Law Journal of New Bulgarian University

Some Key Issues in Challenging a Penalty Order and Other Legal Acts in Court

2026-07-23T10:59:56+00:00

This article examines proceedings to challenge penalty orders and other legal acts (electronic ticket, written warning for a minor offense, resolution to terminate administrative penalty proceedings) as a judicial activity performed by the district court. It identifies the participants, entities, and parties involved in the proceedings. It traces the development of the judicial procedure and the ruling of the court of first instance. It provides a doctrinal definition of the proceedings.

Failure to Register in the National Electronic Information System for Full Adoption as Grounds for Voidability of Adoption

2026-07-23T11:15:13+00:00

This article examines the legislative amendments to the Family Code of December 2023, which introduced the National Electronic Information System for Full Adoption. The focus is on the discrepancy between the new requirements for the registration of adoptive parents and adoptees (Art. 82, para. 1 of the Family Code) and the grounds for voidability (Art. 106, para. 1 of the Family Code). This creates legal uncertainty regarding the stability of the adoptee’s new status. Two competing interpretations of the relevant provisions have been considered. It is argued that de lege ferenda, only the failure to register an adoption should render the adoption voidable.

Investigation of Crimes Committed by Minor Age Persons

2026-07-23T11:48:22+00:00

This article examines the specifics of organization in the investigation of crimes committed by minor age persons. Taking into account the specific objectives of criminal proceedings against minors and the special procedural rules governing cases involving crimes committed by them, typical investigative situations, investigative hypotheses, and investigative actions have been identified. In accordance with the applicable procedural rules, all these issues are examined from the perspective of the forensic methodology for investigating specific types of crimes.

The Economic Cost of Corruption in Bulgaria (2013–2023): A Comparative Criminological Analysis of Corruption and Economic Crime

2026-07-27T13:04:25+00:00

This study examines the economic impact of corruption on GDP per capita in Bulgaria for the period 2013–2023. Using panel data for 11 EU member states, the analysis employs a two-way fixed-effects model to assess the relationship between corruption and economic indicators, while controlling for macroeconomic and institutional factors. The results are then compared with the damages calculated on the basis of publicly available data on economic crimes committed in the Republic of Bulgaria during the specified period.

Building Algorithms of the Initial Investigation Actions for Certain Types of Crimes

2026-07-27T13:15:13+00:00

In the present study, an attempt is made to consider the algorithms for investigating individual crimes as an effective approach in conducting pre-trial proceedings. The concept of “algorithm” in its substantive part is clarified and its significance for the activity of the investigative bodies in the detection of crimes is indicated. The main stages in the algorithm development process are described, highlighting the specific features of each step. They are identified as stages in the development of algorithms – the collection of forensic information, summary and analysis of all information sources, derivation of typical investigative situations and tasks facing them to solve, derive appropriate recommendations for action of investigative bodies and check and update of the recommendations. The possible investigative errors in the application of cybernetic approaches are considered, differentiated into three separate generalized groups – normative, organizational and tactical. The study also outlines the possible approaches for preventing and eliminating the harmful effects of investigative errors. In conclusion, it can be stated that algorithms represent a science-based support tool that provides the main framework for the investigation, within which the investigating authority can apply its individual knowledge and practical experience in conducting pre-trial proceedings.

The Administrative and Legal Status of the Executive Committees of Municipal People’s Councils During the Period 1947–1990

2026-07-27T13:33:55+00:00

This article examines the constitutional foundations of the executive committees of the municipal people’s councils in the 1947 and 1971 Constitutions of Bulgaria, which establish them as collective executive and administrative bodies of the people’s councils, operating under the principles of democratic centralism and dual subordination. It analyzes the relevant administrative legislation, which specifies their structure, competence, and place within the system of state administration. The legal acts of the executive committees – decisions, orders, and regulations – are examined as forms of administrative activity of a normative and non-normative nature. The organization of work through meetings is considered as the sole form of collective decision-making with an established quorum and majority. Attention is given to the legal status of the chairperson of the executive committee as a body with organizational-managerial and independent administrative powers.

