Second SLAPPs lecture at Sofia University

The Media Development Center organized an academic lecture on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) for legal students and young professionals in Bulgaria on 31 May 2023.

Media Development Center (MDC) established a partnership with ELSA Bulgaria – an organisation that supports the professional qualification of law students and young lawyers. The aim of this partnership is to increase the legal culture modernize the educational process and strengthen the ties between students and practicing lawyers in the spirit of the processes of European integration and international cooperation.

MDC has organised on 31st May 2023 the second lecture at the Sofia University on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) for law students and young lawyers.

The objectives of the lecture were to enhance the knowledge of SLAPP, to raise awareness among young professionals about current EU legislative proposals on SLAPP and policy discussions, and to motivate future lawyers to follow the topic and take part in SLAPP cases in their professional lives.

The workshop was attended by law students and young lawyers and PATFox curriculum content was shared with the participants. Discussions were held during and after the speaker's presentation, with participants asking additional questions.

The topics of the lecture included: what are SLAPP cases and how can they be identified, legislative decisions in the US, Canada, Australia, etc., Human Rights and SLAPP, right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, and right to private and family life, the proposed EU anti-SLAPP Directive, Private International Law and SLAPP, Brussels Ia and Rome II Regulations, freedom of information, Access to Public Information Act.

The lecture was presented by Zlatka Stefanova, a lawyer at the Sofia Bar Association.