At its Human Rights meeting from 15 to 17 September, the Committee of Ministers examined the cases Y. and Others and A.E. v. Bulgaria, which concern the failure of the authorities to protect victims of domestic violence. The Committee welcomed the continued adoption of promising wide-ranging measures which aim at adequate and timely criminal-law and civil-law responses to domestic violence.
Previous changes in the legal framework of 2023 and 2024 had broadened the civil-law protection to intimate partners not sharing a household and laid down detailed rules on risk assessment and on the provision of specialised services and programmes for victims and perpetrators. A coordination mechanism to help victims of domestic violence was adopted in 2025, with a view to foster a coordinated response by multiple authorities and ensure immediate reaction. Prosecutorial guidelines of September 2025 require priority treatment of files on domestic violence and breaches of protection orders. A trend towards increased investigations of, and convictions for domestic violence indicates improved criminal law response. A national database, which will collect data on domestic violence, is currently under development.
