheva was unanimously elected Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group in PACE.