On July 3, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants participated in the Constituent Assembly of the Association of Teachers of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language. During the meeting, an official decision was made for the establishment of the Association. Besides, the goals of the Association and the mechanisms for their achievement were formulated.

Within the Constituent Assembly, the Executive Board, and the Chairperson – the Associated Professor  Galina Kurteva from New Bulgarian University, were elected.

The idea for the establishment of such association was born during the coalition meetings on the Bulgarian language training of refugees organized within the implementation of the National Integration Evaluation Mechanism Project (NIEM), where the Bulgarian Refugee Council on Refugees and Migrants and Multi Kulti are national partners. The establishment of the Association of Teachers of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language is an important step towards the development and strengthening of the capacity of civil society structures in the field of integration of refugees and migrants in Bulgaria.

UNHCR 2019 Global Trends shows that of the 79.5 million who were displaced at the end of last year, 45.7 million were people who had fled to other areas of their own countries. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has not seen a higher total. Take a look at the following trends at a glance.

The 2019 Global Trends report is available online in English language at the UNHCR Global Website.

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants launched a new website with information about the rights and obligations of the newly recognized refugees and humanitarian status holders. The website is available in seven languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi and Pasto, and presents information on the topics of international protection and integration in Bulgaria, personal documents, housing, education, recognition of diploma and qualification, employment, Bulgarian language training, family reunification, and Bulgarian citizenship.

The website is a strategic addition to the developed by the BCRM information infrastructure targeting all stakeholders and actors in the process of integration of refugees in Bulgarian. The website www.refugee.bg is developed within the framework of the implementation of the project ‘Advocacy for refugee integration in Bulgaria’, funded by UNHCR Representation in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants and Multi Kulti invite you to take part in Online Quiz with prizes for the 2020 World Refugee Day. Check your knowledge and learn more for the refugee situation around the world and the integration of the refugees in Europe and Bulgaria.

Take part in the quiz >>>

The MultiCulti Collective and the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants are national partners in the European project NIEM – All In For Integration, which aims to improve the results of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The project is being implemented in 15 EU Member States and creates a mechanism for a comprehensive evaluation of refugee integration, assesses the impact of changes in legislation and policies, and identifies good practices.

More information about the project >>>

The Academic Bulletin “Refugees: Today and Tomorrow”, developed and published by the BCRM and UNHCR Bulgaria is featured in the European Website on Integration (EWSI). The EWSI is the European Commission’s official portal for information related to the integration of third-country nationals in the EU and is designed as a “one-stop-shop” for bringing together and making available existing information and good practices on immigrant integration from all Member States.

More information >>>

The Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants and the Multi Kulti Collective present to your attention a study published on the website of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. The original in English can be found here .

As part of its Cities and Regions for Integration initiative, the EU Committee of the Regions published the study which explores the context and the structures through which medium and small cities have increasingly addressing the needs of migrants and refugees and developing and implementing integration programmes. The study explores the implemented measures and the nature of the actions being undertaken. The report also presents the examined examples from six EU member states, including Bulgaria.

This research shows a relatively positive attitude by many of the cities examined to actively engage with migration generally and integration in particular. Migration is seen as a way to address some of the challenges of the city, and integration provides a way towards ensuring that migrants and refugees are actively contributing to their new homes.

The key findings of this research include:

• Migrants offer significant benefits to medium and small cities, including by assisting in ensuring the viability of basic services as well as greater diversity and opportunities.
• Cities, including medium and small cities have often been left to deal with issues that the national level has failed to address.
• Migrants and refugees also benefit from being in medium and small cities including by having access to closer networks and by benefiting from greater interaction with locals. This for the most part,  this has had a positive impact on the migrants and refugees and their integration prospects.
• Medium and small cities are more adaptable to changing realities and provide opportunities to test new policy and programming approaches.
• Medium and small cities are more adaptable to changing realities and provide opportunities to test new policy and programming approaches. This is supported by the reduction in institutional structures as well as the possibility to implement projects at a lower cost.
• Capacity, including in terms of financial and human resources, is often stretched very thin in medium and small cities especially as these are often left to deal with issues that the national level has been unable to address. Both formal and informal partnerships with civil society organisations have been critical in addressing the limited capacity of government.
•  There are opportunities for integration in a number of geographically close towns and villages working together to share resources and service provision. Such interaction between local authorities is an element of success in integration provision.
• Greater coordination is needed between different integration related services at the municipal level, as well as between different levels of government.
• Municipalities have different powers, competences and resources in different countries. There is a distinction, in various countries, between medium and small cities and their ability and willingness to engage with integration issues

Recommendations for the European Committee of the Regions in the study include:

• Conduct an EU Wide Needs assessment, addressing the needs of medium, small and rural areas in the integration of migrants and refugees.
• Provide tailored capacity building support (in the form of training and financial assistance)
• Expand the programme of sharing good practices in a manner that is usable and accessible.
• Continue to advocate, on behalf of municipalities, for EU finding to be made more practically accessible.

