Bulgaria does not comply with EU law in 7 areas, according to a statement released by the European Commission today.

The European Commission has decided to launch infringement proceedings against Bulgaria and Portugal for misapplication of the provisions of the ITS Directive. It requires Member States to strengthen national laws in this area and impose stricter sanctions, including on large-scale cyber-attacks.

States are also obliged to improve cooperation between their authorities through operational contact points, available 24 hours a day and throughout the week.

The Commission also calls on Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria to respect the EU's exclusive competence in the automated exchange of DNA data, fingerprints and vehicle registration, and has decided to initiate infringement proceedings by sending formal notices to them. They are in connection with the signing of an agreement with 5 countries from the Western Balkans a year ago.

Bulgaria will also receive a letter of formal notice for non-compliance with European law on marine equipment. Our country is in another list of 4 other countries that do not comply with the directive on minimum safety measures related to the infrastructure and operation of tunnels.

The Commission also calls on Bulgaria to report, within the deadline, on the state of the environment in marine waters, on waste, and to transpose the Brands Directive into our national legislation.