Representatives of the Bulgarian community in Israel have demanded that the Balkan country streamline the processing of applications for Bulgarian citizenship.

The demand was voiced Monday evening at a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who is on an official two-day visit to Israel.

Borisov has promised his cooperation and pointed out that his government has already taken steps to deal with this problem.

Currently the procedure for restoring the citizenship of Bulgaria-born Israeli nationals takes up to four years, the press center of the government said.

At the beginning of the year the government discussed the much anticipated amendments to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act.

The most significant changes involve the elimination of the so-called “middlemen” in the process of applying for citizenship along with establishing strict deadlines for responding to the application.

All certificates of Bulgarian origin will be issued by the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad not from the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the Interior Ministry.

According to the Minister for Bulgarians abroad Bozhidar Dimitrov, the majority of the 2,5 million people with Bulgarian roots living in Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Romania, the Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and all other former Soviet Republics, Turkey and Greece, wish to obtain Bulgarian passports while 70% of them are willing to permanently relocate to Bulgaria, buy a house and find work.

The old legislation had many loopholes leading to the appearance of a mafia trading Bulgarian citizenship, such as the provision that a negotiator should collect and submit the required paperwork and the lack of deadlines to respond to the application.

The amount, allegedly asked by the above said negotiators of brokers, had reached EUR 10 000 to 20 000 and no less than EUR 5 000.

The amendments will allow for up to 30 000 people to be granted Bulgarian citizenship each year compared to the current 7 113 in 2008 and 9 400 in 2009.

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