We are working on the execution of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments against Bulgaria, said Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset at a joint press conference Thursday with Macedonian Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski in Skopje.
“It is not only important to have a role in the adoption of the decisions of the Court of Human Rights, but also in their implementation. In the case you mentioned about Bulgaria, you know that we have an overview of the decisions that have not yet been implemented. And we are working on this. We have made some progress, I would say, in the last month, it takes a little time, but you know, I think, the stability of the process is also important because it has to be more than just a symbolic solution,” Berset said.
According to Council of Europe Secretary General, some progress has been made in the last 12 months and indicated that the issue will be considered by the Committee of Ministers in order to make the implementation of the decisions a reality.
“You are absolutely right, the execution took too long. That is clear. But we continue to work on this and I hope that we will have a positive outcome very soon,”Berset added.
Regarding the ten-year ban on entering Bulgaria for attorney Toni Menkinoski, who represents Macedonians from Bulgaria before the ECHR, Berset said that he could not comment on a specific case, but, the protection of lawyers is of essential importance in a society.
“And that is precisely why the Council of Europe has developed a special Convention for the Protection of Lawyers from Hostile Actions, but I know that Macedonia has also signed this Convention, it is not implemented yet because it is in the development phase, but the Human Rights Commission will be able to complete its work and in this case assess the situation,”Bersetnoted.
