Bulgaria

The aim of the MigrantVoicesHeard project is to promote refugee and migrant participation in the design and implementation of integration and related policies at the local, regional, and national levels in seven EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Romania.

More specifically, the project aims to:

In the framework of the EUROMED Migration V project, trainings to sensitise journalists and media professionals about the benefits of promoting a balanced narrative on migration are organised. Public Communicatorsí Workshops are developed to highlight the central role of public communicators in informing the public debate on migration, and in shaping people's perceptions of migration.

The European Alternatives to Detention Network (EATDN) is a group of NGOs that aims to end immigration detention in Europe. Established in 2017, it brings together civil society organisations implementing case management-based ATD (alternatives to detention) pilots in seven European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Poland and the UK) in partnership with regional-level and international organisations.

Making migration and mobility positive forces for development
1. Bring together representatives of diaspora communities and governments of countries of origin and destination for round-table debates on sharing best practices and on recognising the role and needs of diaspora communities in development and investment in countries of origin as well as in integration in the host societies.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy has a network of Offices for Labour and Social Affairs in four EU countries. The so-called “labour attachés” that head these four offices provide labour and social affairs services to Bulgarian citizens in seven countries. 

The regulation on conditions and procedures for validating professional knowledge, skills and competencies came into force in January 2015. The validation procedure verifies compliance of professional knowledge, skills and competences – acquired through non-formal and informal learning – with State educational requirements, and guarantees better access to vocational training and the labour market. However, only qualifications in professions and specialties included in the list of professions for vocational education and training (VET) can be validated.

The framework agreement settles issues which concern the regulation of the temporary employment of citizens of the two countries, in specific economic sectors to be agreed upon in each of the respective countries. The number of the people employed under the agreement depends on the available job vacancies within a yearly set quota.

The EU Immigration Portal serves as a first point of entry to reliable, practical and up-to-date information on immigration issues. It provides useful basic information written in user-friendly language and gives rapid and direct access to relevant external websites for further information. In concrete terms, the portal helps potential migrants to:

- Better understand the EU admission rules and procedures;

- Identify job and study opportunities;

- Find information on the rights of non-EU citizens who are in the EU;

“Migration in Bulgaria: A Country Profile 2008” is part of a series of migration profiles produced by IOM Budapest within the “Black Sea Consultative Process on Migration Management” project, funded from IOM’s 1035 Facility. Migration from Bulgaria was mainly ethnically driven in the aftermath of the collapse of the socialist regime and concerned Bulgarian Turks. Between 1992 and 2001 approximately 196,000 Bulgarians emigrated, on economic grounds, while 19,000 returned to Bulgaria.

The Greek Government has bilateral labor agreements with Egypt, Bulgaria and Albania, mostly for seasonal workers, anbd believes that by establishing legal channels for migration, the agreements enhance inter-governmental cooperation at economic, social and cultural levels.