The Annex to the study includes examples from 6 EU member states, including Bulgaria with examples from Nova Zagora and Haskovo.

The MultiCulti Collective and the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants are national partners in the European project National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM), which aims to improve the results of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The project is being implemented in 15 EU Member States and creates a mechanism for a comprehensive evaluation of refugee integration, assesses the impact of changes in legislation and policies, and identifies good practices.

More information for the NIEM Project >>>

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants joined  the Community of Interests at EU level within the project  ‘LIME – Labour Integration for Migrants Employment ‘, promoting the swift integration of young third-country nationals – 18-29 years old – into the labour market, by implementing the ‘MEIC – Migrants Economic Integration Cluster’ model at local level all over Europe. Within the project the BCRM will collaborate with the LUMSA University, Roma in the process of identification, research and promotion of good practices for integration on the labour marker, related to the MEIC.

This is the first issue of the Academic bulletin “Refugees: Тoday and Тomorrow”. It aims to provide up-to-date information on various aspects of the forced migration phenomenon, including international standards of refugee protection; information about the asylum systems in Bulgaria and Europe; integration opportunities and practices for refugees, from one hand, and the political, economic and social consequences for host communities, on the other. The bulletin will contain data and statistics; brief legal explanations of the international protection regime; information on the activities of institutions and non-governmental organizations that support refugees in Bulgaria; interviews with field experts, lecturers; information about academic initiatives and published articles related to the topic, refugee stories, calls for conferences and publications, etc. The bulletin is published by the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants within the project ‘Advocacy for the Integration of the Refugees in Bulgaria’ financially supported by the Representation of UNHCR in Bulgaria.

The topic of the first issue of the bulletin provides a brief overview of what happened in 2019 for those who are seeking or have received international protection in Bulgaria. The interest of the academic community on the forced migration topic is reflected through a short list of articles published in 2019. At the same time, a significant place in the issue is given to the COVID-19 pandemic, the measures taken by both institutions and non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria. Furthermore, the basic principles enshrined in the international and Bulgarian legislation regarding the access to territory and to procedure for the international protection for refugees are outlined. We also tell the personal story of a young refugee from Afghanistan who found a new home in Bulgaria. The first issue of the bulletin is enriched with welcome words by representatives of UNHCR, the State Agency for Refugees, and leading professors. The issue also presents two master’s programmes addressing refugees and migrations, as well as other opportunities and academic horizons. Last but not least, the first issue of the bulletin opens the door to the refugee situation in Greece and how the pandemic there evolves against the background of the existing humanitarian crisis.

Download in PDF   Feedback Form    Other issues   Academia Portal

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants and Multi Kulti Collective bring to your attention a publication of the European Website on Integration (EWSI) on a Call for proposals – Sport as a tool for integration and social inclusion of refugees (2020 edition).

Multi Kulti and the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants are national partners for the European National Integration Evaluation Mehanism Project (NIEM) which aims to improve the results of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The project is being implemented in 15 EU member states and will set up a mechanism for a comprehensive assessment of refugee integration, assess the impact of changes in legislation and policies, and identify good practices.

More information about the project >>>

The potential of sport as a tool for social inclusion has been well documented. Sport projects contribute to the social inclusion of refugees in host communities, and the opportunities such projects provide are increasingly welcomed in EU Member States. This preparatory action is a contribution to this effort and to a better integration of refugees through sport.

Through concrete actions aiming at integrating refugees through sport, the expected outcomes of this preparatory action will include:

• Promoting the direct engagement of refugees and host communities
• Promoting a Europe-wide approach, increasing the potential for host communities to successfully engage and integrate refugees through sport

Expected project outputs:

• Organise sport activities for refugees
• Promote the practice of sport and physical activity by refugees
• Promote the cooperation of refugees and host communities in the organisation of sport activities

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects under this call for proposals is estimated at 1,650,000 EUR. The EU grant is limited to a maximum co-financing rate of 80% of eligible costs. Grants will range from a minimum of 200,000 EUR to a maximum of 300,000 EUR per project, and the European Commission expects to fund approximately 6 proposals (i.e. to sign 6 grants of 275,000 EUR in average).

The deadline to submit applications is 1 June 2020 at 12:00 (noon) Brussels time.

For all information about requirements and applications, please visit the website of the call for proposals

 What are the gaps in the refugee integration policies of European countries? Have there been any changes from 2017 to 2019? Our new NIEM Summary Report shows:

1. Few changes occurred since 2017. The widest gaps remain in the policies that support integration and multi-stakeholder collaborations.

2.Countries that had the strongest positive change across all areas include France and Lithuania, followed by Latvia and Slovenia. Countries that slipped back include Romania, Italy and Hungary.

3. The areas with the strongest positive dynamics between 2017 and 2019 are social security, followed by employment, health and education.

The report is available online.