Bulgaria's Cabinet voted on May 8 in favour of a proposal to amend the law on pharmacies that allowed only people with master of pharmacy degrees to open, as demanded by pharmacists across the country.

The restriction effectively banned pharmacy chains from operating in the country and prompted protests among pharmacists, private broadcaster bTV reported. The law came into effect in 2007.

Currently, the most important proposed amendment is the restriction that a pharmacy owner can only be a person with a master of pharmacy degree. This way, the “one pharmacist – one pharmacy” model for pharmacies ownership would be abolished. The restriction that one pharmacist can manage only one pharmacy, however, remains.

The Health Ministry said that the amendment was in line with recommendations it received from the competition watchdog.