On 3 and 4 October 2018 in InterExpo Center Sofia, the II International Conference DIGITALIZATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCR – CHALLENGES TO THE LAW was held. The Conference was organized by The  Faculty of Law at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, European Law Society, The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, in partnership with The Supreme Judicial Council of Republic of Bulgaria, The State e-Government Agency of Republic of Bulgaria.

The purpose of the conference is to encourage the debate between the judicial power bodies, the public and the private partners on good practices and challenges for the development of the information technologies in law in Bulgaria.

On the picture: Dr. Hristo Hristozov (European Law Society),  Prof. DSc Tsvetan Sivkov, LL. M (Dean of Faculty of Law at the „St. Cyril and St. Methodius“ University of Veliko Tarnovo), Mr. Alexander Yolovski (Deputy Chair of the e-Government State Agency), Prof. Dr. Mariana Petrova (Head of Msster‘s Program „International Technologies in the Judicial and Executive Power”), Mr. Dmytri Foremny (Haag Institute for Innovations in Law)

Prof. DSc. Tsvetan Sivkov, LL. M

The Conference was opened by Prof. DSc. Tsvetan Sivkov, LL. M, Dean of Faculty of Law of the „St. Cyril and St. Methodius“ University of Veliko Tarnovo. Mr. Alexander Yolovski, Deputy Chair of the e-Government State Agency greeted the participants and  wished success to  the Conference. An address was delivered by Prof. DSc. Mariana Petrova, Head of the Master‘s Program in International Technologies in the Judicial and Executive Power at the VTU „St. Cyril and St. Methodius“ and Dr. Hristo Hristozov, Chairperson of the Europran Law Society. His expectations for fruitful work expressed Mr. Dmitry Foremnyi LL. M, representative for Innovations in Law in the Haag Institute for Innovations in La (HIIL).

„Today, thanks to that Conference, academia and practicioners join their efforts, oppose and share opinions, experience and good practices in the name of the Innovations, and the high requirements that current time sets before the applicable legislation and the digitalization of Law,“ Ms. Kalina Chapkanova, member of the Supreme Judicial Council, Chairperson of the permanent Commissiin for Professional Qualification and Informatiin Technologies.

Partipants presented results from research projects on the impact of  digitalization on the legal sector, discussed challenges faced inir practices of solving cases, justice administrstion, and provision of legal services. Tendencies were outlined in the automation, the use of Big Data, Blockchain Technologies in Law. Issues of civil responsibility and the personal data protection in the application of artificial intelligence were discussed.

As the main challenges for the digitalization of Law in Bulgaria were identified the slow legislative amendments, sentiment and attachment to the paper document, the necessity for speeding up of the Internet presentation of the courts, the development of the digitalization capacity  of the Bulgaria legal sector, as well as the partnership with the technological community.

„For instance, in order to get rid of the requirement citizens to present а criminal record certificate for some dministrative services, 60 norms had to be amended,“ the Deputy Chair of the e-Government State Agency Mr. Alexander Yolovski said.

At the same time, other instances show how deficiencies in electronic applications could flaw the law enforcement. Such an example was presented by Prof. Dr. Mariana Petrova with the Ministry of Interior system for provision of an electronic administrative service of changing the owner of a vehicle.

Participants discussed the possibilities for solving some of the identified problems and developing the e-justice in Bulgaria opened with the adoption of Ordinance 6 on The Performance Of Procedural Acts And Authentication Statements In Electronic Form (in August 2017). The Ordinance was prepared pursuant to the Judiciary Act and introduced technical requirements and procedures for the digitalization of justice in Bulgaria.