The Council of the European Union has reacted to Top News regarding the progress of the work in the COELA working group on the IBAR report, providing details on the current phase of the process and the main topics addressed.
According to the official response, the last COELA meeting focused mainly on questions from member states to the European Commission, as well as clarifications regarding the IBAR report for Cluster 1 and the draft so-called "interim Common Position" (EUCP).
At the center of the discussions were key issues such as the rule of law situation and the country's efforts in the fight against corruption.
Regarding the current phase, sources from the Council indicate that, based on the comments and discussions of the member states, the presidency is expected to prepare a revised version of the interim draft EUCP.
This document will be discussed at the next COELA meeting on April 9, while other rounds of discussion are not excluded.
However, the Council of the EU refuses to make the individual positions of the member states public. According to the official response, this is standard practice to preserve the confidentiality of discussions and not to hinder the decision-making process within the Council's preparatory bodies, a rule that applies to all working groups, including COELA.