site.btaUPDATED Refugee Centres 20% Full, No Increased Migratory Pressure in Bulgaria
There is no increased migratory pressure and no more than 20% of refugee centres are currently occupied, Chair of the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers, Ivan Ivanov, said on Tuesday during the presentation of the collective monographs “The Common European Defence and Security and Bulgaria’s Place in It” and “Problems of the Common European Defence and Security in an Increasingly Uncertain World” at the Central Military Club in Sofia.
He described the figures as good news but noted that these are highly dynamic and unpredictable processes. From a geopolitical perspective, the number of applicants seeking international protection in Bulgaria is difficult to be anticipated because the countries that generate migration are themselves undergoing rapid changes, Ivanov said.
He noted that human trafficking in the European Union is estimated at over EUR 4 billion, a figure already approaching the scale of drug trafficking. Ivanov said that the issue poses a serious daily challenge that requires urgent action. In response, two additional closed-type centres will be constructed. These facilities do not allow refugees to leave the premises and are intended to enhance the security of the Bulgarian population.
Ivanov said Bulgaria has provided temporary protection to more than 221,000 Ukrainian citizens who remain in the country. He noted that although the European Union has extended the temporary protection scheme for another year, the question of what will happen once this period ends still stands. Whether these people will begin returning to Ukraine remains uncertain, although the expectation is that many will do so once the war is over.
The event was organized by the Confederation for Security and Defence of Public Organizations, the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Balkan Institute for Strategic Forecasts and Risk Management, and the Bulgarian Wings Foundation.
Later on Tuesday, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said that the issue of migrant centres has never been the subject of discussions with the UK authorities and would be rejected if it were ever raised.
Responding to the intensified debate in North Macedonia, Mickoski announced the Safe State project, under which the country’s borders will be fully monitored to prevent the illegal entry of migrants.
Mickoski noted that cooperation with the United Kingdom focuses on joint efforts against illegal migration, emphasizing that North Macedonia is effectively “protecting Europe from Europe”, as irregular migrants enter through a border with an EU member state. He said the country can pursue a campaign for stronger action against illegal migration, describing this as a core value of VMRO-DPMNE’s policies, and criticized the opposition for “inventing topics” due to a lack of ideas.
/NZ/
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