Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria will intensify migrant pressure towards EU

Photo: BGNES

Due to the geopolitical situation, the economic and humanitarian crisis, the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the problems in the Middle East, a new large wave of migrants to Bulgaria is expected

The Bulgarian border is guarded under extremely difficult conditions, Chief Commissioner Rositsa Dimitrova, Director of the Main Directorate "Border Police", told the Bulgarian National Television. The officers of the "Border Police" do not have all-terrain, off-road vehicles, she added. 

On the other hand, the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border does not serve as an obstacle to migrants, there is no equipment, and there is no video surveillance in the busiest section in the Strandzha mountain with a length of 110 km. However, border guards on the Bulgarian-Turkish border have prevented the illegal crossing of more than 164,000 people, Dimitrova explained. 

According to the director of the "Border Police", last year there were over 2,800 pre-trial proceedings for migrant smuggling and illegal migration, 2,100 of which resulted in a verdict. Of them, only 159 people are effectively imprisoned, the rest received fines or suspended sentences. That is why Dimitrova called for increased penalties to deter perpetrators. 

Among the migrant smugglers in addition to Bulgarian and Turkish citizens, there are also Syrian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Romanian, and Russian citizens.


At a briefing for journalists, President Rumen Radev congratulated the leadership and all employees of the Ministry of the Interior, that despite the current situation, the problematic fence on the border, the lack of means of transport and sufficient personnel, the security has been improved, and illegal migrants on the country's roads are already being hunted down and apprehended.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria still has no official position for upcoming NATO meeting

GERB leader Boyko Borissov expressed disappointment that Bulgaria does not yet have a position to present during the NATO summit, BNR reporter Daniel Inkov informed.  According to Borissov, the European Commission has issued a report..

published on 6/21/24 11:03 AM
Denitsa Sacheva

Government can be formed with enough maturity and responsibility

GERB-SDS hold the position that Bulgaria must have a stable government and it must be formed with the first mandate of GERB. Upon entering the National Assembly, Denitsa Sacheva, deputy chairperson of the GERB-SDS parliamentary group,..

published on 6/21/24 10:15 AM
The Danube near Budapest

The Danube must become an internal river for the European Union

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has pointed out the need for all the countries of the Danube region to join the European Union and for the Danube to become an internal river for the EU, BNT has reported.  This year,..

published on 6/21/24 8:55 AM