site.btaParliament Introduces Integrity Tests for High-Corruption-Risk Civil Service Positions, Allows Two Days of Remote Work
Tatiana Marinova
The National Assembly in session, Sofia, August 25, 2026 (BTA Photo/Blagoy Kirilov)
Sofia,
25.08.2026 18:10
(BTA)
Parliament Tuesday adopted at second reading amendments to the Civil Servants Act whereby positions carrying a high risk of corruption will be filled only after the successful completion of an integrity test. Civil servants will also be allowed to work remotely for up to two days a week.
Following the vote, National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova noted that this was the seventh and final bill under the Recovery and Resilience Plan adopted by the current Parliament within three months.
Under the amendments, positions carrying a high risk of corruption are to be filled after the successful completion of an integrity test. When a civil servant is authorized for the first time to perform duties in such a position, a valid result from a successfully completed integrity test is required. If the employee does not have a valid result, the test must be taken within one month of the authorization. If the employee fails the test, the appointing authority may revoke the authorization.
A successful integrity test result will be valid for three years from the date on which the result is communicated. A person who fails an integrity test may not take another one for one year.
A Council of Ministers ordinance will determine the subject of assessment, general psychometric standards, measurement principles and methods, as well as the conditions and procedures for conducting the integrity tests.
The appointing authority may assign a civil servant to work remotely for no more than two days of the working week. Remote working arrangements must be provided for in the organizational rules of the respective administration and may be introduced only with the employee’s consent.
The integrity test requirement will not apply to civil servants already occupying high-corruption-risk positions when the amendments enter into force.
For procedures to fill high-corruption-risk positions launched after the amendments enter into force, integrity tests will not be administered until the necessary technical arrangements are in place, but no later than December 1, 2026.
The bill specifies the positions considered to carry a high risk of corruption. These include posts involving the allocation or management of substantial public resources, including public procurement, concessions, EU funds and public finances. The categories broadly correspond to those set out in the bill at first reading.
A person without a valid successful integrity test result may be appointed to a high-corruption-risk position, provided that they take the test within one month of their appointment.
For high-corruption-risk positions filled on a temporary replacement basis, the appointing authority may terminate the civil service relationship if the employee fails the integrity test.
The amendments are to enter into force on the day they are promulgated in the State Gazette.
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