Parliament has rejected changes to the Cybersecurity Act put forward by Vazrazhdane. The party wanted the state to restrict technologies only as a last resort, when a high risk is proven.

In all, 132 MPs voted against the bill. They came from Progressive Bulgaria, the DPS, Democratic Bulgaria and one from GERB-SDS. Ten voted in favour, all from Vazrazhdane. Another 11 abstained: the GERB-SDS group and one MP from We Continue the Change.

The bill added a new paragraph to Article 27. Under it, when a high cybersecurity risk is found, firms and institutions that work with information and communication technologies would take steps themselves to cut it. The Council of Ministers would set the deadline by decree, depending on the type and level of the risk.

Vazrazhdane says in its reasons for the bill that fast digitalisation makes the country more dependent on these technologies. It says the current law allows technologies to be restricted too widely. This, it argues, creates unclear rules, raises costs for business and risks harming competition and innovation. The party wanted any steps to follow a risk assessment and to fit the circumstances.

Under the current law, the Cybersecurity Council sends the Council of Ministers a reasoned proposal, based on the information it receives. The government can then adopt a decree that restricts the use of specific technologies or of key supply chains for such services and products. It can do so only if this does not breach binding EU or Bulgarian law, and does not clash with EU-wide risk assessments.

Georgi Grigorov said Progressive Bulgaria would not back the bill. He said the changes would remove Bulgaria's only guarantee of digital independence. He explained that the main change is dropping the strongest measure the European directive allows, and that this would weaken the country's cybersecurity.

Toncho Ganev of Vazrazhdane defended the bill, saying it brings in a required assessment by the Security Council. When a risk is found, the steps would fit it, instead of all cases being treated "under a common denominator". Ganev believes the current rules hurt Bulgarian business and interests and take away the chance for Chinese companies to sell equipment in Bulgaria.

Ganev said business claims that replacing the current equipment would cost more than 2bn, without saying in which currency. In his words, most of this equipment was supplied by Chinese companies. Ganev also said the governing parties had announced at meetings that they would take relations with China to a new level. Yet by rejecting the bill, he said, they limit Chinese investment, mostly in telecoms.

Bozhidar Bozhanov of Democratic Bulgaria accused the bill's authors of lobbying from the parliamentary rostrum for one or two Chinese companies. He objected that selling equipment is not an investment, and said the aim of the European directive is to limit risks.