A set of amendments to the Judicial system act (JSA) was presented to the media on a press conference organized on 16.02.2012 by the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives (BILI) in the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). It received the prior approval of the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA) on their regular meeting held on 27-28.01 and was supported by 11 non-governmental organizations. On February, 14th it was also officially handed to the minister of Justice, Mrs. Diana Kovacheva.
Judge Svetla Tsacheva, a magistrate from the Supreme Court of Cassation and member of the BJA expressed the opinion of the Association that the selection of a new Supreme judicial council (SJC) is a vital pre-requisite for the improved confidence of judges in the institution. The legislative proposal provides for the establishment of permanent committees to the SJC, while the latter will become a non-permanent body. Some of its decisions will be taken in plenary sittings, while career policy decisions will be taken by two separate committees (one comprised of judges, and one of prosecutors and investigators). It will present a guarantee that the work of judges will not be appraised by prosecutors and investigators and vice versa. The amendment of the SJC structure as a non-permanent body will guarantee the increased participation of professionals in its composition and will limit the risk for its bureaucratization and its distancing from the real problems of the judiciary.
