LAW FOR THE BULGARIAN RED CROSS
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Art. 1. (1) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall be the only national organisation of the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. It shall be part of the International movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
(2) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall implement its activity in compliance with the Bulgarian legislation, with the provisions of the Geneva conventions of August 12, 1949, the Additional protocols to them from June 8, 1977, as well as with the basic Red Cross principles, established by the international conferences of the Red Cross.
Art. 2. (1) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall be corporate body, registered under the Law for the persons and the family with headquarters in Sofia.
(2) The structure, the members and the activity of the organisation shall be provided with its statute.
Art. 3. The Bulgarian Red Cross shall be autonomous organisation, which shall support the state in the humanitarian sphere, in the preparation for activities at marshal law, military conflicts and disasters, for preservation and fostering of the health of the population and for its education in the spirit of high morals, compassion and charity.
Art. 4. The Bulgarian Red Cross shall, in order to achieve its goals:
1. carry out social – support activity, organise the collecting and the distribution of humanitarian aid from the country and abroad;
2. work for:
a) increase of the health culture of the population;
b) restriction and prevention of socially significant diseases;
c) the training of the population for rendering first aid;
d) support, promotion and approval of the gratuitous blood donation;
e) prevention and rendering of aid at accidents in the mountains and in the water areas;
f) the preparation and the qualification of the staff for its activity, issuing for the purpose the respective documents;
g) promotion and dissemination of the Red Cross principles among the children, the growing up and the youths;
3. render support in our country and abroad to suffered at armed conflicts and natural disasters;
4. work for the increase of the readiness of the population for activities at disasters and together with the bodies of civil defence prepare formations for first aid and render such;
5. promote the objectives and the tasks of the international Red Cross movement and of the Bulgarian Red Cross, co-operate for the learning, the dissemination and the observing of the standards of the international humanitarian law;
6. (suppl. SG 44/99, amend. SG 54/02) assist the foreigners, seeking or who have received protection in the Republic of Bulgaria according to the Law for the asylum and the refugees.
7. in compliance with the Geneva conventions of August 12, 1949, the Additional protocols to them of June 8, 1977 and the resolutions of the international conferences of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent search on the territory of the country and out of it for members of families, separated as result of wars, armed conflicts and natural disasters;
8. create its institutes and establishments with charity objectives in compliance with the legislation in effect.
Art. 5. (1) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall be supported by the state.
(2) The state institutions of the Republic of Bulgaria and out of it, the commercial companies and the citizens shall be obliged to support the Bulgarian Red Cross in implementation of its tasks.
Art. 6. (1) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall ensure the resources, necessary for its activities, from membership fees, subsidies from the state budget, grants, testaments, incomes from immovable properties and from other activities, compliant with the Bulgarian legislation.
(2) At the Bulgarian Red Cross can be established funds for financing its activity.
Art. 7. For the fulfilment of its activities the Bulgarian Red Cross shall benefit the following alleviation:
1. (suppl. SG 44/99) the shipments for the Bulgarian Red Cross and the chattels, presented by it to foreign individuals and corporate bodies, shall be exempt from landing charges and the transport vehicles, necessary for humanitarian activity – from excise;
2. the transport vehicles of the Bulgarian Red Cross shall at their movement on the roads of the Republic of Bulgaria , when they fulfil tasks, ensuing from the activity of the Bulgarian Red Cross, shall be exempt from road fees;
3. at marshal law and during disasters the Bulgarian Red Cross shall be exempt from fees for transport with all kinds of transport vehicles and from post fees, and the persons, who implement official duties, shall have right to travel free of charge;
4. at marshal law and during disasters the bodies of the Bulgarian Red Cross shall use the communication lines free of charge;
5. at marshal law and during disasters the Bulgarian Red Cross shall have right to administrative services and co-operation from all state and local bodies free of charge.
Art. 8. (1) The Bulgarian Red Cross shall have the exclusive right to use the name Red Cross and the emblem, established by the Geneva conventions of August 12, 1949 – red cross on white background.
(2) In peace time the emblem can be used by other persons and organisations only with the permission and under the control of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
(3) At war time the use of the emblem shall be restricted according to the rules of the Geneva conventions of August 12, 1949 and the Additional protocols to them of June 8, 1977.
ADMINISTRATIVE PUNITIVE PROVISIONS
Art. 9.(1) The one, who in violation of the provisions of this law uses the emblem, established with the Geneva conventions of August 12, 1949 and the name Red Cross, if the committed is not subject to graver penalty, shall be punished with a fine from five to two hundred levs.
