site.btaDraft Decree for Establishment of New National Coordination Mechanism for Human Rights Published for Public Consultation

A draft Decree of the Council of Ministers on the establishment of a National Coordination Mechanism for Human Rights was published on the Portal for Public Consultation on Saturday. Such a mechanism was established at the end of 2013.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Gabriel presented a Council of Ministers' decision to repeal the decision on the establishment of a National Coordination Mechanism for Human Rights, which has been in force since December 19, 2013, as well as a draft decision to establish a new one.

The amendments bring the mechanism's activities in line with the requirements of the Administration Act, by creating a Council under the National Coordination Mechanism and completing the list of state bodies to participate in it, Gabriel's report says. The Council will be chaired by the Foreign Minister. The draft spells out the responsibilities by departments and institutions in the preparation and submission of the national reports due from Bulgaria in fulfilment of the commitments to the international monitoring mechanisms.

"The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and compliance with generally accepted international human rights standards is a top priority of Bulgaria's domestic and foreign policy. We are a party to the main universal international human rights treaties of the United Nations, as well as the most important conventions adopted by the Council of Europe. We are also an active participant in the EU's external action, as well as in the framework of the human dimension of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)," the report adds.

The National Coordination Mechanism has encountered difficulties related to its limited and incompletely defined functions, the absence of representation of all stakeholders in it, as well as clearly spelled out commitments to international conventions of the responsible agencies, which hinder the work and lead to inconsistency in the activities of the body.  It should be acknowledged that there is a lack of an adequately defined legal basis, as the National Coordination Mechanism does not function on the basis of a decree of the Council of Ministers, but on the basis of a decision. Overcoming the identified shortcomings in the activities of the National Coordination Mechanism is possible through the development of the legal framework for its establishment, the report notes.

The National Coordination Mechanism for Human Rights aims to ensure effective interaction between state bodies and other public institutions to improve the situation, protection and promotion of human rights in Bulgaria. The Mechanism contributes to the harmonization of the legislation, policies and practices in the field of human rights in Bulgaria with the legislation, policies and practices of the EU, the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international organizations of which Bulgaria is a member, the draft proposal further states.