September 23 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said on Thursday that it has sent a letter of formal notice to Bulgaria for non-conformity of its national legislation with EU rules on the right to information in criminal proceedings.
The EU Commission considers that some of the transposition measures notified by the member state do not adequately transpose the EU rules and fall short of the requirements regarding the right to information in criminal proceedings, the EU institution said in a monthly infringement decisions package.
The respective EU rules guarantee that people who face criminal proceedings in the bloc are promptly informed of their rights in criminal proceedings, including accusations, access to lawyer or free legal advice so that the rights of suspects and accused persons are sufficiently protected, the Commission said.
Bulgaria now has two months to reply and take the necessary measures to address the shortcomings identified by the Commission. Failing this, the Commission may decide to go to the next stage of infringement proceedings by sending a reasoned opinion.