Bulgarians Win Court Backing After Brewery Nationalisation

Three Bulgarian men have won the support of the European Court of Human Rights in their claims to shares from a Plovdiv brewery nationalised in 1947.


The case (Putter v. Bulgaria - no. 38780/02) was brought by Paul, Victor and Johannes Putter, are successors to shareholders of the brewery.

Anti-Corruption Unit Publishes Report On Bulgaria

An evaluation report on Bulgaria published today calls on national authorities to "increase consistency and effective implementation of the rules on party financing" and to make "legal improvements in the criminalisation of corruption."

Constitutional Experts Visit Bulgaria

Constitutional experts from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission are scheduled to end a visit to Bulgaria today.


The visit, which began on 7 November, follows a request made last July by the Parliament of Bulgaria for a Venice Commission opinion on the new draft law on judicial power and amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Bulgaria.

Thomas Hammarberg: Bulgaria Must Respect Minority Rights

In a letter published today to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg expresses his concern at the treatment of the county’s minority groups.


Commissioner Hammarberg highlights the need for the Bulgarian authorities to improve the living conditions of Roma.

He also calls for a guarantee of the right to freedom of religion for all minorities, following the Supreme Court of Cassation’s decision last May to remove the Chief Mufti.

View From The Court: 9 November

Cases involving a women's right to keep her surname after marriage in Switzerland, the death of a parachutist in Bulgaria and a protest at the treatment of a former Economic development Minister by Azerbaijan authorities come befor the European Court of Human Rights next week.

Thomas Hammarberg Deplores "Inhuman" Treatment Of Disabled People In Institutions

“The prosecutor general in Bulgaria has initiated criminal investigations into 166 deaths and 30 more cases of abuse of children living in state homes for young people with mental disabilities.

"This was an important signal not only for the Bulgarian authorities but for several other states with similar old-style institutions for children or adults”, says Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg.

More Information

Disabilities: Europe Must Do Better