институт за европска политика скопје

Bulgaria’s Experience in Reforming the Judiciary as a Challenge for EU Membership

The process of reform of the judiciary in Bulgaria is still ongoing, with no establishment of a solid and clearly defined framework for the judicial system or consensus amidst political parties, the judiciary, and the public on the concept for the development of the setup and organisation of the judicial system in sight. The role and place of the prosecution and investigation against the Prosecutor General and deputies thereof are the issues that fuel most of the debates and are a source of perpetual disagreement. The road towards the resolution of those fundamental issues spreads across the metaphorical minefield that is the legacy of prior amendments, including judgments of the Constitutional Court.

The experience of Bulgaria indicates that the consensus of parliamentary parties alone is not sufficient to effect reforms as parliamentary representation tends to be too dynamic, especially in times of crises that follow one after another. A much broader agreement is required, and civil society and professional organisations in the area of the judiciary need to be instrumental to achieve this.

This document was developed under the Project Partnership Justicia – Regaining Citizens’ Trust, funded by the European Union, through the Central Funding and Contracting Sector at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia. The contents of this document do not reflect the official opinions and positions of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in this document lies entirely with the authors.

DOWNLOAD PDF

The post Bulgaria’s Experience in Reforming the Judiciary as a Challenge for EU Membership appeared first on EPI.

Продолжи со читање

  • Join the Giving Circle 04.06.2026 г.

    Dear all, The seventh Giving circle of Konekt will be held on June 4, 2026, at the premises of Macedonian Telekom (Kej 13th Noemvri No. 6, Skopje), starting at 7:00 PM. Guest reception begins at 6:30 PM. Please confirm your attendance <<here>> and join us in supporting the three initiatives…

  • Elections are a vulnerable moment when citizens are exposed to manipulation and external influences

    On 19 May, in Skopje, the Metamorphosis Foundation, in cooperation with International IDEA, organized the event “Building Resilience to Election-Related Information Manipulation,” dedicated to addressing foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), disinformation, and threats to electoral integrity. The event was implemented as part of the project “Combatting Electoral Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI),” supported […]

  • #Green Friday 7: Our action, our nature, our responsibility!

    Association LET Station in cooperation with PUC Komunalec – Prilep organized a public area cleaning campaign at the Artificial Lake – Picnic Meadows. Through the “Green Friday” initiative, we encourage greater care for the environment, shared responsibility and active participation of citizens in the preservation of public spaces. The aim of the action was to…

  • Open Gov Week 2026 “Open Government in Practice: Partnership, Participation and Trust”

    As part of Open Gov Week 2026, the Assembly Channel will feature a week-long programme dedicated to promoting open, transparent, and accountable governance. The programme will be placed in the wider context of North Macedonia’s sixth National Action Plan for Open Government and the Assembly’s third Open Parliament Action Plan. During the week, statements, interviews, […]

  • Third meeting of the multisectoral team

    Within the framework of the project “Together against violence: Improving community awareness and response”, the third meeting of the multisectoral team was held on 30th of April 2026, organized by the Association LET Station. The aim of this meeting was to strengthen multisectoral cooperation between institutions with a focus on early identification and referral of…

  • Three educational workshops on the topic: “Gender Inequalities – Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination”

    In the period February – April, the second set of three educational workshops were held in the municipalities of Prilep, Krivogaštani and Dolneni, attended by a total of 47 participants. The topic of the workshops was “Stereotypes, Gender Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination”, with a focus on recognizing these phenomena and their impact on individuals and…