site.btaAll Seven Bulgarian Candidates for European Prosecutor Cleared for Public Hearing in Sofia

All seven candidates for European Prosecutor from Bulgaria have been admitted to a public hearing in Sofia, the Justice Ministry reported on Thursday. They submitted, within the deadline, documents proving the required length of service as magistrates and B2-level proficiency in English. This was decided unanimously on Thursday by a seven-member commission appointed by Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev and chaired by Deputy Justice Minister Stoyan Lazarov.

The candidates Boyko Atanasov, Desislava Pironeva, Dimitar Belichev, Ivaylo Iliev, Mihaela Raidovska, Plamen Petkov and Svetlana Shopova-Koleva will be heard publicly in alphabetical order by the commission on January 14, 2026, at the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in Sofia. The hearing will be broadcast live.

The public hearing is the second stage of the procedure, after which the commission will propose a shortlist of three candidates for European Prosecutor. With a report by the Justice Minister, the nominations should be submitted for approval by the Council of Ministers and should then be sent to the competent EU bodies for further selection. European Prosecutors are appointed by the Council of the EU for a six-year term, with the new term expected to begin on July 29, 2026.

Before the hearing, the SJC Inspectorate will be asked to provide information on any inspections and disciplinary proceedings conducted against the candidates regarding integrity, conflicts of interest, actions undermining the prestige of the judiciary, and violations of the independence of judges, prosecutors and investigators.