The fight against organised crime and corruption must reach the money and property of criminal networks, justice minister Nikolay Naydenov told a regional seminar. He said one of his priorities is to bring the new EU directive on asset recovery and confiscation into law correctly and on time.
Public consultations on the legislative approach to seizing criminal assets have been running since 30 October, the Ministry of Justice said. The minister expects it to give institutions a real chance to trace, freeze and confiscate such assets.
This summer the ministry drew up a concept for bringing Bulgarian law in line with the directive, and wrote a draft law based on it. Naydenov noted that four governments changed in 2024 and 2025, and none of them carried out the reform that was needed. "To make up for the delay that has built up, I took concrete steps," he said.
Naydenov believes it is not enough to uncover crimes and punish those who commit them. In his view, the cash flows, economic ties and access to illegal property that form the financial base of criminal activity must be hit too. That leaves the networks without the means to operate.
The minister says organised crime and corruption are a problem for the state itself. When people come to believe that illegal wealth brings influence, protection and impunity, justice and trust in the democratic system suffer, he said. In a state governed by law, Naydenov said, wealth cannot be won through crime, and neither can power and privilege through corruption.
Naydenov said fighting these problems is a political priority for the government and is written into its governing programme. "Trust in the rule of law is not built with declarations, but with firm action," he said. He said the aim is to stop illegally acquired wealth from turning into lasting economic and political power.
He also spoke about Bulgaria's removal from the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), announced in Paris on 30 October. The minister said this matters greatly, because it restores trust that institutions can fight money laundering and criminal money flows.
The seminar, titled "Strengthening the freezing and confiscation of property as a tool against organised crime and corruption", was organised by the French Ministry of Justice, the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets, and the French embassy in Bulgaria. Magistrates, investigators and experts from five countries are taking part: France, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
In her welcome, French ambassador Marie Dumoulin thanked the minister for his commitment to the issues raised.
At the end of last month, Naydenov discussed the rule of law and the investment climate with Ivan Mihaylov, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.