Overview: The Bulgarian government assumed the European Council Presidency in the first half of 2018, during which the country prioritized security, including counterterrorism, CVE, and preventing terrorist radicalization. Bulgaria is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
2018 Terrorist Incidents: There were no reported terrorist incidents in Bulgaria in 2018.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Bulgaria prosecutes terrorism under several general provisions of the penal code, which has been amended multiple times since it was first enacted in 1968. The bill defines three levels of terrorist threats and four levels of response readiness. The bill also regulates the role of the military forces in counterterrorism activities and delineates the cooperation between the central and local governments.
The Ministry of the Interior has operational units responsible for deterring, detecting, and responding to terrorist incidents, including the Specialized Unit for Combating Terrorism, Security Police, and Special Police Forces, which successfully completed a multi-year training mission with the U.S. Special Operations Liaison Element. The State Agency for National Security (DANS) has intelligence-gathering units responsible for counterterrorism. DANS also houses the National Counterterrorism Center, which was designed as an interagency body during crisis incidents. Specialized law enforcement units are generally well-equipped and supported with relevant training, but their focus has been primarily on Sofia, while other regional centers lack resources. In 2015, the specialized court for organized crime and its prosecutors’ office received jurisdiction to prosecute and try all terrorist cases in the country. As of November, the court is again hearing the case against two suspected accomplices in Hizballah’s 2012 Burgas airport bombing, following procedural issues that have cause multiple delays in the trial.
After the migrant crisis in 2014-15 and the spate of terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years, Bulgaria tightened its border control rules and began screening all travelers at its border crossings. Within the EU, Bulgaria shares API appearing on the biographical data page of passports. Based on bilateral police cooperation agreements, Bulgaria also shares this type of information with non-EU countries for law enforcement purposes on an as-needed basis. U.S. government agencies continued to work closely with Bulgarian counterparts through a variety of counterterrorism programs aimed at enhancing Bulgaria’s capacity and capabilities. The Department of State partnered with Bulgaria to implement key programs in the areas of border security, aviation security, and interagency cooperation.
Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Bulgaria is a member of MONEYVAL. Bulgaria’s FIU, Financial Intelligence Directorate of the State Agency for National Security, is a member of the Egmont Group.
Countering Violent Extremism: There were no significant changes in 2018.
International and Regional Cooperation: Bulgaria is a member of and active contributor to counterterrorism initiatives at the UN, EU, NATO, the OSCE, and the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
