text: Little things make big things happen.
  STZ is a boutique law firm focused on specific practice areas, in which our attorneys have in-depth knowledge and experience.
  Clients value our partner-led
  personalized approach, agile practically oriented advice,
  discretion and flexible fee structure.
  Insurance is in our blood. Two of the name partners, Irina Stoeva and Peter Zneposki, have been practicing insurance law for more than 25 years and have extensive sector experience and the depth of expertise to meet the evolving needs of the insurance market and its customers.
  Our service goes beyond simply advising on the law. Our profound understanding of the commercial context in which insurance company operates really set us apart.
  Banking, Capital Markets & Finance
  We have an in-depth understanding of the investment industry and also of how regulators think - although we do not always agree with them. Our lawyers have earned a reputation for innovation and quality, advising over the years on a number of market firsts and other landmark transactions in Bulgaria.
  The continued work of Iordan Tchompalov and Natalia Yordanova for the Bulgarian securities regulator and their follow-up attorney practice results in a detailed knowledge of the workings of the financial markets, enabling us to bring greater insight to the transactions on which we advise.
  Healthcare & Pharma Law
  Healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies across need to deliver services in an increasingly complex landscape of scrutiny by regulators and service users.
  Fundamentally any such services need to be safe, whilst also adhering to an array of regulations – both in terms of quality of care and financial viability – in order to protect and promote good care, alongside organizational reputation, within a highly competitive environment.
  Corporate, Commercial / M&A
  The lawyers at Stoeva Tchompalov & Znepolski combine technical expertise with commercial insight to deliver a full spectrum of bespoke services to clients of all sizes.
  Our experience has seen us work with clients that range from start-up businesses through to established public and private companies, foreign multinationals, and their Bulgarian subsidiaries.
  Stoeva Tchompalov & Znepolski also advise companies on the vast array of commercial matters which may affect their business. Good service is at the heart of what we do, as is ensuring we have a thorough understanding of your organisation and its objectives.
  The increasing workforce mobility, outsourcing and other business developments have added to the complexity of the employment landscape. Getting the right people in the right roles in the right locations, appropriately incentivised and supported, while, at the same time, protecting the organisation and its assets has never been more challenging.
  Effective employment advice demands a coordinated response, built on effective communication before, during and after any issue or claim. That’s where we can help: our employment law experts deliver informed, practical and pragmatic advice across the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues.
  Data Protection & Privacy
  The amount of information being held by organisations is increasing exponentially, as is the frequency with which information is transferred between organisations and individuals. Our focus is on providing clear guidance that cuts through the complex regulatory framework and goes further than routine black letter advice.
  Data protection and data privacy have never had a higher profile. Today individuals, organisations, and regulators are more and more aware of the importance of ensuring that data is used properly and in accordance with legitimate purposes and that it is held and processed securely. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with its more stringent rules and increased penalty regime (which may be linked to annual turnover) made the importance of compliance more acute for all organisations.
  Administrative Law & Regulatory
  In today’s increasingly regulated environment, awareness of regulatory obligations is essential to reduce exposure to risk and preserve commercial reputation.
  We recognise that, as well as these external threats, you must comply with money-laundering regulations which can hamper your ability to secure and service new clients. In the critical areas of health and safety, financial services and insurance, transport, the environment, a high level of awareness and preparation is needed to avoid potentially heavy penalties.
  E-commerce and Digital marketing
  Today’s digitalized world presents attractive opportunities to retailers and big players on the market to advertise and sell their products and services via the Internet. Selling and marketing online presents a few legal challenges as well. Our lawyers are dedicated to help you overcome those challenges in the most effective and professional manner.
  Regardless it is a personal or major investment acquisition or disposal, or a leasing relationship matter, you’ll need pragmatic and commercially focused legal advice.
  2021 was a record year so far for real estate market in Bulgaria for the last 12 years. There was a 20% increase in the real estate transactions in the third quarter of 2021, when compared with the same quarter of 2020, according to the Bulgarian Registry Agency. The increasingly active real estate market and its stable growth in Bulgaria requires a broad range of legal services covering the entire life of a real estate project – from the title due diligence, negotiating and drafting transaction documents, project finance to exit strategies. Our lawyers will guide you and assist you through the legal process regardless it is related to the acquisition or disposal of property, donation, lease agreement, or real estate finance.
  Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  We, at Stoeva, Tchompalov & Znepolski, pride ourselves on constantly giving you the litigation advice you really need. Our litigation team is comprised of skilled trial attorneys who have achieved excellent results for clients in trials, arbitrations and appellate proceedings.
  We love trying cases and our opponents know we aren’t afraid to take a case to trial. But trials can be expensive and long-lasting, and we view them as only one tool in the dispute resolution toolkit to be used when an acceptable resolution is unattainable by other means. Where possible, we endeavor to resolve the matter through negotiation or by using available alternatives such as arbitration and mediation.
