Bulgaria legal commission votes to criminalize Russian sanctions violations

Bulgaria's parliamentary legal commission has voted to criminalize violations of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The bill, proposed by the government, aims to strengthen enforcement against those bypassing existing restrictions.

Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the Vazrazhdane party, criticized the move, arguing that the legislation could lead to the criminalization of importing goods valued over 20,000 BGN annually. He specifically noted that this could impact businesses importing books from Russia, suggesting it might eventually lead to the criminalization of possessing Russian literature. The measure passed with support from Progressive Bulgaria, We Continue the Change, Democratic Bulgaria, and DPS, while Vazrazhdane was the sole opposing party.