The Ministry of Justice will present for public discussion key texts concerning the transposition of six European directives in the field of criminal law within a week. The implementation of these directives has been delayed by several years, which raises serious concerns for the country. The announcement of the upcoming actions came from the Ministry of Justice itself, shedding light on the complex legal situation.
In Brussels, the Minister of Justice, Georgi Georgiev, held talks with Ana Gallego, Director-General of DG "Justice and Consumers" at the European Commission. The talks focused on the urgency of the matter.
The delay carries a serious risk of the imposition of heavy financial sanctions. The initial one-time amount of the sanctions could reach the colossal 12 million leva, which may be followed by an additional sanction of 18,000 leva for each day of delay, until the full transposition of each of the directives separately.
At the same time, the amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure and special laws aim to strengthen the procedural rights of persons suspected of committing a crime, but who have not yet been charged. This is a key moment that affects the basic principles of the rule of law.
The Minister of Justice has informed the European Commission that the draft law has been finalized and is to be discussed and adopted by the National Assembly. The rights that are regulated are fundamental: the right to a lawyer, to legal aid, to translation, to remain silent, as well as the rights of minors. This is particularly important in cases where there is data or suspicion of involvement in a crime, but not enough evidence has yet been gathered to bring charges.
The full transposition of the six directives, known as the directives for "suspects", aims to prevent the imposition of financial sanctions by the Court of Justice of the EU and future condemnatory decisions against the country in the European Court of Human Rights. The concerns of such decisions are palpable.
Georgiev and Gallego also discussed the progress made in the implementation of the measures for the second and third payments from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as the actions for the implementation of the recommendations to the country in the Rule of Law Report. Such discussions are essential for the future development of the country. The two discussed the draft Law on Transparency and Integrity in Governance, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which regulates lobbying activities and is part of the commitments for the fourth payment of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The draft law has been sent for a comprehensive preliminary impact assessment and is to be published for public discussion.
At the beginning of October, the parliament adopted on first reading amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure. The government's bill fulfills commitments made under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as goals set in the Management Program for the period 2025-2029. The atmosphere in the halls of Parliament was tense as the MPs discussed the key changes.