site.btaParliament Amends State Property Act

Parliament passed at first reading on Thursday two bills amending the State Property Act. One bill was tabled by GERB-UDF MP Nikolay Nankov and MPs from GERB-UDF, BSP - United Left, and There Is Such a People, and the other bill was tabled by the Council of Ministers.

The bill tabled by the ruling coalition was approved with 105 votes in favour, 58 against, and four abstentions. It proposes that the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC), rather than the administrative court where the property is located, should be the competent court for appeals against decisions of the Council of Ministers in cases of compulsory purchases of privately-owned properties and parts of properties intended for the construction of state facilities. The sponsors justify the proposed amendments on the basis of the current controversial practice in determining the amount of equivalent monetary compensation. In order to avoid delays in the remaining cases under the jurisdiction of the SAC and excessive caseloads, the amendment stipulates that the Supreme Judicial Council must provide the necessary number of judges to the SAC by January 1, 2026.

The Council of Ministers' bill was backed by 104 MPs, while another 62 voted against it. It proposes to repeal the provisions regulating the activities of the Commission for the Allocation and Use of Administrative Buildings - State Property, as well as to repeal the section "Compensation for expropriation of agricultural land and forest areas".

It stipulates that the disposal and exchange of private state property, under the management of the Ministry of Defence, shall be carried out through the regional governors of the location of the properties or through the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, respectively, by the Public Enterprises and Control Agency.