Balgarianovinite.com The Supreme Administrative Court overturned a lower court ruling that had temporarily blocked Sofia’s planned changes to paid parking, including higher fees and an expanded Blue Zone and Green Zone, the court said on Thursday.
The decision removes the procedural obstacle created by a November 27, 2025 ruling of the Administrative Court Sofia City, which had tried to stop the amended traffic-organization ordinance from being applied ahead of a final outcome and had also declared the Sofia Municipal Council’s November 13, 2025 decision invalid.
Тhe Supreme Administrative Court ruled the lower court should not have issued a suspension order because there was nothing practical to suspend at that stage. It held that the amended ordinance provisions on parking prices, zone working hours and scope, and fines do not produce a separate, stand-alone legal effect that can be “paused” on their own through this type of interim ruling.
The court also noted that the part of the ordinance that sets out when the changes start to apply had not yet taken effect when the lower court ruled. Under the ordinance, the amendments enter into force on January 5, 2026.
The Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling is final, meaning the November parking changes are no longer blocked by the November 27 court decision and become effective as of January 5, 2026 as planned.
On November 13, 2025, the Sofia Municipal Council voted to expand the capital’s paid Blue Zone and Green Zone and raise parking fees. The new rates set hourly parking at EUR 2 in the Blue Zone and EUR 1 in the Green Zone, with annual resident permits priced at EUR 150 and EUR 100 respectively, while permits for a second car rise to EUR 300 (Blue) and EUR 200 (Green). The Blue Zone’s perimeter is to be pushed outward around the centre, and new Green Zone areas are to be introduced in stages across several boroughs in 2026 (with part of Studentski Grad planned from 2027); paper tickets are set to be removed from July 1, 2026.
The decision prompted formal criticism days later. Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva called for the rules to be reconsidered or repealed following complaints from residents, arguing that they had not been preceded by broad public consultation and warning that stricter time limits, especially near hospitals and educational institutions, could restrict access for vulnerable groups.
Protests followed across Sofia in the second half of November, focusing on the amendments to the Ordinance on Traffic Organization and the planned expansion of paid parking. Demonstrators gathered outside Sofia Municipality and repeatedly blocked traffic at key points, including the intersection near the Central Military Club on November 20 and Chavdar Bridge on November 22, demanding the withdrawal of the changes and opposing higher fees and wider paid parking coverage. Organizers argued that paying for parking was not the core issue, but whether the revenues would translate into visible local infrastructure improvements.
City officials met protest organizers and defended the reform as a traffic-management measure, saying revenue from local parking permits would be channelled back to the districts for projects such as pavements, lighting and street improvements. Political and legal pressure also intensified. Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning said it would challenge the decision in court, while Vazrazhdane’s youth organization criticized the plan as rushed and warned it would merely shift cars into neighbouring areas without zoning. Protests continued into early December. By late December, the changes were widely expected to be delayed due to legal challenges, and a court had suspended the preliminary implementation of the updated rules. Supreme Administrative Court Clears Way for Sofia Paid Parking Changes 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-29 16:36:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law