After the adoption of an Opinion on the situation in Poland on 1 June, the Polish Parliament adopted a new Law on the Constitutional Tribunal on 22 July.The Commission has assessed the overall situation, including in the light of the new law, and reaches the conclusion that even if certain of its concerns have been addressed by that law, important issues of concern regarding the rule of law in Poland remain.

6. Welcomes the fact that the Montenegrin Parliament’s oversight role has been further strengthened through the adoption of a law on parliamentary inquiry and amendments to the Parliament’s rules of procedure and to the law on data secrecy, as well as with the start of implementation of the law on parliamentary oversight of the security and defence sector; underlines the fact that ensuring civilian control over the military is a critical element of democratic reform; stresses the need to further reinforce law-making capacities and consultations with civil society; calls on the Montenegrin Parliament to continue improving its oversight role especially with regard to the fight against organised crime and corruption; calls for a more activ ...[+++]e involvement of the Parliament in the accession negotiations through strategic and political discussions, policy analysis and legislative review in different parliamentary committees to gain a meaningful oversight over the negotiations; calls for stronger parliamentary oversight of the implementation of adopted legislation and resolutions;

28. Welcomes the changes to the Criminal Code aimed at addressing racist crimes; commends the recent adoption of the anti-discrimination law drafted in cooperation with civil society organisations, and calls for its swift and effective implementation; welcomes in particular the establishment of an independent commissioner for protection against discrimination, with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the law and investigating complaints; stresses, moreover, the urgent need for accurate and reliable statistical data, which are essential for the effective implementation of anti-discrimination measures, and, to this end, ...[+++]draws attention to the importance of the national census planned for 2011 in line with internationally recognised standards ensuring full respect for the principle of free self-identification;

28. Welcomes the changes to the Criminal Code aimed at addressing racist crimes; commends the recent adoption of the anti-discrimination law drafted in cooperation with civil society organisations, and calls for its swift and effective implementation; welcomes in particular the establishment of an independent commissioner for protection against discrimination, with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the law and investigating complaints; stresses, moreover, the urgent need for accurate and reliable statistical data, which are essential for the effective implementation of anti-discrimination measures, and, to this end, ...[+++]draws attention to the importance of the national census planned for 2011 in line with internationally recognised standards ensuring full respect for the principle of free self-identification;

25. Welcomes the changes to the Criminal Code aimed at addressing racist crimes; commends the recent adoption of the anti-discrimination law drafted in cooperation with civil society organisations, and calls for its swift and effective implementation; welcomes in particular the establishment of an independent commissioner for protection against discrimination, with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the law and investigating complaints; stresses, moreover, the urgent need for accurate and reliable statistical data, which are essential for the effective implementation of anti-discrimination measures, and, to this end, ...[+++]draws attention to the importance of the national census planned for 2011 in line with internationally recognised standards ensuring full respect for the principle of free self-identification;

Given that, the office of the Public Prosecution Service, formerly the DPP, remains unaccountable for its decision-making process regarding non-prosecutions in cases where prima-facie evidence exists, up to 40 inquests into controversial state killings have been delayed, in some cases for more than ten years, and the Inquiries Act has been introduced to protect state interests and to suppress information that might emerge regarding the killing of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane in 1989.