The Administrative Court has annulled the municipal rules that prohibited the consumption of alcohol in public outdoor spaces in Ruse, following an appeal filed by Regional Governor Dragomir Draganov.

The ban was introduced in the summer of last year at the initiative of municipal councillors from the VMRO group. However, the court accepted the governor’s arguments that drinking alcohol, taken on its own, cannot be considered a breach of public order and that a blanket restriction of this kind is discriminatory in nature.

In his appeal, Draganov stressed that alcohol consumption does not automatically result in hooliganism or vandalism. He argued that when such behavior does occur, the state already has sufficient legal mechanisms and competent authorities to intervene promptly and effectively in order to maintain public order.

The regional governor also sharply criticised another provision in the contested municipal ordinance, which introduced a ban on the use of narcotic substances in public places. According to him, this measure is redundant, as the Penal Code already fully prohibits the use of drugs, regardless of whether it takes place indoors or outdoors.

As a result of the court ruling, the Ruse Municipal Council has been ordered to cover the legal costs of the case, amounting to 260 leva, which is approximately 133 euros.