Thai Delegation Studies Rule of Law at Bulgaria's Supreme Court
Thai officials from the Senior Administrators in Administrative Justice Program visited Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court on 14 October 2026 to study the rule of law. The delegation, led by former Thai Supreme Administrative Court President Dr. Chanchai Saengsangkul, received briefings from Bulgarian judges Julia Todorova and Madlen Petrova on the court's role in EU accession and its historical development. The visit highlighted comparisons between the Bulgarian and Thai administrative courts and their respective contributions to legal reform.
The study visit on 14 October 2026 brought together participants of the fifth batch of the Senior Administrators in Administrative Justice Program (BSP) to Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court. Led by Professor Special Dr. Chanchai Saengsangkul, former president of Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court, the delegation sought to learn and exchange knowledge on the rule of law. The Bulgarian court's judges, Julia Todorova and Madlen Petrova, welcomed the group and outlined the court's authority, functions, and historical development, noting its evolution from Ottoman rule through monarchy, communism, to today's democratic system. They emphasized the court's pivotal role in aligning Bulgaria's legal system with the EU Copenhagen Criteria, which paved the way for Bulgaria's EU membership on 1 January 2007. The content also compared the Bulgarian and Thai supreme administrative courts, highlighting the Bulgarian court's role as a global standard-setter in administrative law reform, while the Thai court is credited with pioneering the shift from a single-tier to a dual-tier court system under the 1997 Constitution, establishing administrative law principles and the concept of public interest that have increased transparency and accountability in Thai government agencies.
