Revolution in civil procedure: New rules accelerate court cases in Bulgaria

Accelerating Civil Justice: What Does the Ministry of Justice Propose?

Caretaker Minister of Justice Andrey Yankulov has presented a draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), aimed at drastically reducing the time required to resolve the most common cases in the country.

"The goal is to move from formal justice to resolving disputes on their merits within reasonable timeframes," the ministry commented.

Key Procedural Changes

• Cases without open hearings: With the consent of the parties, cases may be decided based on documents. This shortens procedural deadlines: the first instance is reduced from 5 to 4 months, and the preparation of the judgment becomes significantly faster.
• Flexibility in claims: If an item that is the subject of a dispute is destroyed during the proceedings, the court will no longer terminate the case, but will instead consider the claim for its monetary equivalent.
• Cases of payment during proceedings: If the defendant pays their obligation during the trial, the case will not be formally terminated, but will be transformed to be completed quickly and without unnecessary summonses.

Consumer protection against utility companies

The new proposals require utility companies to first contact consumers at their addresses with an invitation for voluntary payment. This will save citizens unnecessary legal costs and the stress of lawsuits for small amounts.

Context and future steps

The proposals combine ideas from previous governments and the judiciary. Although the draft is currently in the public consultation stage, it lays the foundations for a long-awaited reform, similar to the parallel changes in the Criminal Procedure Code, which aim to limit the return of cases and overcome formal obstacles.