On 1 August 2025 the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the International Commercial Arbitration Act (LASICAA) was published in the State Gazette, No. 63. This legislation rebranded the previously existing International Commercial Arbitration Act to the more comprehensive Arbitration Act (AA) and introduced number of substantial changes.

According to the motivations provided with the LASICAA, the amendments are necessitated by the declining trust in arbitration in Bulgaria over the past few years and the publicly known cases of various abuses wherein arbitration was specifically used.

LASICAA offers a package of measures pointed towards improving the protection of parties in the arbitration process, strengthening legal certainty, and restoring trust in arbitration. These include narrowing the scope of ad hoc arbitration; establishing a Register of Arbitrations; revising eligibility requirements for arbitrators; implementing new procedural document service rules and additional guaranties for the parties; introducing new grounds for challenging arbitration awards; streamlining the processes for recognition of foreign arbitration awards; enhancing the oversight powers of the Minister of Justice etc.

Most of the changes are in effect as of August 1, 2025. It is projected that within a 4-month period from the publication of the LASICAA, the Minister of Justice shall also issue regulation regarding the newly established Register of Arbitrations, which will provide the subsequent opportunity for implementing the remainder of the new rules.

As these changes take effect, their impact on Bulgaria's position as an arbitration venue and the practical implications for parties engaging in arbitration will need careful observation and assessment.