  Compensation for pain and suffering due to psyhological harassment
  When companies collecting debts exert psychological harassment on the debtor through phone calls and sending text messages containing false information about the amount of debt, which has adversely affected his state of health, they are responsible for the stress caused.
  read moreSTZ advises Eurohold Bulgaria on EUR 0.5 billion refinancing
  27 June 2024
  Stoeva Tchompalov & Znepolski acted as local legal counsel to the leading Bulgarian listed holding company Eurohold concerning the refinancing of its approximately EUR 500 million of existing debt raised in July 2021 for the acquisition of CEZ Group's business in Bulgaria.
  read moreThe ECJ on the online sale of non-prescription medicinal products
  On 29 February 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued its judgment in Case C-606/21 (Doctipharma SAS v. Union des Groupements de pharmaciens d’officine) concerning the legality of distance selling of medicinal products without a prescription.
  read moreThe Promissory Note is not a proof for existing loan agreement
  According to the Supreme Court, the irregular promissory note alone cannot serve as evidence of a loan agreement concluded between the parties and that the amount under that contract was handed over by the lender to the borrower.
  read moreBulgaria: Outsourcing and the Acquired Rights Directive
  The Bulgarian court practice on when outsourcing constitutes a transfer of economic entity under the EU Acquired Rights Directive (2001/23/EC) is not aligned with the corresponding case law of the European Court of Justice.
  read moreAn interesting decision of the Bulgarian regulator banning advertising of food supplement
  By its decision of 12 October 2023 the CPC found a violation of the prohibition on misleading advertising of a food supplement, ordered the termination of the violation, and imposed a pecuniary sanction amounting to 2.5% of the turnover of the violators.
  read moreVariable Capital Company introduced by Bulgarian Parliament
  Recent amendments to the Bulgarian Commercial Act of 1 August 2023 introduced the regulation of the Variable Capital Company (“VCC”), which is expected to enhance the conditions for the registration of startups in Bulgaria and to make fundraising easier.
  read moreThe new EU-US Data Privacy Framework
  On 10 July 2023, the European Commission adopted its long-awaited adequacy decision on data transfers under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (“DPF”), having concluded that the US ensures an adequate level of data protection - comparable to that of the EU - for personal data transferred to US organisations participating in the framework. The DFP creates a lawful transatlantic framework that allows the free flow of data from the EU to DPF-certified companies located in the United States.
  read moreThe GDPR Concept of Nonmaterial Damage – on the Road of its Decoding
  In connection with Case C-340/21 (VB v Natsionalna agentsia za prihodite (Bulgarian National Revenue Agency)), the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court referred the question to the CJEU: in a case involving a personal data breach consisting an unauthorised access to, and dissemination of, personal data by means of a “hacking attack”, should the worries, fears, and anxieties suffered by the data subject with regard to a possible misuse of personal data in the future fall per se within the concept of non-material damage.
  read moreDLT Pilot Regime: Implementation in Bulgaria is Coming?
  Regulation (EU) 2022/858 on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (the “DLT Pilot Regime”) was published in the EU Official Journal in June 2022 and applies from 23 March 2023. On 10 May 2023, the Bulgarian government filed with the Parliament a bill aimed to facilitate the application of the DLT Pilot Regime in Bulgaria.
  read moreMere infringement of the GDPR does not give rise to a right to compensation
  By its judgment of 4 May 2023 in Case C-300/21 (Österreichische Post), the CJEU clarified that the right to compensation provided for in the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") is subject to three cumulative conditions.
  read moreAppeal of a Ticket under the Road Traffic Act
  The appeal of a ticket under the Road Traffic Act (Road Traffic Act) is a procedure that allows citizens to protect themselves from the imposition of an administrative penalty "fine" due to a violation of road traffic rules.
  An appeal against a ticket under the Road Traffic Act includes certain procedures and deadlines that citizens must comply with in order to use their right of appeal effectively.
  read moreWinding-up and liquidation of a company
  Company registration is a relatively easy and fast process in Bulgaria, while its deletion is much longer and more complicated. If you want your company to be deleted from the Commercial Register, you need to go through a winding-up procedure that takes longer.
  read moreIndemnity for injured persons in traffic accident under Motor TPL insurance
  Motor Third Party Liability Insurance ("MTPL") refers to the liability of drivers of motor vehicles ("motor vehicles") for the material and non-material damages caused by them. The victim who has suffered damage is entitled to compensation.
  read moreRescission of Unlawful dismissal
  In every national legislation, there are legal rules that protect employees from unlawful dismissal. Every employee in case of unlawful dismissal has the opportunity to approach both the Labour Inspectorate and the court and to seek the rights guaranteed by law. Therefore, the employer should carefully act and draft the necessary documents for protecting its interests in case of dispute.
  read moreDe-referencing of inaccurate personal information from online search results is provided by judgement of the EU Court of Justice under case C-460/20
  By way of Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) dated 08 December 2022 under case C-460/20, it has been held that the individuals are entitled to request de-referencing of the inaccurate information, related to them and published on the Internet, from the online search results.
  read moreThe Supreme Court maintains the required level of proof too high for loss of profit to be awarded in Bulgaria
  On 13 January 2023, the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation (“SCC”) issued Interpretative Decision No.3 (the “New Interpretative Decision”) which shows that the SCC continues to adhere to the very high standard of proof for loss of profit it has established a decade ago.
  read moreLast significant amendments in the administrative-penal proceedings
  The Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act, which dates since 1969, was updated at the end of 2021 with the aim of making the completion of the administrative-penal proceedings more effective and to speed up the collection of public state receivables.
  What is important to know in case an administrative authority issue an Act for the establishment of an administrative violation?
  read moreAmendments of the Bulgarian Labour Code, effective as of 1st of August 2022
  Amendments of the Bulgarian Labour Code (“LC”) were promulgated on 5th of August 2022 in State Gazette, Issue No 62 with an explicit retroactive effect as of 01st of August 2022. These amendments transpose in our national legislation the requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union and of Directive (EU) 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU.