Bulgaria Grapples with Soaring Corruption Rates: New Report Reveals Shocking Data
Corruption in Bulgaria has soared to its third highest peak in history, according to a recent report by the Center for the Study of Democracy
The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed assurances from the Bulgarian Government of quick action to fix dire conditions for those seeking asylum within its borders.
So far this year, Bulgaria has received about 3,000 asylum applications, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This is three times the yearly average of the past decade. August saw a sharp rise to some 50 new arrivals (mainly Syrian families) per day.
“Although overall numbers are low relative to some other European countries, Bulgaria’s asylum system cannot keep pace with the new arrivals,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva.
Last Friday, UNHCR’s Regional Representative for Central Europe, Montserrat Feixas Vihe, Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, and other senior officials discussed the need for new accommodation facilities to relieve overcrowding and for asylum-seekers to be released from detention.
The three existing accommodation centres operated by Bulgaria’s State Agency for Refugees are “overflowing, and conditions are both unsafe and dire,” noted Ms. Fleming. “People sleep in corridors and cook on flimsy burners in crowded dormitories. TV, internet rooms and child care spaces have been hastily turned into makeshift bedrooms accommodating as many as seven families together.
“Up to 100 people share a single bathroom, with no separate facilities for men, women and children. Education and recreational activities are scant, and several hundred children are missing out entirely on school,” she added.
The overcrowding is straining relations among asylum-seekers, Fleming said, adding that the situation is made worse by a slow asylum procedure. “People typically stay in accommodation centres for a year while their refugee claims are being assessed, even though the law states that applications should be decided within six months,” she noted.
At Friday’s meeting, UNHCR offered to increase technical assistance to Bulgaria in the form of training and support at every stage of the asylum process from registration to decision-making on refugee claims.
According to the agency, Bulgaria has received about 2,000 Syrians since the start of Syria’s conflict two and half years ago. Across the European Union, some 41,000 Syrians sought asylum in the same period.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Overnight, the precipitation zone will gradually shift eastward, with significant amounts expected in parts of Central and Eastern Bulgaria, accompanied by thunderstorms
Architects Martin Hristov and Galina Baleva, who have crafted the design, revealed that a novel central bus station in Varna is scheduled to be inaugurated in late May
Romanian media outlets have reported that storm "Renata" has made landfall in Romania, bringing with it strong winds and heavy precipitation. Following two weeks of record high temperatures, the mercury has plummeted by 15-20 degrees Celsius, as reported
Excitement is brewing among fans of the magical world as actor and comedian Dan Fogler, renowned for his roles in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise, gears up to visit Bulgaria for the Aniventure Comic Con festival on July 6 and 7
Bulgaria will soon be celebrated in the heart of British Columbia and the city of Vancouver as May 24 is set to be declared Bulgaria Day, announced Velislava Panova, Consul General of Bulgaria in Toronto, to the BNR.
The concluded winter presented unusually elevated temperatures and a 'milder' heating season for thousands of Bulgarians
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022