Bulgaria’s Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has directed the Sofia Municipality to ensure fair competition among certification service providers for its online address registration platform, which currently accepts only one provider’s qualified electronic signature.
The investigation was launched following a complaint by “Information Services” AD. The CPC found that limiting access to a single certification provider violates competition rules and the principle of technological neutrality, which requires that public services be accessible via any compatible solution—not just one.
While the municipality claimed the initial restriction was due to technical limitations and requirements set by a foreign project partner in 2021, the CPC emphasized that multiple providers now offer compliant cloud-based e-signature services.
The CPC instructed the municipality to update its upgraded platform to include other qualified signature providers and to avoid giving undue advantage to any single firm. A notice directing users to alternative application options via the national portal (www.egov.bg) has since been added, but full compliance with competitive access is still pending.
Source: https://www.cpc.bg/news-427
