Preliminary Agenda
📆 29 May 2024 🕑 10:00 📍 French Institute
09.30 – 10.00 Registration and welcome coffee
10.00 – 10.15 Welcome notes
- Luc Lévy, Director of the Institut Français de Bulgarie
- Simeon Vasilev, Chairman, GLAS Foundation – welcome note
- Simon van der Burg, Ambassador of Netherlands to Bulgaria
- Stoyan Madin, Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights
10:15 – 10:30 Keynote: Ambassadors for Change: The Diplomatic Role in LGBT+ Advocacy. Insights from Jean-Marc Berthon, Ambassador for the Rights of LGBT+ Persons, France
10:30 – 12:00 Panel 1: Rainbow Families and the Right to Family for All
The panel will discuss the issue of necessary changes in Bulgarian legislation to respect Bulgaria’s obligations under the ECHR and EU law to ensure effective protection of the rights of same-sex couples.
- Lina Papadopoulou, Professor of constitutional law and holder of a Jean Monnet Chair for European Constitutional Law and Culture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Greece;
- Professor Edoardo Stoppioni, Professor of Public International law at the Faculty of Law, political sciences and administration of the University of Strasbourg;
- Yonko Grozev, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights (2015-2024);
- Velina Todоrova, professor of Family Law at the Faculty of Law of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv
Moderator: Hristo Hristev, Associated professor of European Union Law at the Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
12:00-12:15 Coffee break
12:15-13:45 Panel 2: Practical obstacles and legal deficits regarding the lack of recognition of same-sex families.
- Maria Petrova, Мedical law lawyer, Sofia Bar Association;
- Nevena Kovacheva, Partner in the Tax department and the People Advisory Services Leader for EY Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo;
- Yavor Tashev, Notary;
- Denitsa Lyubenova, Human rights lawyer and Chairperson of LGBT organization Deistvie (TBC)
Moderator: Emiliyan Arnaudov, Managing Partner at Popov, Arnaudov and Partners Law firm
13:45 – 14:30 Lunch