Problems of AI Regulation: Solutions Through Soft Law

2026-07-27T14:09:04+00:00

This article examines the regulatory challenges arising from the dynamic development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the possibilities for overcoming them through soft law instruments. Traditional legislative mechanisms (hard law) often prove insufficiently flexible and lag behind dynamic technological innovations, leading to legal uncertainty, conflicting case law, and even a lack of legal regulation. This research aims to explore the limits of positive legal regulation (hard law) in the context of accelerated technological development. The article argues that in the field of AI regulation, soft law should not be viewed as a temporary stage before the emergence of hard law, but as a sustainable form of rapid and responsible legal regulation. Particular attention is paid to contemporary judicial practice, which increasingly faces complex cases related to liability for autonomous systems, algorithmic discrimination, and copyright. The study concludes that courts are experiencing difficulties in applying existing legal norms to new legal facts arising from AI. The results of the study confirm, based on an analysis of case law and a comparative legal analysis of soft law instruments and hard law, that in the regulation of AI, soft law should not be viewed merely as a temporary solution, but as a sustainable model for regulation and an important auxiliary tool for judicial interpretation. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms for strengthening soft law. This justifies a balanced approach to legal regulation of AI, ensuring the protection of fundamental rights and ethical standards while providing the necessary freedom for the development of new technologies.

Plagiarism in Roman Private Law - Origins and Sanctions

2026-07-28T12:37:55+00:00

This article examines the issue of works of visual art and literature as objects under Roman property law. Examples are provided from Roman legal sources regarding the legal regime of paintings and literary works, including how these works affect and alter the substance of the object on which they are depicted. Examples are presented from the works of classical authors, in which attention is drawn to the problem of presenting others’ literary works as one’s own. The etymology of the concept of plagiarism is traced. The possible sanctions for plagiarism are also examined.

Climate Change and the Protection of Human Rights in the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights: An Analysis of the Case of KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland

2026-07-28T12:46:16+00:00

Climate change poses new challenges to the protection of human rights and requires a rethinking of traditional legal concepts. This article provides an analysis of the significance of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision in the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland in the context of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This paper reviews the factual circumstances of the case, the interplay between the right to life (Art. 2 of the ECHR) and the right to respect for private and family life (Art. 8 of the ECHR) in the context of harm caused by climate change, as well as the right of access to justice (Article 6(1) of the ECHR). The present paper also examines the issue of legal standing under Article 34 of the ECHR and the role of nonprofit legal entities in climate-related cases. An analysis of the decision shows that it represents an important step in the development of European case law, affirming the positive obligations of states to protect citizens from the consequences of climate change and strengthening the role of civil society in the protection of human rights.

Theft law adrift

2026-07-28T12:50:59+00:00

The text is a translation of an excerpt (pp. 8–13) from Chapter One “Theft Law Adrift” of the book “Thirteen Ways to Steal a Bicycle” written by the American Law Professor Stuart P. Green. The book offers a detailed analysis and overview of the historical development of theft as a crime in USA law regarding its definition, blameworthiness, punishment, and legal regulation through the years. The analysis is based on lay people's attitudes toward theft-related crimes depending on the type of item stolen and the way it was taken. The book is written in accessible language incorporating many legal terms in addition to case-law and real-life examples. The book may be of interest to legal experts, legal translators, and anyone curious about the topic. The presented excerpt translation provides a glance at the overall topic of the work but it also presents translations of legal terminology which is generally polysemous, translates contextually and all meanings' translations are hard to find in extant English-Bulgarian printed and online dictionary sources. The Bulgarian and English languages belong to different legal systems – the Continental or Civil Law System and the Anglo-Saxon or Common Law System) and this distinction poses a major challenge in terminology translation.