site.btaProtest of Lawyers in Bulgaria to End Monday, Says Justice Ministry

The protest of lawyers in Bulgaria will be discontinued on Monday, it transpired at a meeting of Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev with representatives of the bar councils in the country here on Thursday, the Ministry reported. 

Justice Minister Georgiev said that the amendments to the regulation on payment for legal aid, which increases the funds by 50%, have already been agreed by all ministries. "I introduced the amendments, which provide for an increase of BGN 5.7 million in the belief that legal aid fees for citizens below the poverty line are low and some of them have not been amended since 2006 and 2009," he noted. 

"In the process of discussions with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, the possibility has been found for the increase to take effect not from  January 1, 2026, but from October 1 this year," Georgiev specified. "This is a clear sign of appreciation of the work of fellow lawyers who are working on these cases and taking into account that the poorest of our fellow citizens should not be deprived of the right to obtain legal protection," he added.

He thanked the heads of the bar councils for their decision to move towards ending Monday's protest and returning to a normal workload. Since June 1, almost all bar associations in the country have been protesting and have not appointed special advocates and special representatives in cases.

The Minister of Justice also said that an agreement was reached with the Bar to form a working group that will provide a permanent and sustainable legislative solution to the problems accumulated over the years. According to him, the forthcoming legislative reform includes several key tasks regarding the provision of legal aid - a commitment of both the State and the Bar: improving the services provided, tightening controls to eliminate the risk of abuse, easing the administrative burden, issues of functioning, technology, accountability, use of modern technology, improving the qualification of lawyers and opening regional centres in eight more settlements.