Bulgaria to introduce integrity tests for civil servants

Parliament has approved amendments to the Civil Servants Act introducing so-called integrity tests for employees in positions considered to be at high risk of corruption. The list will include positions involving public procurement and concessions, the management of public funds and state property, as well as procedures for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship and granting residence rights to foreign nationals, reporter Daniel Inkov informed.

A successful integrity test will remain valid for three years. Employees already holding such positions when the law enters into force will not be required to take the test. Testing will begin once the necessary technical arrangements are in place, but no later than December 1, 2026. Parliament also decided that civil servants may work from home two days a week.

The integrity-testing mechanism sparked heated debate. According to Velislav Velichkov of We Continue the Change, the integrity test remains “a big enigma”, BTA reported.

Toma Bikov of GERB–SDS said the law was being adopted to secure EUR 300 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. “Let’s not talk about this being a fight against corruption; this is not how corruption is fought ”, he said, as quoted by BTA.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov