A study by the Institute for Market Economics (IME) shows that Bulgaria is giving a record amount of money to the judicial system. What results does this bring, however? Ivan Bregov, head of the IME's legal program, commented on the topic to bTV.
“Of the money that Bulgarian society earns, among all countries in the Council of Europe, we are the first in spending on justice as a percentage of GDP,“ said Bregov.
He added that this is a system in which over 90% goes to remuneration and bonuses, and it will be very difficult to reform it.
“In 2015, the budget of the judiciary was under 600 million leva. In 2025, it was 1.3 billion. leva“, said Bregov. He defined this as “a swindle with client materials“.
For the members of the Supreme Judicial Council, who receive about 200 thousand leva per year in salaries and bonuses, there is no objective criterion for evaluating their work.
“In terms of spending on prosecutors, we are twice the average for Europe. In terms of spending on administration of the prosecutor's office, we are three times the average for Europe. The costs for the courts are still higher“, he added.
Bregov explained that the increase in spending each year, set out in the Judiciary Act, is not based on any goals.
“The big question is whether we should have 1,500 prosecutors and 2,200 judges. An absolutely bloated staff. Even more inflated is the staff for the administration of the prosecutor's office and the administration of administrative bodies in the judiciary, which do not have basic judicial functions,“ said Bregov.
At the same time, Bulgaria is between Senegal and Kosovo in terms of satisfaction with the work of the judicial system, and is first in terms of expenses.
Bregov stated that the problem can be solved by the National Assembly.