Bulgaria’s President vetoed changes to the Car Transportation Act

President Rumen Radev on November 5 returned some amendments to the Merchant Shipping Code for further discussion in Parliament. The amendments supplemented the Penal Code and the Car Transportation Act. The head of state does not dispute the public danger of unregulated transportation of passengers, which is considered an administrative violation.

However, when the same act is defined as both a criminal offence and an administrative violation, there is a risk of duplication without clarity of what the applicable order will be. The pursuit of the "gray economy" must be done through the mechanisms of the rule of law - precise regulations adopted in a predictable and open legislative process, the veto motives say.