Four prison establishments were visited during 17 – 18 June 2015 by two Council of Europe independent experts and assessed for their compatibility with European standards and in particular, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) standards, European Prison Rules and, the European Convention on Human Rights, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and other applicable Council of Europe standards.

The visit was organized under the Fund for bilateral relations of Programme BG 15 “Correctional Services, including Non-custodial Sanctions” of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009 -2014 – Application “Assessment of needs concerning material conditions of detention in four penitentiary establishments in Bulgaria” - under the Pre-defined Project “Improving standards in prisons and investigative detention facilities by refurbishment of infrastructure to ensure respect for human rights”, implemented by the General Directorate “Execution of Sentences“ of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria, with support of the Council of Europe.