Migrant pressure: Refugee accommodation centres in Bulgaria are almost full

73% of the capacity of migrant accommodation centres in the country is filled. According to the chairman of the State Agency for Refugees, there is no agreed number for return of migrants between the country and Austria. In 2023, Vienna returned 113 persons to the country. Mariana Tosheva also commented that Bulgaria has not stopped fulfilling its commitments under the Dublin Agreement.

The centre in "Ovcha Kupel" is even overcrowded - 104% occupancy of the accommodation places in it. It accommodates all minors, and they represent a significant proportion of those who have managed to cross our country's border. 370 children in need of special protection and care are accommodated in the centre. The other centre, where 100% of the places are occupied, is in Vrazhdebna, and it accommodates teenagers and young men, mostly up to 20 years old. The other 4 centres are evenly occupied, with 65-70% of capacity.

Bulgaria strictly complies with the Dublin Regulation, which regulates the return of migrants to the countries that registered them, the chairwoman of the Refugee Agency said. Mariana Tosheva stressed that no specific number of migrants to be returned to Bulgaria had been agreed between Sofia and Vienna:

"The figure that has been mentioned in the past two weeks, 6,000, is an indicative number of foreigners who have already passed through Bulgaria, applied for asylum and left the country within the procedure."

Some of these people have made it to Austria and the authorities there have established that their first registration in an EU country is Bulgaria. Under recent changes to the so-called Dublin Regulation from 2013, these people could potentially be returned to the country. However, this rarely happens.

"For 2023, I already have the specific statistics that this is exactly 590 persons, from all Member States, in total. Only from Austria specifically 113 persons have been returned within 2023," said Mariana Tosheva, chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees.

Those to be returned have the right to appeal against the orders to the court in the country that wants to return them.

"There are courts which rule on whether the authorities' decision to return the person to Bulgaria, Greece or Spain is lawful. Very often over the years the court in Germany or Austria has ruled that there are no good reception conditions in Bulgaria or in another country for the person to be returned," Mariana Tosheva said.

One of the largest accommodation centres is in Harmanli. It is where most of the detainees along our border with Turkey in the Svilengrad-Matochina area are initially accomodated. Stefka Gadzeva has been working in this centre for three months:

"Mostly men and women. They get along so well, but there is a lot of fighting between them, they fight physically as well."

Residents of the town say that those housed in the centre in Harmanli do not cause problems in the small town:

- They go on their way, they won't bother us about anything.

However, they say that those staying in the centre do not keep curfew and often go around the town late at night:

- Local people say some of them are good people, others are not.

- Well, they bother us, yes. In the town garden along the centre, sitting with their phones beside them. Throwing.

There are 4 countries most affected by the migrant pressure. Bulgaria and Greece from the so called Balkan route and Italy and Spain from the so called Mediterranean route. However, analyses show that all four countries are transit countries. Most of the migrants aim to reach countries where they already have established communities to help them integrate.

There is a crisis management plan that foresees the opening of new accommodation places, but analyses show that there is no need to start it at this stage. Occupancy of 60 to 85% of accommodation places is within the normal range. There have been times over the years when occupancy of the six accommodation centres has been above 120%, i.e.there is sufficient reserve in the centres themselves that can be mobilised, but this is not necessary either.

Images by BGNES/archive