site.btaBulgaria, Germany Discuss Implementation of EU Migration and Asylum Pact

The President of Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Dr. Hans-Eckhard Sommer, and Ivan Ivanov, Chairperson of Bulgaria’s State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers, discussed the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Bulgaria and Germany, the Agency said on Friday. Sommer is on a two-day working visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Ivanov.

The discussions focused on Bulgaria’s newly introduced border asylum procedure, as well as planned renovation works aimed at increasing the agency’s reception capacity in the event of a potential migration surge.

Sommer presented his Bulgarian counterparts with Germany’s experience as one of the few EU member states to have adopted asylum legislation aligned with the Migration and Asylum Pact. He noted that despite having the necessary legal framework in place, Germany also faces major challenges in implementing the new border procedure and ensuring legal assistance for people seeking international protection, with a number of unresolved legal and practical issues remaining.

Presenting Bulgaria’s experience, Ivanov said Germany was among the leading countries in terms of adopting the necessary legislation. He explained that Bulgaria began drafting its legal framework one month after he took office, at a time when the legislation was already expected to have been completed, while the change of three governments in the country further delayed the process.

Ivanov assured that despite the lack of a formal legal framework as of June 12, 2026, the requirements of the Pact are being implemented through established internal procedures and guidelines.

The Bulgarian Agency and Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees have had an agreement in place since 2023 for the exchange of liaison officers.