Skip to content
Guide

Omnibus & Price-Reduction Rules in Bulgaria

Omnibus Directive

If you sell to customers in Bulgaria, the EU Omnibus Directive shapes how you may advertise a price reduction. The Directive — formally Directive (EU) 2019/2161 — has applied across the European Union since 28 May 2022. Unlike a Regulation, a Directive is transposed into each country’s own law, so in Bulgaria the rules live in Bulgarian consumer-protection legislation. The substance, though, is the same everywhere: when you announce a discount, you must be honest about the price it is measured against. This guide explains what that means for an ordinary shop selling into Bulgaria.

The 30-day lowest-prior-price rule

The best-known part of the Omnibus reforms is the rule on price reductions. Whenever you announce that a product’s price has been reduced, you must state the prior price — and that prior price is defined as the lowest price you charged for the item in the 30 days before the reduction. The point is to stop the old trick of quietly inflating a price for a short spell so a later “discount” looks bigger than it really is.

  • A “20% off” claim must be measured against the lowest price of the previous 30 days, not against a briefly raised figure.
  • The reference price should be shown so customers can see what the reduction is really based on.
  • The rule applies to genuine reductions — it is not meant to catch general price positioning like “our everyday low price”.

More than just discounts

The Omnibus Directive did more than tighten sale-price advertising. It also brought in transparency duties that affect many online shops.

  • Consumer reviews: if you show reviews, you must say whether — and how — you check that they come from real buyers.
  • Search ranking: if you rank or sort products, you must disclose the main parameters that decide the order, and flag paid placement.
  • Marketplace transparency: if you operate a marketplace, you must tell buyers whether a seller is a trader or a private individual, which affects their rights.

The Bulgarian layer

Because the Directive is transposed nationally, the version that binds you in Bulgaria is the Bulgarian implementing law, supervised by the national consumer-protection authority — the Commission for Consumer Protection, known locally as the КЗП (CPC). In practice the core obligations mirror the EU text, so a shop that follows the 30-day rule and the transparency duties is on the right footing. What differs is the local flavour: the language of enforcement is Bulgarian, and consumer-facing information — including how a prior price is presented — is expected to reach Bulgarian buyers in Bulgarian.

Our Bulgaria country hub covers more on selling into this market, and the complete Omnibus guide sets out the reforms in full.

What Bulgarian-facing shops can do now

You do not need a legal department to get the price rule right. A short, practical review usually covers it.

  • Keep a record of your prices so you can prove the lowest price of the previous 30 days for any item on sale.
  • Show the correct prior price beside each reduced price, in Bulgarian for your Bulgarian customers.
  • Check that your review, ranking and — if relevant — marketplace disclosures are in place.
  • Treat the КЗП as your point of reference for how the rules are supervised in Bulgaria.

National enforcement practice can develop over time, so revisit the detail as guidance from the Bulgarian authority firms up. This guide is educational, not legal advice.