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Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court invalidated the appointment of the Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). According to the Bulgarian Radio and Television Act, the National Council for Radio and Television (NCRT) appoints the Director General. After the NCRT failed to elect a director in January following an application procedure announced in December 2000, the Council initiated a second procedure and invited interested Bulgarian organizations to submit their nominations for Director General of the National Radio. After the nominations the Council organized public hearings...

Recently, the Bulgarian Parliament adopted amendments to the Zakon za Radioto I Televiziata (Bulgarian Law on Radio and Television - LRT). They came into force in October 2000. The amendments concern several key aspects of LRT, some of which are connected with the initial disputes over the very adoption of the LRT several years ago (see IRIS 1999-1: 8, IRIS 1998-9: 1 and IRIS 1998-9: 10-11). Firstly, through changes made to the provisions contained in Articles 3, 5, and 6 LRT, sole traders are now included in the list of subjects entitled by the Law to undertake radio and television activities....

The Law on Amendments of the Penal Code (see IRIS 2000-3: 14), which had been vetoed by the President, was changed and re-voted by Parliament on 8 March 2000 and promulgated and published in the State Gazette on 17 March. Three days after its promulgation the Law entered into force. The amendments of the Penal Code's provisions had been the subject of heated debate in the media and in Parliament because of their impact on the journalistic profession. The President vetoed the initial Draft Law on Amendments because of the inclusion of high fines that appeared excessive and disproportionate to the...

The Supreme Administrative Court heard an appeal by Media Broadcasting Services against the Decision of the Council of the Ministers to grant Balkan News Corporation the telecommunications license for the first Bulgarian private television station. The Court rejected the appeal of the private broadcaster who had competed for the telecommunications license. Balkan News Corporation had won the competition for a telecommunications license for the first private national TV channel (see IRIS 2000-1: 7). The National Council on Radio and Television also granted programme licenses to three of the competitors:...

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria vetoed the Draft Law concerning the Amendment of the Penal Code. The public discussion of the proposed amendments centered mainly on the changes in the provisions of Chapter VII of the Penal Code regulating "offence" and "calumny" and in particular those parts of the provisions that relate directly to the rights of journalists and freedom of speech in Bulgaria. The current Penal Code specifies penalties of up to two years imprisonment or fines ranging from 1000 to 5000 old Bulgarian leva (the equivalent of 1 to 5 DEM) for an "offence" made in public, transmitted...