Bulgaria's justice ministry has published draft rules for the National Coordination Mechanism for the Rule of Law and opened them to public comment. Justice minister Nikolai Naydenov submitted the draft.

The biggest change is to the Rule of Law Council. Each year it will adopt a plan and a report on how Bulgaria is carrying out the European Commission's recommendations.

After each EC report, the council will draw up a work programme with a timetable. A report will go with it, showing what was achieved on the measures in the previous year. Both papers will be public and will be posted on the ministry's website.

The mechanism is organised around the four areas of the EC's annual rule of law reports: the justice system, the fight against corruption, media pluralism and media freedom, and the institutional balance and mutual checks between branches of power.

The Civil Council is also being expanded. It will include groups that work on the institutional balance and mutual checks between branches of power, and employers' organisations will get a seat.

Professional bodies of judges, prosecutors, investigators, lawyers and journalists keep their places, as do groups that work on fighting corruption, court reform and media pluralism. The council will still have up to 13 members.

The ministry says the aim is to bring the mechanism in line with current laws and the way institutions are set up, and to make it work better. It expects better coordination between institutions, clearly divided responsibilities, and easier tracking and public reporting of Bulgaria's progress on the EC's recommendations.