Bulgaria has seen a large increase in asylum seekers in 2021 compared to previous years, putting strain on its refugee reception system. Conditions in reception centers remain poor, with irregular water, repairs needed, and only basic services provided. While children have access to education, the largest center lacks separate safe zones for unaccompanied children. NGOs provide some language and social services, as well as online access for education, but conditions overall are substandard.

1. Refugee
Integration in
Bulgaria
Bulgarian group

2. Access to the territory
As an external EU border, Bulgaria sits on
the doorstep of the Eastern
Mediterranean route next to a major hub
for irregular migration to Europe, Turkey.

3. Statistic
This represents a 212%
increase of asylum
seekers compared to
2020
2019 2020 2021

4. Vrazhdebna
This shelter provides the
most basic services like
hygiene and personal and
community spaces.
Harmanli center
Conditions remain
overwhelmingly
substandard.
Refugee reception centers

5. Save zones for unaccompanied children
Voenna Rampa
Accommodating
primarily Afghan and
Pakistani children
Ovcha Kupel
For children speaking
Arabic

6. Capacity of save zones
By way of illustration, the largest national reception center in the town of Harmanli, which has
capacity for 2,710 asylum seekers and where many unaccompanied children were
accommodated, continued to operate without a safe-zone.

7. Conditions in reception facilities
State of the facilities remain poor.
Regular water, hot water, repair of
utilities and equipment in
bathrooms, rooms and common
areas remain problematic.
Three meals per day are provided in
all centres. The only other assistance
provided by the government are
sanitary packages.

8. Access to education
The Red Cross has conducted
language courses and social
adaptation classes to relocated
asylum seekers in the
Vrazhdebna shelter throughout
the year.
All children accommodated in
the centers were supplied with
laptops, purchased by the Red
Cross, to secure children’s
online access to primary and
secondary education.
Access to education for asylum-seeking
children is provided explicitly in national
legislation without an age limit.

9. Events for the refugees
Football for children Vaccination centres

10. Thank you for your attention!