site.bta Justice Minister Ivanov Meets with Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland, Discusses Judicial Reform Plan

Justice Minister Ivanov Meets with Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland, Discusses Judicial Reform Plan

Strasbourg/Sofia, March 16 (BTA) - Justice Minister Hristo
Ivanov Monday met with  Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary
General Thorbjorn Jagland and Philippe Boillat, the CoE Director
 General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, said Ivanov's
Ministry. Ivanov is on a two-day working visit to the Council of
 Europe Monday and Tueday and is due to hold a number of
meetings with ranking officials of the CoE, the European Court
of Human Rights and the Venice Commission.

Secretary General Jagland expressed his approval for the
Bulgarian governmentÒs updated strategy for judicial reform
which dominated the discussions. The two sides underscored the
importance of an independent judiciary and free media. Other
topics of discussion included the penitentiary reform in
Bulgaria,  the crisis in Ukraine and the Secretary GeneralÒs
forthcoming report on the state of democracy and human rights in
 Europe.

No Bulgarian government representative have met with the CoE
Secretary General in the past three years, the Ministry says.

On Tuesday, Ivanov is meeting with the European Court of Human
Rights President Dean Spielmann and with the President of the
Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio. Among the issues to be
discussed are the results achieved after the placement of
Bulgarian judges with the ECHR and the resolve of the Bulgarian
State to see more ECHR cases being closed.