Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov voted both in the local elections and referendum before heading for the leaders' meeting over the refugee crisis scheduled to take place in Brussels later on Sunday.

Borisov said that he had voted for the future of Sofia and continuing the current trend of development, reminding what the capital had looked like years before.

As regards the referendum on the introduction of remote electronic voting, the prime minister called on all Bulgarians to vote regardless of their stance.

President Rosen Plevneliev also voted both in the local elections and the referendum and similarly called for a high voter turnout.

Plevneliev expressed hope that Bulgarians will vote for good keepers who will modernise the country's settlements and change them for the better.

The Head of State called on Bulgarians to vote in favour of direct democracy and thus enrich the country's democratic system.

Earlier this week, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker summoned a meeting at the level of Heads of State or Government over the unfolding emergency in the countries along the Western Balkans migratory route.

At the meeting, leaders are expected to address the need for much greater cooperation, more extensive consultation and immediate operational action.

The objective of the meeting is to agree on common operational conclusions which could be immediately implemented.

Juncker said that Europe was facing the greatest refugee flows since the Second World War, with the countries along the Western Balkans route having been particularly exposed.

The meeting will be attended by the Heads of State or Government of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Sweden.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz, European Council President Donald Tusk, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have also been invited to attend the meeting.

Representatives of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Frontex are also to participate in the meeting.