Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union has invited the Ministers of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania to Prague on September 13 to discuss the accession of the three Balkan countries to the Schengen Area, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported citing Romanian MP Rares Bogdan.

Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev wants special monitoring of Bulgaria under the new mechanism, which links the rule of law to receiving funds from European funds.

Geshev himself stated this to journalists after his hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels.

He addressed the Monitoring Group in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

A delegation from the European Parliament is on a visit to Bulgaria, the EP's press office in Sofia announced.

The monitoring group at the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the European Parliament will send its mission to Bulgaria, the European Parliament told BNR.

The decision was made yesterday at a closed-door meeting of the group and is expected to be confirmed by a written procedure today.

Ljubljana – The European Parliament’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group held a virtual public discussion on media freedom in Slovenia on Friday featuring representatives from Slovenia and the European Commission. Group members expressed concern about the situation and their expectations for the Commission to take action.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša is suggesting the European Parliament’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group have discussion with him and Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti on 26 March, after the EU summit as they would not be able to attend the discussion in Brussels in person this Friday, the PM’s office has announced.

Brussels – Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld (Renew) has invited PM Janez Janša to Brussels to take part in a discussion on the media in Slovenia that is expected to take place in March, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported on Monday.

Ljubljana – Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld (D66/Renew) believes there is sufficient ground for the European Parliament’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, which she heads, to start monitoring the situation in Slovenia.

The first-reading approval of the figure of a prosecutor entitled to investigate the Prosecutor General in Bulgaria has come as a surprise for the European Commission for Democracy through Law (aka Venice Commission).

The Venice Commission announced this at today's monitoring group meeting in the European Parliament, Radio Horizont learnt from its sources.

The Monitoring Group on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament will discuss the situation in Bulgaria for the second time. The subcommittee meeting will be virtual, the BNR said.