The European Commission Refers Bulgaria to EU Courts

The European Commission has decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the EU over its ongoing failure to meet obligations under the Directive on reducing national emissions. According to the Commission, Bulgaria has repeatedly fallen short in cutting ammonia emissions and has shown a consistent lack of adequate action despite multiple warnings and assessments issued in recent years. The country did not meet the required reduction levels for 2020 and 2021 and has yet to present a realistic and detailed plan explaining how it intends to comply with future emission targets.

Alongside the referral, the Commission has also launched three new infringement procedures against Bulgaria in separate areas. The first concerns shortcomings in the transposition of the Directive on legal aid for suspects and individuals facing criminal charges. The Commission concluded that Bulgarian legislation does not fully guarantee effective access to legal assistance for everyone covered by the European rules.

The second procedure relates to the updated Energy Efficiency Directive. A letter of formal notice has been sent to all EU member states except the Czech Republic, which is the only country that has completed the full transposition. Under the revised rules, every member state must achieve an overall reduction of 11.7 percent in final energy consumption by 2030 compared with the projected levels for 2020.

The third procedure focuses on the directive obliging member states to establish sanctions for breaches of the new regulations governing financial instruments markets. Bulgaria has not submitted the required national legislative measures to the Commission by the deadline of 29 September 2025. Further steps will depend on the country’s response and progress in aligning its legislation with EU requirements.