News

The transition from the current 60-minute intervals to 15-minute intervals follows the framework of the EU Single Day-Ahead Coupling (SDAC) and aligns the Bulgarian market with the wider European practice.

Effective 1 August 2025, Bulgaria introduced significant amendments to its arbitration law, retitled from the International Commercial Arbitration Act (ICAA) to the broader Arbitration Act (AA). While the reform includes two welcome developments – the reinstatement of public policy as a ground for setting aside of arbitral awards and the removal of burdensome formalities in the enforcement of foreign awards – most changes raise substantial concerns about the autonomy and practical viability of arbitration proceedings seated in Bulgaria.

The Ordinance sets out a clear procedure for registration, description of the necessary requirements and list of documents to be submitted to UISCO.

Having advised the first stage of the deal a couple of years ago, our experts now assisted in finalizing the acquisition.

After a long wait since early 2024, Bulgaria’s national mechanism for screening of foreign direct investments officially came into effect on 22 July 2025, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/452. This is now a fact following the promulgation of amendments to the Rules on Implementation of the Investment Promotion Act.

After successfully completing all approval procedures, Bulgaria has formally adopted the euro as its national currency, which will enter circulation as legal tender starting from January 1, 2026.

Like all types of insurance, Motor Third Party Liability (MTPL) insurance is essentially a contract. As such, it should be entered into and terminated freely, at the will of the parties involved. However, MTPL contracts are a notable exception to this rule, as they serve a specific social security function.

As of 1 January 2026, retailers must be ready to accept both EUR and BGN as payment currencies and return change in EUR in case of cash payments.

In practice, the mixing of the two types of contracts most often occurs by including terms and conditions that are typical of an employment contract in a civil contract. This happens either inadvertently or intentionally in pursuit of more versatility given the more flexible terms of civil law, rather than compliance with the more formal and strict requirements of the Labour Code. This entails the risk of the contract being declared an employment contract with the inherent consequences, as well as the possibility of imposition of financial sanctions. Below we briefly review the most common employment clauses that have no place in a civil contract and the inclusion of which may raise questions about the nature of the relationship.