Bulgaria strengthens safeguards against abusive lawsuits targeting critics
Usagevpn.com – Bulgaria has adopted new legal protections intended to shield journalists, activists, whistleblowers and rights groups from lawsuits used to intimidate or silence them. Parliament approved the measure on Wednesday, expanding protections beyond the minimum standards required across the European Union.
The legislation addresses strategic lawsuits against public participation, commonly known as SLAPPs. These cases are often brought against people who speak out on matters of public interest, including reporting, campaigning or exposing alleged wrongdoing. Their purpose may be less about securing a court victory than creating financial pressure, exhausting time and resources, or discouraging further public criticism.
Defamation and alleged damage to reputation are among the most common grounds for such claims. The legal costs involved can be especially burdensome when a claimant has significantly greater financial resources than the journalist, organisation or individual being sued.
Protection for domestic cases
The reform puts into effect a European directive adopted in 2024. That EU measure requires member states to establish protections in abusive cross-border proceedings within the bloc. Bulgaria’s law takes a broader approach by applying similar safeguards to cases that arise entirely within the country.
This extension is significant because it means a person facing a lawsuit filed solely in Bulgaria may receive the same type of procedural protection as someone involved in a dispute spanning more than one EU member state. The law therefore reaches a wider group of potential defendants than the baseline European requirement alone.
Under the new framework, courts will be able to dismiss claims that are plainly without merit at an early point in proceedings. The rules also set shorter time limits for court decisions in these matters, seeking to reduce the period during which a defendant may remain under pressure from a potentially abusive lawsuit.
The legislation further raises the threshold for interim measures against defendants. Such measures can include the seizure of assets before a final ruling is reached. Limiting their use is designed to prevent legal proceedings from becoming an immediate financial weapon against a person who has not yet had the opportunity to fully defend their work or public statements.
Rules also reach pending proceedings
The protections will not be limited to lawsuits filed after the law enters into force. They will also apply to cases already underway if they have not yet reached their first hearing. That provision could affect a number of people currently facing claims in Bulgarian courts.
Alexander Kashumov, a lawyer involved in several SLAPP-related cases, described the legislation as an important advance for freedom of expression.
“A major step forward.”
Kashumov said Bulgarian courts currently have dozens of cases of this kind before them, with individual claims involving sums ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of euros. For reporters, civil society figures and smaller organisations, the prospect of defending a case involving such amounts can itself have serious consequences, even when the underlying claim is weak.
“Paralysing effect on freedom of expression.”
The concern behind anti-SLAPP rules is that public debate can be narrowed long before a judge reaches a final decision. A person who is threatened with costly litigation may decide not to publish a report, continue an investigation, organise a campaign or comment publicly on a contentious issue. In that sense, the impact of an abusive case may extend beyond the direct parties involved.
A wider press freedom challenge
The parliamentary vote comes amid longstanding concerns over conditions for independent media in Bulgaria. In its latest worldwide press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 71st out of 180 states and territories. The organisation characterised press freedom there as fragile and unstable.
Legal safeguards alone cannot determine the health of a country’s media environment, but they can influence whether journalists and other public-interest voices are able to contest pressure through the courts without being overwhelmed by the process. Faster decisions on unfounded claims and stronger scrutiny of restrictive interim measures are intended to make litigation less effective as a tool of intimidation.
The new Bulgarian rules also reflect a broader European recognition that abusive legal action can threaten participation in public life. Journalists are frequent targets, but the issue can also affect campaigners, researchers, advocates and citizens who raise questions of public importance. By extending the protections to domestic disputes, Bulgaria has chosen to address that risk within its own legal system as well as in cross-border cases.
The practical effect of the law will depend on how consistently courts identify clearly groundless claims, apply the new deadlines and assess requests for interim restrictions. Still, the adoption of the measure establishes a clearer route for defendants to seek early protection when litigation appears designed to suppress public participation rather than resolve a genuine legal dispute.
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