site.btaCode of Civil Procedure Revised on First Reading, Introducing Compulsory Information Meeting for Mediation

The Bulgarian National Assembly on Wednesday voted, 150-15 with 32 abstentions to pass on first reading a Government-proposed bill to amend and supplement the Code of Civil Procedure introducing compulsory information meeting for mediation in certain civil and commercial cases.

Under the draft legislation, any litigant who fails to attend such a meeting without a valid reason or who refuses to attend when ordered to do so by the court will be liable to a fine.

Tsveta Rangelova MP of Vazrazhdane criticized the measure, describing compulsory mediation "one of the eccentric ideas of Continue the Change Co-Chair] Assen Vassilev". She questions the reasons for including the bill in the National Recovery Resilience Plan, arguing that it would mainly benefit NGOs. "Mediation is undeniably a voluntary alternative method for dispute resolution," Rangelova said.

MP Petar Petrov of the same parliamentary group argued that mediation is not a relevant or effective tool in Bulgaria, citing statistics. Only 323 mediation procedures were conducted in 2023, and 286 in 2024. "Vazrazhdane will not support the government's bill but will second a competing proposal from the Left," Petrov said.

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev defended the proposed revisions to the Code of Civil Procedure, stressing the importance of ensuring equal rights for all citizens, including the right to be informed about out-of-court dispute resolution options.

"No matter how much we criticize mediation, it is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan," Georgiev recalled. He said that in 2024, 30% (or roughly one-third) of cases that went to mediation were successfully resolved through this process. "While that is not a particularly impressive result, it shows potential," he said, explaining the rationale behind introducing a compulsory information meeting, which he described as "a consultation intended to highlight the benefits of mediation."