Bulgaria's Justice Ministry has opened a new search for a Bulgarian judge for the EU General Court. Applications are open until 5:30pm on 27 November, the ministry said.
Justice minister Nikolay Naydenov ordered the new round. It is for Bulgaria's second seat on the court, as each EU member state has two judges there.
The seat stayed empty after the last round. Only Ivan Stoynev got a positive opinion from the European committee set up under Article 255 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. His appointment was approved on 30 September, and he took up his post on 7 October. In late October, the government told the justice minister to run a new selection.
Candidates must be Bulgarian citizens with a master's degree in law and at least 12 years of legal experience. They need a deep knowledge of the Bulgarian legal system and EU law, must speak French and must have high moral standing. A candidate must not have turned 65 by the date of the application.
Applications can be handed in at the ministry's Administrative Service Centre at 1 Slavyanska Street in Sofia, sent through the Secure Electronic Delivery System, or emailed to gceu@justice.government.bg.
A panel of five will run the selection: two sitting judges from the Supreme Court of Cassation, two from the Supreme Administrative Court and one habilitated lecturer in law.
The panel will first check whether candidates meet the requirements. It will then hold interviews in Bulgarian and French, which the media can attend. Professional bodies and non-governmental organisations that work in the fields covered by the selection can send up to five questions about the candidates' integrity.
The application of the chosen candidate will go to the Article 255 committee for its opinion. According to the ministry, if the opinion is negative, the minister will propose the next candidate in the ranking.