The parliamentary committee on constitutional and legal issues adopted on second reading a general bill to amend and supplement the Penal Code.
Stricter penalties for offenses against children: Penalties for sexual offenses against children are significantly increased. The distribution of pornographic materials will be punished with imprisonment from 1 to 5 years (instead of up to 1 year) and a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 BGN (instead of 1,000 to 3,000 BGN). The statute of limitations for prosecuting crimes against children will begin to run from the age of majority.
Criminalization of illegal waste disposal: The adopted texts provide for the criminalization of the disposal of household, construction or industrial waste in large quantities in unregulated places.
Changes in connection with the seizure of motor vehicles: Changes are provided for the seizure of motor vehicles used to commit crimes that are not owned by the perpetrator, in which cases the awarding of their equivalent value is provided.
Lobbying Law: The Legal Committee also adopted a bill on transparency and integrity in governance (the so-called lobbying law).