Almost 100% of the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria have temporary protection status

The Council of Ministers on May 12 is holding a briefing of the Operational Coordination Group to the government on Bulgaria's measures for relocation and integration of those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The number of Ukrainian citizens who have fled the war is now approaching 6 million. Those who arrived in Bulgaria as at 12 May were 252 826. 148 591 have left the country. 41% of those who entered have remained in the country.

Those registered under temporary protection status are 102 522 i.e. almost 100% of those registered under temporary protection. Bulgaria in in the first place among EU countries as regards the number of registered under the status of temporary protection, Mariana Tosheva, Head of the Refugee Task Force at the Council of Ministers, said.

The hotel accommodation measure, which is in place until 31 May, will not be extended, it became clear during the briefing.

The priority is the integration of those fleeing the war. One of the measures for this is acceptance and support from the communities themselves, Tosheva added.

She said that by the end of the week, a digital platform will be launched in the country, which will collect data on how many of the Ukrainian citizens intend to stay in the country, as some have already declared that they will leave after 31 May. According to data from a new survey, about 70% of those staying in Bulgaria have the intention to find permanent job.

More than 1,700 Interior Ministry employees have received training on working with the refugee system, as a result of which more than 92% of Ukrainian citizens now have temporary protection status, Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev said.

A subgroup has been established to coordinate the actions of the authorities and the civil sector to prevent human trafficking and assist refugees. Currently, there are no reports of human trafficking among Ukrainian refugees.

The Ministry of Tourism expressed its gratitude to Bulgarian hoteliers who responded and accommodated refugees, mostly mothers with children, explained Irena Georgieva, Deputy Minister of Tourism. Around 63 000 citizens have been accommodated in 1 204 accommodation places so far.

The programme, which ends on 31 May, is currently at the verification stage for a second payment. The first payment was finalised on May 9, Georgieva added.

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