site.btaCouncil of Ministers’ Decisions

At its weekly meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers made the following decisions, as reported by the Government Information Service: 

- made revisions to the Ordinance on the Conditions and Procedure Involving Activities Related to Weapons, Ordnance, Munitions and Explosives and Control Thereof at the Interior Ministry. The staff of the European Border and Coast Guard effectively support member states in their efforts to protect the external borders, countering transborder crime and return operations through joint operation on the territory of member states or third countries. To this end, the Ordinance creates provisions relevant to the storage of allotted weapons and munitions, when said staff are attached to the police force of Border Police with the Interior Ministry for joint operations;

- commissioned the Minister of Innovation and Growth to exercise the rights of the State as sole owner of the capital of the Fund Manager of Financial Instruments in Bulgaria EAD (Fund of Funds), in relation to which the respective changes in the enterprise statutes have been adopted;

- the Government and the Justice Ministry propose revisions to the Criminal Code relevant to computer crime, with the aim to completely transpose Directive 2013/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 August 2013 on attacks against information systems. Another group of amendments includes updating the statutory provisions against computer related crimes against intellectual and industrial property, as well as child sexual online exploitation;

- approved the purchase of radio communication equipment for the Bulgarian Army;

- approved the report of the Defence Minister relevant to the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) BU- B-UCH Radio communications Equipment received at the Ministry on 15.12.2021. 

Following consultations with the US party, Bulgaria has been made an offer pertaining to the acquisition of radio communication equipment, which is a draft international agreement to which the two countries are party.

Pursuant to the International Agreements of the Republic of Bulgaria Act, this draft stands to be approved by the Government, which has to authorize certain officials to duly sign the agreement in the name of Bulgaria. Such an agreement becomes effective upon the condition of its ratification by the Bulgarian National Assembly.