Substance Over Form: Consumer Status and Arbitrability in Bulgaria

On July 14, 2026

Bulgarian law draws a hard line when it comes to consumer disputes: they are not arbitrable. Article 19(1) of the Bulgarian Civil Procedure Code expressly excludes disputes involving consumers from arbitration, and arbitral awards rendered in non-arbitrable matters are null and void. For arbitration practitioners, therefore, the qualification of a party as a “consumer” is […]

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Bulgaria’s 2025 Arbitration Law Amendments: A Step Toward Transparency or a Threat to Arbitration Autonomy?

On August 6, 2025

Effective 1 August 2025, Bulgaria introduced significant amendments to its arbitration law, retitled from the International Commercial Arbitration Act (ICAA) to the broader Arbitration Act (AA). While the reform includes two welcome developments – the reinstatement of public policy as a ground for setting aside of arbitral awards and the removal of burdensome formalities in […]

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Resolutions of the general meeting of the owners in condominium regime cannot substitute a valid arbitration agreement

On April 10, 2025

The Supreme Court of Cassation has ruled more than once that the arbitration agreement shall constitute a specific and explicit demonstration of the parties’ will to refer their dispute to arbitration. Presumed agreement is not acceptable except for the case when the respondent appears and participates in the proceedings without challenging the jurisdiction of the […]

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Mandatory mediation has been declared unconstitutional

On July 15, 2024

Even before we could find out what it is, it turned out there is no ground for mandatory mediation in our country. As of 01.07.2024, the amendments to the Civil Procedure Code and the Mediation Act, which made a mediation meeting a mandatory step in certain litigation, were to come into force. However, on the […]

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Mediation will be a mandatory phase of Bulgarian court proceedings for certain claims

On June 25, 2024

On 1 July 2024 the amendments to the Civil Procedure Code will come into force, according to which mediation will become a mandatory phase of court proceedings in some claims related to co-ownership or company disputes. When filing such a claim, the parties should attempt to resolve their dispute through an independent mediator and only […]

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The arbitrator has disappeared, and the file is missing. Yet, the award could be set aside.

On January 31, 2024

The Supreme Court of Cassation (SC) has recently heard a one-of-a-kind case for setting aside an arbitral award. DHL Express Bulgaria (DHL) filed a motion for setting aside an arbitral award rendered by an ad hoc arbitrator. DHL claimed that it had never been notified of the arbitration procedure and found out about it upon […]

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A successful ICC YAAF event was held in Sofia

On March 10, 2023

On 24 February 2023 the Young Arbitration and ADR Forum at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC YAAF) and Dimitrov, Petrov & Co. brought together distinguished arbitration practitioners from around the world in Sofia for an insightful event on the fundamentals of arbitration. The aim of the event was to promote arbitration and to present […]

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New CJEU Judgement Regarding the Relationship Between Arbitration and the Brussels I Regulation

On October 5, 2022

On June 20th, 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) issued a judgement on case C‑700/20, London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association Limited v. Kingdom of Spain which focuses on the interpretation of the provisions[i] of Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 (“the Brussels I Regulation”) regarding recognition and enforcement or foreign judgments. According […]

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Bulgarian Supreme Court Challenges The Constitutionality Of The Public Order Revocation

On July 6, 2022

A court panel of the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) has recently asked the Constitutional Court whether the revocation of the public order as one of the legal grounds for setting aside arbitral awards contradicts the Constitution. The said revocation was made in 2017 via the major changes in the local International Commercial Arbitration […]

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Scope of the Arbitration Agreement According to the Bulgarian Supreme Court

On June 16, 2022

The Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation has issued an important ruling[i] on the issue whether a general arbitration clause in a contract covers rights and obligations of the parties which stem directly from the law. At first sight, the matter seems quite clear – the arbitration clause applies only to disputes arising out of the […]

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