site.btaEuropean Commission Reports Implementation by Bulgaria of Rule-of-Law Recommendations

In the Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Bulgaria (part of the 2026 Rule of Law Report, released on Friday), the European Commission found that one recommendation in the 2025 Rule of Law Report is fully implemented, some progress has been achieved on two recommendations, limited progress on one, and no progress on four. The Commission recalls the relevant commitments made by the country under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The Commission concluded that no progress had been made to adapt the legislative framework with a view to avoid long-term secondment of judges to fill in vacant positions, as the widespread use of secondments continues to raise concerns. It is recommended to Bulgaria to take steps to adapt the relevant legislative framework, taking into account European standards.

No progress has been made to re-initiate the process to reform the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). As the composition remains the same and no draft law has been tabled, it is recommended to Bulgaria to reform the SJC to ensure its independence and effectiveness, taking into account European standards on Councils for the Judiciary.

No progress has been made on ensuring a robust track record of investigations, prosecutions and final judgments in high-level corruption cases. It is recommended to Bulgaria to take measures to ensure such a  track record.

Some further progress has been made on ensuring the effective performance of the Anti-Corruption Commission through the adoption of a new law which re-establishes it and introduces a new procedure for the appointment of its leadership. The Commission recommends to Bulgaria to ensure the full operationalisation of the Anti-Corruption Commission in order to enable the fulfilment of its preventive and investigative functions.  

Limited progress has been made on improving the integrity of top executive functions, as a draft code of conduct has been prepared. As the related legislative amendments remain pending, it is recommended to Bulgaria to continue efforts to strengthen the integrity of top executive functions, taking into account European standards, in particular by ensuring that clear integrity standards for the Government as well as an appropriate sanctioning mechanism are in place. 

No progress has been made to improve the quality of the legislative process, as the practical implementation of the parliamentary rules for lawmaking continues to raise some concerns, the Report says. It is recommended to Bulgaria to strengthen the quality of the legislative process by ensuring the use of public consultations and impact assessments for legislative initiatives by the National Assembly. 

The Commission finds that Parliament adopted the legislative reform aiming at improving the functioning of the Inspectorate to the SJC (ISJC) and avoiding the risk of political influence. The pre-existing safeguard of a two-thirds majority, and the newly added role of the judges, prosecutors and investigative magistrates in the appointment of the ISJC members addresses the concerns linked to the risk of political influence in the ISJC. Therefore, the recommendation is fully implemented, the Report says.

Some progress has been made on completing the work aimed at improving transparency in the allocation of state advertising, in particular with regard to state advertising contracted through intermediaries, such as media agencies, as the legislative process has advanced, the European Commission found.