28/01/2026 Parliament finally adopted at second reading amendments to the National Audit Office Act, which provide for the closure of the Anti-Corruption Commission

Parliament finally adopted at second reading the bill amending and supplementing the National Audit Office Act, which closes the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and transfers its functions to the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) at the Ministry of Interior and to the National Audit Office.

The functions of detecting and combating corruption are assigned to the GDCOC, while the investigation of high-level corruption cases is once again entrusted to investigating magistrates. Activities related to corruption prevention, the identification of conflicts of interest, and the establishment of discrepancies in the declared assets of persons holding public office are transferred to the National Audit Office, which becomes the legal successor to the administrative structures of the ACC performing these functions.

Employees of the ACC's Specialized Directorate for Counteracting Corruption will be transferred to GDCOC without a probationary period, except for those who are currently serving a probationary period.

Parliament also finally decided that the ACC will hand over to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) all archived operational files, as well as the remaining databases held by the ACC containing information related to these files. All ongoing cases under operational records handled by the ACC will be transferred to GDCOC, the amendments further provide.

Parliament adopted on second reading amendments to the Health Act, submitted by Alexander Simidchiev ("We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria") and Kostadin Angelov (GERB-UDF).

"First aid with an automated external defibrillator" is the assistance provided to persons in an emergency condition involving sudden cardiac arrest until medical assistance is provided, the MPs stipulated.

Any person present at the scene of an incident involving an emergency condition may provide first aid using an automated external defibrillator located in public places, according to some of the adopted proposals. The public places where automated external defibrillators may be installed shall be determined by a regulation of the Minister of Health, the National Assembly voted.

Any person who is at the scene of an incident with an emergency situation is obliged to inform the single European emergency number 112.

First aid is provided primarily by medical professionals, but the National Assembly decided that it may also be provided by persons who are not medical professionals.

The MPs adopted, at two readings in a single sitting, amendments to the Civil Aviation Act, submitted by Andrey Runchev (GERB-UDS) and a group of MPs.

Aircraft will be allowed to take off and land not only at airports but also at operational sites, Parliament decided. The use of operational sites is envisaged to be carried out in accordance with the procedure and conditions set out in a regulation of the Minister of Transport and Communications, which lays down the rules governing flights in the airspace of the Republic of Bulgaria.

According to the submitters, the adoption of the bill resolves the real practical problem related to the term "operational site" by introducing an additional provision to that effect. This will also ensure full compliance with the European Union legislation in the field of civil aviation, the explanatory memorandum states. The adoption of such a norm would reduce ambiguities, in turn creating both legal and regulatory certainty for all users and enabling the establishment of operational standards for safety and security at these sites, which is critical for high-risk operations, the submitters argue.

Parliament adopted at first and second reading in one sitting a law on general safety requirements in the provision of amusement services representing a source of increased danger, submitted by the Council of Ministers. Any person who intends to provide amusement services that represent a source of increased danger, before starting their activity, will be required to submit a standard notification to the Minister of Tourism for entry into a public register, which will be created and kept by the Ministry of Tourism and will be part of the National Tourist Register, the MPs decided.

The right to provide such services will arise as of the date of entry into the register.

The law also introduces a requirement for mandatory accident insurance for persons using amusement services.

Control over facilities, equipment and gear, including protective equipment used in the provision of amusement services representing a source of increased danger, will be carried out by accredited bodies.

Sports tourism activities and services regulated under the Physical Education and Sports Act are excluded from the scope of the bill.