site.btaParliament Adopts on First Reading Amendments to Code of Civil Procedure, Child Protection Act

Parliament adopted on Wednesday on first reading amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure (CCP), which introduce the provisions of European regulations. A total of 103 MPs from GERB-UDF, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and Movement for Rights and Freedoms voted in favour of the amendments, while 58 from Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria and There Is Such a People voted against.

The opposition expressed concern that the final provisions of the CCP amendment bill will also change other laws such as the Child Protection Act.

The amendments improve the efficiency and speed of court proceedings and streamline procedures for the taking of evidence in cross-border proceedings. It provides for the participation of a representative of the Bulgarian court, the parties, their representatives, and expert witnesses in the collection of evidence by the court of the other state, as well as creates a legal possibility for direct collection of evidence in another EU Member State, the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee’s report on the bill states.

The bill establishes uniform rules on jurisdiction in divorce, legal separation, annulment of marriage and in disputes concerning parental responsibility with an international element. In addition to the rules laid down by the Hague Convention, new procedures are introduced for the return of a child in the event of international abduction.