(2) The one, who violates the provisions of this law out of the cases of para 1 and if the committed is not subject to graver penalty, shall be punished with a fine from fifty to one hundred levs.
(3) When the violations of para 1 and 2 are committed by corporate bodies, proprietary sanction shall be imposed in amount from ten to three hundred levs.
(4) The one, who does not fulfil his obligations under this law or impedes the implementing of the activity of the Bulgarian Red Cross, shall be punished with a fine from five to two hundred levs.
(5) The violations of the previous paras shall be established with acts, which are compiled by the chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross or by officials, authorised by him.
(6) The punitive decrees shall be issued by the Minister of Finance or by officials, authorised by him.
(7) The compiling of the acts, the issuing, the appealing and the execution of the punitive decrees shall be implemented by the order of the Law for the administrative breaches and penalties.
(8) The sums, received from the fines and the proprietary sanctions, imposed under this law, shall be incomes of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Concluding provisions
§ 1. This law shall revoke Edict No 494 of December 22, 1953 for the Bulgarian Red Cross.
§ 2. In art. 157, para 1 of the Labour Code (Prom. SG 26 1986; Prom. SG 27 1986; Amend. SG 6 1988; Amend. SG 21 1990; Amend. SG 30 1990; Amend. SG 94 1990; Amend. SG 27 1991; Amend. SG 32 1991; Amend. SG 104 1991; Amend. SG 23 1992; Amend. SG 26 1992; Amend. SG 88 1992; Amend. SG 100 1992; Amend. SG 69 1995) item 7 shall be created:
“7. for participation as voluntary in measures and training, organised by the Bulgarian Red Cross – up to 5 working days for measures and up to 3 working days for training.”
§ 3. In the Law for the state fees (prom. Izv. 104 1951; amend. and suppl. SG 89 1959, SG 21 1960, SG 53 1973, SG 87 1974, SG 21 1975, SG 21 1990-, SG 55 1991, SG 100 1992, SG 69 1995) item “o” shall be created:
“o) The Bulgarian Red Cross.”
§ 4. In the law for the local taxes and fees (prom. Izv. 154 1951, issue 10 1952; amend. and suppl. No 12, 104 1954, No 91 1957, No 13 1958, No 57, 89 1959, No 21, 91 1960; SG 85 1963, SG 1, 52 1965, SG 53 1973, SG 87 1974, SG 21 1975, SG 102 1977, SG 88 1978, SG 36 1979, SG 99 1981, SG 55 1984, SG 73 1987, SG 33, 97 1988, SG 21 1990; amend. SG 30 1990, SG 82 1991, SG 59 1993, SG 40 1995) the following amendments shall be made:
1. In art. 6, para 1 item “l” shall be created:
“l) the buildings, the yards and the parcels of the Bulgarian Red Cross, if they have not been conceded for use to another person.”
2. In art. 26, item “e)” after the words ”the municipalities” shall be added “the Bulgarian Red Cross”
3. In art. 41 para 3 shall be created:
“(3) At transactions, in which the Bulgarian Red Cross participates the fees shall be paid by the other contracting party and at donations in favour of the Bulgarian Red Cross fees shall not be paid.”
4. In art. 48, para 1 shall be added “and the Bulgarian Red Cross”.
5. In art. 53 item “d)” shall be created:
“d) The Bulgarian Red Cross, when they are used for the objectives of the organisation.”
6. In art. 64, para 1 the following amendments shall be made:
a) item “b)” shall be created:
“b) the Bulgarian Red Cross;”;
b) the previous items “b)” and “c)” shall become respectively “c)” and “d)”.
7. In art. 80 item “f)” shall be created:
“f) the Bulgarian Red Cross.”
§ 5. In art. 63, para 4 of the Civil Procedure Code (prom. Izv. No 12 1952; amend. and suppl. No 92 1952, No 89 1953, No 90 1955, No 90 1956, No 90 1958, No 50, 90 1961; corr. No 99 1961; amend. and suppl. SG 1 1963, SG 23 1968, SG 27 1973, SG 89 1976, SG 36 1979, SG 28 1983, SG 41 1985, SG 27 1986, SG 55 1987, SG 60 1988, SG 31, 38 1989, SG 31 1990, SG 62 1991, SG 55 1992, SG 61, 93 1993) after the word “departments” shall be added “and the Bulgarian Red Cross”.
§ 6. The implementation of the law shall be assigned to the Minister of Finance and to the chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross.