site.btaGovernment Amends EU Coordination Rules to Reduce EU Court of Justice Sanctions Against Bulgaria

The Council of Ministers adopted amendments to Council of Ministers Decree No. 85 of 2007 on coordination of European Union affairs, the Government Information Service reported here on Wednesday. The changes establish a national mechanism for paying financial sanctions imposed on Bulgaria by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failure to comply with obligations under EU law.

Under the new rules, sanctions will be paid from the budget of the institutions responsible for the infringement, including cases where the violation results from the actions of their subordinate budget holders.

The amendments not only regulate the procedure for paying sanctions but are also intended to have a disciplining effect and to reduce the number of future CJEU rulings against Bulgaria.

The expectation is that the responsible institutions will focus their efforts on the timely transposition and implementation of EU legal acts within the deadlines set out in the annual Action Plan on measures stemming from Bulgaria’s EU membership.