Prosecutors: The 2027 Budget Cannot Circumvent the Constitution

The Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria insists that the draft state budget for 2027 should not change the mechanism for determining magistrates’ remuneration through a temporary budget rule. The organization proposes a sustainable statutory mechanism based on objective economic indicators, which would not be changed with every subsequent budget.

The position is set out in a statement by the APB after the Constitutional Court declared part of the change to the method of determining magistrates’ remuneration unconstitutional. Decision No. 17 was issued on October 20, 2026, in constitutional case No. 15 of 2026.

Objections to the Budget Rule

According to the APB, just a few weeks after the Constitutional Court’s decision, the draft budget once again proposes fixing magistrates’ remuneration through an annual budget provision. The association points out that amid rising prices, freezing incomes leads to their real reduction and weakens one of the guarantees of the judiciary’s independence.

“The independence of the judiciary is not a budgetary privilege. And savings cannot start with the people who receive the least and without whom justice comes to a standstill,” the Association of Prosecutors said.

The organization also objects to the planned removal of funds for robes and clothing, as well as to the changes in personal social security contributions. The APB insists that all consequences of these measures be calculated publicly and that compensation be fully provided for in the budget.

The Dispute Over the 5% Increase

The statement gives special attention to court employees – clerks, secretaries, process servers and other specialists who support the work of the courts and prosecutors’ offices. According to the APB, they receive the lowest remuneration in the system, even though cases and files cannot be processed without them.

The draft provides for a 5% increase in court employees’ remuneration. The association points out, however, that this will not constitute a real increase in income if funds for clothing are simultaneously removed. “This is not a real increase. It is giving with one hand and taking away with the other,” the statement says.

The APB insists that funds for robes and clothing be retained, that the increase for court employees be guaranteed, and that a precise calculation of their actual income in 2027 be presented. The draft state budget is yet to undergo parliamentary debate and voting.