Interior Minister in resignation Rumyana Bachvarova stated the other day that a new and unique for Europe border guard system would start to function soon due to bilateral agreements with the USA. In early October the newly established European Border and Coast Guard Agency had its initial steps on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey. Any speculations on an increasing migrant pressure towards this country after the closure of the so-called Balkan route remained unjustified but the migration flow en route out increased. Thus we have a new situation.

Not only national authorities but also some 200 officers of the new agency are now in control of the most problematic segment – the border with Turkey. Supplied with latest high tech surveillance equipment the agency also carries out analyses, regarding weaknesses in the border guard. It has the power to require corrective actions by the Bulgarian authorities. No more details are reported due to confidentiality. However, it is known that the system will act not only along the border with Turkey but also along the other land, air and sea borders, covering not only the entering but also the exit out of the state. The agreements with the USA were signed end-September and in compliance with the 2012 cooperation treaty against heavy crime. It was explained back then that the reciprocal exchange of fingerprint data and DNA profiles was envisaged with the purpose of prevention and investigation of heavy crime. Both states’ services were also to cooperate in the identification of potential terrorists or of people threatening national security in some other way, alongside cooperation in cases of heavy crimes such as human trafficking and travel documents abuse. A mid-December visit of Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Alan Bersin made it clear that actually Bulgaria had access to US information on migrants with risky profiles. Though the agreement is bilateral the access to the US information system will be beneficial not only for Bulgaria, but also for the EU because it will be used for assessment of risky migrants coming out of this country en route to West Europe as well. We have already mentioned the increase of this flow. Latest days’ data come as indirect evidence – in the period December 1 – 15 some 600 people fled the asylum camps and the police are unaware of their whereabouts. Another 1,647 people left those places illegally in November. Thus a total of 2,247 people can’t be traced over a period of 45 days. A clear and alarming trend is being framed this way on an overwhelming number of the refugees towards West Europe, compared to the ones nabbed by the police. More than 18,000 people entered Bulgaria since January 1 and that shows the size of the issue. We are about to see through the initial months of 2017 whether the new border guard system and the December-started repatriations of illegal migrants will result in some turning point.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev