Prosecutors' Association: Linking Magistrates' Salaries to MPs' Threatens Judicial Independence.

The Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria (APB) has opposed the proposed change to the mechanism for determining magistrates’ salaries. According to the organization, the current system, which is based on an objective statistical indicator, would be replaced by a formula dependent on decisions by the National Assembly regarding its own remuneration.

In its position regarding Paragraph 21 of the draft State Budget Law for 2026, the APB said the proposal would set the salary for the lowest-ranking magistrate position at 60% of the basic salary of a member of parliament.

The association argues that the draft State Budget Law does not explain why MPs’ salaries were chosen as the basis for the calculation or why the 60% ratio was selected. It also does not take into account that the reference concerns only the basic salary of a member of parliament, excluding additional payments for parliamentary positions and participation in committees.

Magistrates’ remuneration is part of the guarantees for their independence, impartiality, and protection from external influence, the APB said. The organization added that the proposed formula does not provide a complete and objective comparison between the financial status of magistrates and members of parliament.

The Association of Prosecutors emphasized that this position differs from its previously submitted opinion on proposed amendments to the Social Security Code, as the issue concerns a different matter — the mechanism for determining magistrates’ remuneration.

According to the APB, the proposed change creates a risk that the financial status of the judiciary could become dependent on political will.