From 16 February 2026 to 19 February 2026, an official delegation consisting of a prosecutor at the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office Raya Boncheva, who is also a national contact person of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria on issues related to the protection of intellectual property and computer crimes, senior officials from the State Agency for National Security and the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, representatives of the Ministry of Economy and the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, paid a working visit to the United States of America, Washington, D.C., at the invitation of the American law enforcement institutions - Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the State Department, the Center for Coordination of Intellectual Property Rights and FBI.
The main purpose of the visit was the Special 301 Review Hearing at the Office of the US Trade Representative, with regards to including the Republic of Bulgaria in the Watch List ("Grey List") in 2023 due to insufficiently effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
During the hearing, special gratitude was expressed by the representative of the Department of Justice toward the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, the National Investigation Service аThe State Agency for National Security for the excellent work on the cases against the pirate sites Zamunda, Arena and Zelka, and their shutdown.
The specialization of investigators and prosecutors was also approved, as well as the training conducted on topics related to crimes against intellectual property and cybercrimes.
Main emphasis of the visit was the deepening of bilateral cooperation in combating money laundering, cross-border financial crimes and cybercrime, with a special focus on crimes related to violations of intellectual property rights in the digital environment.
The Bulgarian delegation and the American partners reaffirmed their common goals for sustainable institutional interaction based on trust, shared responsibility and the rule of law. The visit represents an important step towards strengthening the strategic partnership in the areas of financial and cybersecurity, as well as enhancing joint efforts to protect the rights of intellectual property owners.
Removing our country from the "gray list" under section Special 301 is a key priority in the work of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, and the progress achieved is the result of the consistent, targeted and professional actions of the Prosecutor's Office, aimed at effective implementation of the law and strengthening institutional control.