site.btaParliament Passes Three Bills Related to Volunteering on First Reading

On Thursday, the National Assembly passed on first reading three bills aimed at promoting volunteering. All three bills seek to establish a legal framework for volunteering activities.

During the debate, the Vazrazhdane party opposed the adoption of such legislation, arguing that it would constitute state interference in an inherently voluntary act. They voted against the bill introduced by Nikolay Denkov from Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria and abstained from supporting the bills submitted by BSP–United Left and GERB–UDF.

The sponsors of all three draft legislation pieces urged MPs to support them on first reading, so that a working group could be formed between the first and second readings to consolidate and propose the best possible version of the legislation.

The bill, introduced by Atanas Zafirov and a group of MPs from the BSP–United Left, received 145 votes in favor, 22 against, and 30 abstentions.

The bill’s explanatory notes introduce a legal definition of “volunteer activity” and explicitly prohibit the use of volunteering as a substitute for employment. It outlines types of volunteering, including short-term, long-term, and corporate volunteering. It also defines the rights and responsibilities of both volunteers and organizers of volunteer activities. For long-term volunteering, the bill mandates the signing of a written contract. A National Volunteer Register and a list of volunteer organizers, to be maintained by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, are also proposed.

The second bill, submitted by Nikolay Denkov and a group of MPs from CC–DB, passed with 127 votes in favor, 72 against, and 2 abstentions. Denkov presented the bill and emphasized that volunteer organizers should insure volunteers appropriately. The proposal also includes volunteer agreements and certification documents.

The third bill, introduced by Denitsa Sacheva and a group of MPs from GERB–UDF, passed with 155 votes in favor, 21 against, and 30 abstentions. The bill aims to clearly define and encourage volunteer activity and regulate its core principles. It includes provisions for the participation of Bulgarian volunteers, EU citizens, and third-country nationals. The organizations authorized to conduct volunteer activities include non-profit legal entities, community centers (chitalishta), religious denominations registered under the Religious Denominations Act, and publicly funded healthcare, social, educational, environmental, scientific, and cultural institutions, as well as government and local authorities, and international organizations.

During the discussions, Mihail Mitov of GERB–UDF stated that Bulgaria is the only EU country without a law on volunteering, despite over 100,000 Bulgarian citizens engaging in volunteer work each year. He insisted that volunteer organizations must be encouraged in order to foster resilient communities.