Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

193,000 illegal migrants have been apprehended or turned back in 2023

Photo: BTA

As of the end of November, the Bulgarian police at the country’s borders had checked more than 176,000 attempts by migrants to enter the EU illegally, a 13% increase compared to November 2022, the Interior Ministry has announced.  A 35% seasonal decline of the registered attempts at illegal crossings was registered in November. The people stopped at the border withdrew to the territory of neighbouring countries. The situation worst was at the Bulgaria-Turkey border, where 99% of the migrant stream is concentrated. 175,000 is the number of attempts to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border, the rest are along the Bulgarian-Greek border. There, the decline in the number of attempts is by 86% compared to 2022. After notification by Bulgarian patrols, the border authorities in neighbouring countries apprehended 616 migrants. 17,186 illegal migrants have been captured in Bulgaria since the beginning of 2023. 



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

Morning temperatures remain low, but the day will be spring-like warm

On Friday , the lowest temperatures will be between minus 5 and 0°C. In Sofia it will be around minus 3°C. In the morning hours along the riverbanks and around water basins there will be reduced visibility. It will be sunny during..

published on 3/20/25 7:05 PM
Prime Minister Zhelyazkov (left) at a meeting with ECB and Eurogroup Presidents Christine Lagarde (middle) and Paschal Donahue, Brussels, March 20, 2025

PM discusses Bulgaria's eurozone entry with ECB and Eurogroup presidents

The importance of eurozone membership for Bulgaria was the focus of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's meeting with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Eurogroup President Pascal Donahue. On the sidelines of the European Council meeting..

published on 3/20/25 6:07 PM

BNB Governor: Bulgaria meets all nominal criteria for the eurozone

"Currently, Bulgaria is one of the few in the EU that unconditionally meets all nominal criteria for convergence to the eurozone, including the price stability criterion, with which we have had problems in recent years." This was..

published on 3/20/25 3:35 PM