In the coming days Bulgaria will extradite the first group of migrants back to Kabul by plane. The group comprises some 50 people involved in the riot at the refugee centre in Harmanli. They all entered Bulgaria illegally, have no regulated status on the territory of the country and have stated their wish to return to their country voluntarily. Voluntarily, because they have not had their wish fulfilled of reaching the land of their dreams – the wealthy countries of Western Europe, a destination in which Bulgaria is but a stopover.
The extradition of this first group was expedited after a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries – Boyko Borissov and Abdullah Abdullah on 1 December. There are around 5,000 more Afghans in the country that will follow, something that is highly dependent on the forthcoming readmission agreement between the two countries. The prime ministers of Bulgaria and Afghanistan have agreed to task their foreign ministers with drafting such a document.
A great many of the foreigners who have entered Bulgaria illegally come from Afghanistan, yet their extradition will not go a long way to alleviate the problem of migration. After the EU-Turkey agreement on migration, the inflow of migrants from our Southern neighbour was reduced considerably, yet the migratory pressure from Bulgaria in the direction of Western Europe, across neighbouring Balkan countries and most of all Serbia, has grown. This has turned the migration problem into a domestic affair, because the efforts of the authorities are being rechanneled - from stemming the inflow of migrants, to tightening control of the passage of those already in the country and checking their attempts to leave Bulgaria in a Westerly direction. To add to these worries, there has been some evidence that the number of migrants returned to Bulgaria from countries in Western Europe is about to go up. As the week drew to a close, the efficiency of the executive in tackling the refugee problem was called into question, followed by the reproach that not only is it belittling the migratory pressure by land, but also by sea. The week ahead is fraught with expectations of repatriation of Afghan nationals. What comes next in the process of migration and which direction it may take in future is something that is hard to tell.
English version: Milena Daynova
The second edition of the unique Blackthorn Festival will be held today in the village of Salash near Belogradchik, northeastern Bulgaria. The event will begin on the square, where locals will offer sweets and jam from tart blackthorns collected in..
U.S. sanctions on NIS activated despite expectations of delay U.S. sanctions on Serbian oil company NIS – Naftna Industrija Srbije came into force on Thursday after being postponed eight times and despite expectations of yet another postponement,..
The Earth and Man National Museum in Sofia is hosting the 33rd Sofia Exhibition of Minerals, Gemstones and Fossils , the institution announced. The three-day event opens today and features companies and collectors of minerals and fossils, as well as..
Veliko Tarnovo is hosting the Urban Wine Fest, organised by the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals. "October is the month of Bulgarian wine and..
Sofia is hosting the finals of ER Champ 2025 — described by the organisers as the world’s largest international escape room competition . Taking place on..
More than 500 people from across Bulgaria are gathering today in the village of General Todorov, near Petrich, for the national festival “Once Upon a..
+359 2 9336 661