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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.



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