Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria faces referral to the ECJ for failing to comply with three procedures

Photo: BTA

The European Commission has formally warned Bulgaria, Estonia and Ireland to properly implement EU laws against racism and xenophobia, reports BNR correspondent Angelina Piskova.

In its letter of formal notice, the European Commission says the three countries do not properly qualify racist and xenophobic motivation as an aggravating factor for all criminal offences or fail to ensure that courts can take this into account in sentencing.

The Commission has sent Bulgaria two further reasoned opinions. One states that the country has not correctly transposed into national law the Directive on the right of access to a lawyer and the right to communicate when arrested, which lays down minimum standards to guarantee the rights of the accused. The other relates to non-compliance with the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant and the surrender procedure between Member States.

In all three cases, the country has two months to respond. Failure to do so could result in a referral to the ECJ in each case.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Grozdan Karadzhov (centre) speaking at a national discussion on labour shortages and the importation of labour from third countries in Sofia on 20 May.

Importing workers is a 'growing pain of development', Deputy Prime Minister Karadzhov has declared

Speaking at the national discussion Access to the labour market in Bulgaria for third-country nationals: challenges and solutions , Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov said that labour shortage is one of the biggest problems the government faces ...

published on 5/20/25 2:03 PM
Parliamentary Speaker Natalia Kiselova

The request for a referendum on the euro will not affect the report on Bulgaria's readiness to adopt it: Natalia Kiselova

President Rumen Radev intends to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court. But this will not affect the expected report from the European Commission on the country's readiness to join the eurozone, the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia..

published on 5/20/25 12:04 PM

Public transport in Sofia resumes its normal operation

The normal movement of buses, trolleybuses and trams in Sofia is being restored as of today, after last night the unions announced an end to the 6-day blockade of public transport. The blockade of Sofia's public transport to be lifted on Tuesday..

published on 5/20/25 9:48 AM