site.btaUkrainian Community Already Integrated into Bulgaria's Social, Economic Fabric, Says Friedrich Ebert Foundation Director

Ukrainian citizens living in Bulgaria are already part of the the country's social and economic reality as many of them work, study, set up businesses and are actively involved in the life of local communities, said Jacques Paparo, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Office in Bulgaria. He spoke at a forum on "Ukrainian Refugees in Bulgaria: Countering Disinformation and Strengthening Social Cohesion" which took place at the Central Military Club in the capital on Monday. The conference was organized by The Atlantic Club in Bulgaria in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Embassy of Ukraine in Sofia.

Paparo recalled that after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, millions of people were forced to leave their homes, and some of them found safety in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian public, government institutions, local authorities and the civil society sector showed solidarity and readiness for support in an extremely difficult moment. Paparo pointed out that behind the statistics are enormous efforts of the administration, services, teachers, doctors, volunteers, social organizations and many Bulgarian citizens who helped in the difficult situation.

In his words, there are longer-term issues: building sustainable mechanisms for integration, ensuring social cohesion, and preventing the growth of mistrust. Paparo commented that topics related to migration and refugees have increasingly become the subject of manipulation, political instrumentalization and disinformation in many European societies in recent years. "Social networks and the information environment reinforce fears and stereotypes instead of building trust and understanding. And this is not a problem of any one country but a challenge for democratic societies as a whole," Paparo said.