Bulgaria forces 100% debt collection while Serbia goes soft

Bulgarian bailiffs collect 100 percent of small utility debts through compulsory judicial enforcement, while Serbian counterparts recover only 5 percent this way. The Bulgarian Chamber of Private Enforcement Agents presented statistics at a working meeting with Serbian officials in Belgrade. Serbian public bailiffs voluntarily collect 95 percent of debts under 200 euros after legislative reforms expanded their role beyond forced collection to mediation between creditors and debtors. Chamber Chairman Georgi Dichev submitted proposals to Bulgaria's Justice Ministry for voluntary extrajudicial debt collection procedures that exist across Europe, warning that ineffective enforcement undermines financial discipline and threatens economic stability.