5. Regarding the countries engaged in a post-monitoring dialogue:

5.1. with respect to Bulgaria: the Assembly welcomes the overcoming of the political instability in the country and the establishment, in June 2023, of a coalition government following the April early general elections (the fifth since April 2021). It welcomes the ongoing constitutional reform aimed at reinforcing the judicial independence, in particular by aligning the composition and appointment of the Judicial Supreme Council with European standards as well as by revising the competences and increasing the accountability of the Prosecutor General. The Assembly encourages the authorities to complete the legislative process taking fully into account the Venice Commission’s recommendations. The Assembly welcomes the adoption of the Law amending and supplementing the criminal procedure code, the Law on the protection of whistle-blowers or persons publicly disclosing Information about violations, as well as the ongoing legislative process with regard to the draft Law on countering corruption among persons holding senior public office and Law on public procurement. At the same time, it urges the authorities to take further measures to continue efforts to combat high-level corruption. The Assembly calls on the authorities to adopt the legislation addressing the issue of concentration and transparency of media ownership with a view to increasing media pluralism;

5.2. with respect to Montenegro: the Assembly welcomes the democratic conduct of the recent national elections, leading to the formation of a new government but regrets that the electoral legislation was not reformed in time to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR. It calls on the new authorities to now implement the reforms needed to improve the independence of the judiciary, the trust in the electoral process, the fight against corruption, and the situation of the media, as called upon by Resolution 2374 (2021);

5.3. with respect to North Macedonia: the Assembly invites all political forces to reach a consensus on the revision of the Constitution that would allow the country to pave its way to the European Union. It encourages the authorities to step up the reforms launched to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and human rights. In particular, the Assembly urges the authorities to implement GRECO’s recommendations from its Fourth and Fifth Evaluation Rounds concerning prevention of corruption respectively of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors and of persons with senior executive functions and the police. In this context, it also urges the authorities to fully address the recommendations of the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) concerning combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The Assembly calls on the authorities to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights fully and rapidly, in particularly those concerning ill-treatment by police. While welcoming the efforts to combat discrimination in general and to protect the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, the Assembly calls on the authorities to make further efforts to build an integrated multi-ethnic society and to improve the situation of Roma.

6. Regarding the countries that were subject in 2023 to the procedure for the periodic review of membership obligations to the Council of Europe:

6.1. with regard to France: with reference to Resolution 2512 (2023), the Assembly reiterates its call for legislative and constitutional reforms to address the Venice Commission’s recommendations regarding the Superior Judicial Council, the status of magistrates and article 49 of the French Constitution. The Assembly urges the authorities to introduce an effective system of recording identity checks and to publish statistics on the number of people wounded or killed during protests with a view to improving the accountability of law enforcement officials. In that context, the Assembly strongly encourages the authorities to improve the prosecution of cases of unlawful violence committed by law enforcement officers and to reform the police and gendarmerie inspectorates so as to improve perceptions of their independence and impartiality. While it welcomes the measures taken by the authorities to reduce prison overcrowding, the Assembly notes that prison population statistics show that the situation is in practice worsening. It therefore recommends the authorities to consider introducing a binding mechanism for regulating the prison population;

6.2. with regard to the Netherlands: the Assembly takes note of the anticipated parliamentary elections that took place on 22 November 2023. It expects that the newly elected authorities will address the concerns and recommendations expressed in the Venice Commission’s Opinion on the legal protection of citizens (prepared following the so-called child allowances scandal) and in the joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe on legal safeguards of the independence of the judiciary from the executive power;

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