THE UNION OF JURISTS IN BULGARIA AWARDS PROF. IRENA ILIEVA, PHD, AND PROF. DARINA ZINOVIEVA, PHD

On 17 April 2019 a solemn celebration was held at the Union of Jurists in Bulgaria to mark the 140th anniversary of the adoption of the First Bulgarian Constitution and the professional holiday of Bulgarian jurists. The event was attended by Vice President Iliana Yotova and the Minister of Justice Danail Kirilov.

The hall of the UJB was packed with some of the most eminent Bulgarian jurists and representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Supreme Bar Council, the Institute for the State and the Law at the BAS, the Union of Judges in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Judges Association, the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria, the Chamber of Investigators, the Chamber of Private Enforcement Agents, the National Union of Legal Advisers, the Notary Chamber of the Republic of Bulgaria, and others.

The President of the Constitutional Court, Prof. Boris Velchev, welcomed the guests and set out his views on some of the key problems of Bulgarian law. In the words of the Vice President, declarations of service to the people and of upholding the rule of law will make sense only when they are filled with real content and followed by real action. Iliana Yotova said that she was convinced of the professionalism of Bulgarian jurists and wished them perseverance, so that they would not permit any retreat from the rule of law and from their own conscience.

Wishes and words of greeting on the occasion of Constitution Day were offered by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Yavor Notev, the Minister of Justice Danail Kirilov, the Chair of the Supreme Bar Council Ralitsa Negentsova, Advocate, and others. A congratulatory address was sent by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. Alongside the congratulations on the holiday of Bulgarian jurists, a very interesting and lively discussion took place. Danail Kirilov recalled the need to speak about Bulgarian law through all possible channels – at the scientific, professional and media levels. In the hall of the UJB, some of the most topical, important and painful issues for Bulgarian society were publicly raised, namely the quality of legal education in Bulgaria in the twenty-first century, the introduction of e-justice, the problems of the legislative, judicial and executive branches, and the real possibilities for the functioning of a better state governed by the rule of law.

The Chair of the Union of Jurists in Bulgaria, Vladislav Slavov, together with the Deputy Chair Yosif Geron, presented honorary badges for professional achievements and active work in the Union to distinguished Bulgarian jurists, among them Prof. Irena Ilieva, PhD, Director of the Institute for the State and the Law at the BAS and lecturer in international law, and Prof. Darina Zinovieva, PhD, lecturer in administrative law and administrative procedure at the ISL-BAS and at Plovdiv University. Journalism awards were also presented at the event. The solemn ceremony was accompanied by a concert by the String Orchestra of the Cultural Centre of the UJB.