The objective of the talks was to present the CPT’s key findings and recommendations regarding the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty pursuant to aliens legislation, as set out in its report on the September 2024 ad hoc visit to Bulgaria, The report was adopted by the Committee on 14 March 2025. The focus for the CPT was on presenting those recommendations which are likely to require major legislative, policy and financial measures. The aim was to facilitate the authorities’ preparations of their response (due at the end of June 2025) to the CPT’s report and, more generally, to improve the quality of the ongoing dialogue with the Bulgarian authorities. The CPT report on the 2024 ad hoc visit will be published in the near future, pursuant to the automatic publication procedure.
The meeting was opened by Minister Mitov and thereafter chaired by Filip Popov, Deputy Minister of the Interior. Other participants included Mariana Tosheva, Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees, Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Border Police, and Nikolay Nikolov, Director of the Migration Directorate.
The CPT was represented by its President, Alan Mitchell, and Nikola Kovačević, and supported by Borys Wódz (Head of Division, CPT Secretariat).
