We have recently seen some hard work in relation to changing the current EU migration policy. This week in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Ministers of Italy and Spain, Paolo Gentiloni and Mariano Rajoy, discussed together with African leaders ways to cut illegal migration through the Mediterranean towards European coasts. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos has confirmed that Brussels was considering new rules for checks in the Schengen area. The subject was part of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Varna last week when he discussed with Bulgarian head of state Rumen Radev the need for reforms in the European asylum policy, expressing support for Bulgaria's participation in the discussions on Schengen reforms, although Bulgaria is not part of this space.

Being EU's external border, Bulgaria has been part of the debate for a long time, expressing persistent demands for more determined measures to tackle migration, a clear differentiation between refugees and economic migrants, concentration of refugees in security zones close to conflict regions and interaction with the authorities of the countries sources of migration. It is worth pointing out that Sofia started to speak about these issues at a time when the refugee crisis was in full swing. Now the new wave of changes in European migration policy comes at a time when a drastic reduction in migratory pressure to Bulgaria is seen, causing some local observers to talk about "summer drought" in migratory flows.

Indeed, according to data by the Ministry of Interior from the end of August, the capacity of refugee centers in Bulgaria remains unfilled. Statistics show a decline in migratory flows, both on entry and exit of the country. Just in the past week 60 people left refugee centers. 40 migrants were detained while trying to enter the country and 7 were stopped when they attempted to leave Bulgaria.

The capacity of the centers of the Ministry of Interior is used at 50% and actually most of the 400 migrants residing in them are not refugees from Syria but illegal migrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Refugees from Syria prevail in the centers of the State Agency for Refugees and these are 1,358 people at a backdrop of capacity for more than 5,000 people. It is quite clear that for migrants, Bulgaria remains a transit country and few of those who enter the country want to remain in it.

At the backdrop of the drastic reduction in migration of over 80 percent from the beginning of the year, a question arises whether Bulgaria should take part in the debates on a new EU migration policy? The answer is definitely positive, not only given the serious commitments that Bulgaria has made as a transit country. The issue has not only technical and humanitarian dimensions but is also linked to national security. The difference between the number of migrants entering refugee centers and the number of those leaving indicate that some of the migration flows remain out of control, which in today's times of increased terrorist threat continues to be a serious problem. This understanding is shared by the Bulgarian government and if we recall the statement President Rumen Radev made during the visit of Emmanuel Macron that European citizens’ security starts from the security of Bulgarian borders, Sofia is definitely determined to actively participate in reforming the European migration policy.

English: Alexander Markov