There is no increased migratory pressure in Bulgaria

“There is no increased migratory pressure in our country, and no more than 20% of refugee centers are currently occupied”, said Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of the State Agency for Refugees.

While this is good news, we should not become complacent, as the situation is very dynamic and unpredictable, Ivan Ivanov emphasized. In his words, the number of applicants seeking international protection in Bulgaria is difficult to predict.

Human trafficking in the European Union is estimated at over EUR 4 billion, a figure already approaching the scale of drug trafficking. “This is a serious problem that we face daily and must address. We are to build two more closed-type centers, from which refugees are not allowed to leave, in order to ensure the security of the Bulgarian population”, stated Ivan Ivanov.  

Bulgaria has granted temporary protection to over 221,000 Ukrainians, Ivan Ivanov reminded. “The European Union has extended the temporary protection scheme by another year, but the question of what will happen once this period ends still stands. We hope that a large portion of them will return to Ukraine once the war ends”, added the Chairman of the State Agency for Refugees.

Edited by Diana Tsankova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov