site.btaEuropean Commission May Refer Bulgaria to EU Court over Two Infringement Procedures

The European Commission said on Wednesday it may refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union over two infringement procedures related to the circumvention of EU sanctions and the exchange of data between European law enforcement authorities.

The Commission has called on Bulgaria, Belgium and Slovenia to transpose EU rules under which the violation of European sanctions should be treated as a criminal offence. The countries concerned have not notified what measures they have taken to comply with EU legislation in this area. Under EU law, there are common rules defining criminal offences and penalties for breaches of sanctions, the Commission said. The common rules facilitate the investigation and prosecution of violations. EU Member States had until May 2025 to introduce the necessary changes to their national legislation. In July 2025, the Commission opened infringement procedures and has now given the countries two months to respond and take the necessary measures. After that, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the EU Court with a request to impose financial penalties.

The Commission has also called on Bulgaria, France and Portugal to implement EU requirements on data exchange between law enforcement authorities aimed at improving the prevention, detection and investigation of crime. Under EU legislation, police officers in one Member State must have equivalent access to information available to their counterparts in another Member State. The three countries concerned have only partially notified the measures for implementing the rules, the Commission said. The Commission has given them two months to respond, after which it may decide to refer the cases to the EU Court with a request to impose financial penalties, the statement added.