"Cooperation" is the keyword that united everyone at the roundtable on the Digital Services Act in Sofia

The Department of International Law and International Relations of the Faculty of Law at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and the Department of Law at the New Bulgarian University brought together leading Bulgarian and international experts for a roundtable discussion dedicated to the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the challenges of the digital space. The forum was organized with the support of the Embassy of the French Republic in Bulgaria and was officially opened by the French Ambassador, H.E. Marie Dumoulin.

The first part of the discussion focused on the regulatory framework and coordination. Benoit Loutrel from the French regulator Arcom shared the challenges regarding disinformation in France, citing examples of narratives originating from Vietnam. Dr. Denis Erdem from the German Federal Network Agency commented on how the regulator is coping in Germany. He noted that efforts against disinformation are often mislabeled as censorship, whereas they actually serve to protect society. Deputy Minister of Electronic Governance Atanas Maznev stressed that regulation alone is not enough. Marta Ivanova from the Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) — the specialized independent state body that regulates electronic communications and serves as Bulgaria's Digital Services Coordinator under the DSA — highlighted the commission's various activities and urged citizens to actively participate in public consultations regarding new instructions and regulations. The Chairperson of the Council for Electronic Media, Gabriela Naplatanova, recalled that quality journalism requires protection. The Chairperson of the Commission for Personal Data Protection, Borislav Bozhinov, emphasized society's concern for minors and juveniles, as they are the most vulnerable in the new digital world. Petar Galev, Digital Services Act Officer at the European Commission, thanked the institutional representatives for their cooperation. The actions taken by Brussels within the DSA framework, which Galev highlighted as already yielding results, drew exceptional interest from the audience.Practical steps and actions against illegal and harmful content were the focus of the second part of the discussion. Member of Parliament Bozhidar Bozhanov outlined several practical aspects, noting that the definition of harmful content remains quite broad. Senior Commissioner Vladimir Dimitrov, Director of the Cybercrime Directorate at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) - Ministry of Interior, presented the primary cases his directorate handles daily, emphasizing the fight against child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Cecilia Alvarez from Meta presented the alternative perspective — that of the platforms. Iglika Ivanova from SafeNet.bg outlined the organization's capabilities in countering the digital harassment of children. Attorney Julieta Mandadzhieva from Digital Republic shared real-world case studies and once again highlighted the issue with definitions, while Judge Andrey Georgiev from the Sofia District Court presented specific data from judicial practice.All participants agreed that institutions, academia, and civil society organizations must cooperate closely for their joint efforts to succeed. The meeting concluded with a promise of future follow-up initiatives by the organizers, Assoc. Prof. Hristo Hristev and Assoc. Prof. Denitsa Topchiyska.