A heated controversy was unleashed in Bulgaria last week over the so-called “hot spots” – refugee reception, registration and redistribution centres within the bounds of the EU. To establish “hot spots” – this was one of the decisions taken at the crisis summit held in Brussels. According to security expert and former defence minister Boyko Noev, establishing such reception centres in this country would mean dealing a serious blow to Bulgaria’s national security. In an interview for Radio Bulgaria, he said the refugee crisis may well alter the political map of Europe.

“It is crucial for Bulgaria that the country categorically reject any idea or any possibility of having such registration centres, known as “hot spots” on its territory,” Boyko Noev says. “A “hot spot” on the territory of Bulgaria would deal a serious blow to the security of the country. This would redirect a considerable portion of the refugee flows towards Bulgaria because evidently, refugees will be expected to arrive here to be redistributed towards Europe.”

In the words of Boyko Noev, now in the wake of the first wave of refugees towards Western Europe via the Balkans, it is clear to practically everyone that the refugee flow is first and foremost a problem of security and only then a humanitarian drama. The new reception and registration centres which should be ready by November, will be a magnet for a great many people, with few leaving them to go to other EU countries, he says.

“Five million are jostling to enter Europe. The quotas the EU came up with are but a half-measure. But the question immediately springs to mind: how will 5 million be distributed? According to the current formula, out of the 120,000 refugees, Bulgaria will take in 800 to 1,000. But with five million that would mean tens of thousands. To my mind, we are in a period of survival.”

According to the ex-defence minister, the EU has reached the limit of its integration capacity and a case in point is the lack of consensus on developing a common defence policy.

“Integration within the EU reached saturation point long ago. The public and political components that do not affect the core interests of the sovereignty of the member countries – they were the only ones that were actually integrated. Unless we surmount this ceiling, we cannot push ahead. Unless radical political steps are taken within the bounds of the EU towards its federalization, the union is heading for disintegration,” says Boyko Noev. What is more – he says the refugee crisis will permanently alter the map of Europe:

“The unchecked inflow of large groups of people professing a different religion and culture will, without doubt create integration problems for European societies. This process will undoubtedly fuel the nationalistic and xenophobic tendencies that already exist in the European countries, for example in France and the Netherlands, but we should not exclude Bulgaria from the picture, because here, there are political forces that have taken radical positions against refugees. This means that when such large groups of people come to the host countries, when these countries are not in a capacity to integrate them effectively, then nationalism will surge. Ultimately this may bring about a change of the political map of Europe.”

English version: Milena Daynova