1. Окръжен съд Варна CHAIRPERSON : MARIN MARINOV

2. Окръжен съд Варна  The process of formation of the contemporary legal system of Bulgaria started with the liberation of the country from Ottoman political domination in 1878. It was marked by the adoption of the first Bulgarian constitution – the Turnovo Constitution, signed on 16 April 1879.  A typical representative of the Romano–Germanic legal family, the Bulgarian legal system recognizes the Acts of Parliament as the main source of law.  “The Constitution is the supreme act and other acts may not contradict it”, reads art. 5, para. 1 of the Bulgarian Constitution, adopted on 12 July 1991. The Constitution provides for the basic rights of the citizens, as well as embeds the structure, functions and collaboration between the branches of government.  According to art. 5, para. 4 of the Constitution: “The international treaties, ratified in compliance with the constitutional procedure, published and entered into force by the Republic of Bulgaria, are part of the domestic law of the country and have supremacy over those provisions of the domestic law, which contradict them”. This rule has been applied consistently by Bulgarian courts.INTRODUCTION

3. Окръжен съд Варна  The organization and the activity of the Bulgarian courts are laid down in the Judiciary System Act, which was promulgated in the State Gazette No. 64/2007, sets forth the structure and operational principles of the judicial bodies, the interaction between them, as well as the interaction between the judicial bodies and the legislative and executive bodies.  The Act stipulates that the Supreme Judicial Council is a permanent body, which represents the judiciary and ensures the independence thereof. It lays down the composition of the judiciary and the organization of its work, and manages its business without interfering with the independence of its bodies.  Bulgaria has established a three-instance administration of justice. The courts are state authorities that administer justice in civil, criminal and administrative cases. ORGANIZATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE

4. Окръжен съд Варна Courts The areas of appellate courts Regional – 113 District – 28 Administrative – 28 Appellate – 5 Military Specialised Criminal Court Appellate Specialised Criminal Court Supreme Court of Cassation Supreme Administrative Court Courts in Bulgaria

5. Окръжен съд Варна The Regional Court is the basic first instance. Its decisions are appealable, in case of disagreement the court ruling, before the District Court. The District Court is the first instance for civil and criminal cases, determined by law, and it is also a second instance (appellative instance) for appeals against the Regional Courts decisions. The Administrative Court is the first instance and has jurisdiction over all administrative cases except those which are referred to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Administrative Court. Military courts examine criminal cases concerning crimes committed by military service officers, generals, officers, non ‑ commissioned officers in the course of performing their duties The Specialised Criminal Court has jurisdiction for organized crimes, carried out throughout the Republic of Bulgaria, but also for transnational organized crimes in the defined cases. Appellate courts examine cases of appeals and protests against acts of the district courts, acting as the court of first instance in their judicial area. The Supreme Court of Cassation is the supreme judicial instance in criminal and civil cases. Its jurisdiction covers the entire territory of the Republic of Bulgaria The court is also charged with the supreme judicial surveillance of the identical implementation of the laws in all courts. The Supreme Administrative Court is the highest court in the administrative jurisdiction. It also carries out the supervision for accurate and uniform implementation of laws and may act also as a first instance/. First instanceRegional courtDistrict court Administrative body Executive body Second instance- intermediate appellate review District court Appellate court Regional courtDistrict court Third instance- cassation appellate review Supreme court of Cassation Supreme court of Cassation District court Supreme Administrative court Court’s competences and hierarchy

6. Окръжен съд Варна VarnaJudicial area Varna Judicial area

7. Окръжен съд Варна Established 136 years ago by order of Paul Baumgarten – first Governor of Varna after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule 56 judges with high qualifications and international specialization 101 clerks in a continuous process of training Chambers: -Criminal -Civil -Commercial DISTRICT COURT VARNA

8. Окръжен съд Варна  High standards of efficiency and quality of judicial administration and case management  Successful professional communication with the Public Prosecutor's office, advocacy, police, prison and probation services, bodies of local self-government administration  Transparent and accountable justice  Positive media response  Public communication with different social groups and NGO  Legislative initiatives  Nominees from DC - two judges appointed to the SJC THE RESULTS

9. Окръжен съд Варна Bulgarian President visited DC Varna and expressed his gratitude to us for our excellent work

10. Окръжен съд Варна  “Information centre for the judicial district of Varna” and “Civil monitoring of cases involving violence against women” with the "Youth Alliance Varna" and “Open Society” Varna and Foundation Sofia  “Model Courts and Courts in partnership” of USAID. District Court Varna has been twice awarded with the title “Court Model in Bulgaria” for 2007 and 2012  "The Court - Let's talk in a simple language" with the "Open Society" Varna – four educational documentary TV movies about the work of the Court  "The introduction of an ethical framework for reform and change in the work of the Court" with “Social Practices Centre” in Sofia  “System of administrative services, requested on the Internet” of the Association “Alliance for Legal Co-operation” Sofia  "The provision of legal-administrative services in a remote office" of the Association "e-region Varna"  “The court improvement plan” of the Program for the development of the judicial system  “Mediation in the Court"- in cooperation with Sofia Regional Court  "Mediation in the criminal proceedings" – an international project of the European Commission Projects and awards

11. Окръжен съд Варна 11 E - SERVICES e-dispatch of court decisions to the parties; e-service for the blind people – SpeechLab ; e-publishing of the court decisions on the Central Web interface and on the website of the DC – permanent e-access to them ; e-processing of the summons and writs with electronic devices such as tablets and smart-phones ; e-obtaining of bank documents, e-receiving of complaints, indirect payment of fees ; e-exchange of the court records between the first and second instances a folder with all the documentation of the case and the judgement. ACHIEVEMENTS

12. Окръжен съд Варна OUR FUTURE

13. Окръжен съд Варна