Concluding observations by individual members 120. Members of the Committee expressed warm appreciation for the high quality of the report, which was informative and straightforward. They also welcomed the candor and competence of the State party representatives in answering the Committee's questions, which had made for a useful and constructive dialogue. 121. While recognising Austria's traditions and the Government's efforts to promote respect for human rights, members expressed continuing concern about a number of areas where, in their view, further improvements were needed. One such concern related to the status of the Covenant in relation to Austrian law. It was noted in particular that, as far as grounds for discrimination were concerned, Austrian law was not in complete conformity with the provisions of the Covenant. The incorporation of at least articles 26 and 27 of the Covenant into domestic law was suggested as one possible remedy in that connection. A related concern was the list of Austrian reservations to the Covenant, which members urged the State party to reduce. 122. Other concerns raised by members related to such matters as the independence of the administrative courts; the inadequacy of protection extended to detainees at the interrogation stage; the impartiality of the mechanisms for investigating cases involving alleged torture and ill-treatment by the police; the monopolistic character of the electronic media; and restrictions on speech under article 111 of the Criminal Code, as well as the freedom to impart information. 123. The representative of the State party said the dialogue had been extremely interesting and thanked the Committee for the warm welcome it had accorded to his delegation. 124. In concluding the consideration of the second periodic report of Austria, the Chairman thanked the delegation for its responses to the Committee's questions on an excellent report and requested the delegation to convey the Committee's views to the competent authorities. POLAND 125. The Committee considered the third periodic report of Poland <CCPE/C/58/Add.lO and Add.13) at its 1102nd to 1105th meetings, on 28 and 29 October 1991 (see CCPR/C/SE.1102-1105). {For the composition of the delegation, see annex VIII.) 126. The report was introduced by the representative of the State party, who pointed out that one of the most crucial problems was to ensure that the rules and standards established by legislation conforming to the Covenant were observed in actual practice. Under the previous system in Poland, all rights and freedoms had been recognized but there had been limitations in practice that had made it virtually impossible actually to exercise such essential rights as the right to freedom of speech, freedom of association and participation in public affairs. Significant changes in the legal system had been made since the formation of the first non-communist Government in 1989, including the abolition of censorship and the one-party monopoly of the press. The independence of the communications media, which had been giving -27-