Bulgaria's parliament has ratified a convention that gives the bureau of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) the status of a legal entity with international legal personality. MPs passed it in two readings in one sitting, without a debate.
As early as the start of October, parliament's foreign policy committee backed the bill, which the Council of Ministers had submitted.
Read more: Foreign policy committee approves ratification of ECAC convention
In the chamber, 152 MPs voted in favour. The 10 MPs from Vazrazhdane abstained.
Deputy transport and communications minister Hristina Velinova presented the bill to parliament. She said ECAC brings together 44 states. It works to align rules and practices in civil aviation and to agree common positions among its members. Its mission is to support the development of safe and well-functioning air transport in Europe.
The convention sets out the bureau's duties and its powers to manage and carry out the ECAC budget, which runs for three years. With legal status, the bureau will carry out the conference's decisions more effectively, help states work together, sign contracts and agreements, and take part in court cases.
The report on the bill comes from parliament's transport committee. It says the main aim of the convention is to settle the bureau's legal status. The ECAC secretariat supports the organisation's work but has no legal status of its own. The committee calls this a risk to the organisation's effective work.
The committee says ratification will strengthen Bulgaria's long-standing cooperation with ECAC. It will also let Bulgaria keep high standards in civil aviation in line with international requirements.
Bulgaria signed the convention in Bern on 27 August 2025, after a decision by the Council of Ministers.
Under Article 15, the document takes effect on the first day of the third month. That comes after the French government has received the signatures of 22 ECAC member states and, where needed, their documents of ratification, acceptance or approval.