site.btaParliament Backs Changes Expanding Eligibility for Private Security Work at First Reading

Parliament passed at first reading amendments to the Private Security Activities Act, expanding the range of people eligible to engage in private security activities. The bill, submitted by the Council of Ministers, was approved by 132 votes to none, with 17 abstentions.

The amendments remove the requirement that the employment contract be the employee's primary one, thereby expanding the range of people who can work in private security as an additional job, according to the bill's explanatory notes. Company managers and legal entities would also be included among those required to meet the conditions for engaging in private security activities. The amendments also adjust the number of National Police General Directorate officials serving on the Advisory Council for Cooperation on Private Security Activities, bringing it in line with the number of authorized representatives of private security associations.

The explanatory notes say the current legislation does not ensure equal treatment of traders registered under Bulgarian law and those registered under the law of another EU Member State, a European Economic Area country or Switzerland regarding fees for licences and certificates. To address this disparity, the bill provides for a state fee for issuing certificates, with the amount to be set by tariff.

Under the current legislation, only an individual who is a company manager or owner can commission personal security services. The proposed addition of "legal entity" would cover cases in which a company commissions personal security for a manager, owner, employee, or other official facing a genuine threat, when the individual being protected cannot afford to cover the cost of personal security, the bill's sponsors said.