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

Less than 1/3 of Bulgarians expect positive changes from the policies of the new US president

According to the regular sociological survey by Gallup International Balkans in January 2025, society has moderate expectations for positive changes in Europe and Bulgaria from the policies of the new US President Donald Trump. 30.4%..

published on 2/18/25 9:49 AM

Festive concert for Bulgaria’s national holiday to take place in London

The Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London is covering all the costs for the festive concert-performance that will mark the national holiday. The concert will be held at the Ondaatje Theatre, Royal Geographical Society on March 1,..

published on 2/18/25 9:24 AM

Bulgaria to request convergence report for the eurozone by the end of the month

Bulgaria has received encouraging signals at the Eurogroup meeting. "The country has made even greater progress in fulfilling the price stability criterion," said European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis. When..

published on 2/18/25 8:59 AM