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

Bulgarian language teaching remains a problem for Ukrainian refugees

Photo: BGNES

There are about 87,000 Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria. Nearly 26,000 were accommodated in hotels and state facilities under the government programme that will continue until 31 August, indicate data of the portal "Bulgaria for Ukraine". It is difficult to say where the rest of the people are accommodated, Iva Partsaleva, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bulgaria, said for the BNR-Varna.

The teaching of Bulgarian language, which relies on the enthusiasm of the NGO sector, is a stumbling block for the integration of refugees in Bulgaria. There is no institution such as the Goethe Institute or the French Institute in Bulgaria that gives Bulgarian language courses and issues certificates of proficiency.

Around 15% of Ukrainian refugees already have employment contracts, but around 60% of them are working in the hotel and restaurant industry, which is seasonal employment. Access to regulated professions remains extremely difficult.




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

Sofia Municipality launches night bus service from airport to city centre

Sofia will now have night public transport connecting the centre with Vasil Levski Airport , according to the press centre of the Sofia Municipality. Starting on 14 July, night bus line No. 4 will run, extending its current route from the Gotse..

published on 7/11/25 2:21 PM
Hristijan Mickoski

Hristijan Mickoski must apologise, PM Zhelyazkov says in Rome

“Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski’s narrative will be left to those familiar with Aesop’s fables,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov commented in Rome, where he attended the Fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference.  “North Macedonia must adhere to..

published on 7/11/25 1:44 PM

PM Zhelyazkov reaffirms Bulgaria’s support for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction

Bulgaria has consistently and unwaveringly supported Ukraine since the outset of the war, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their meeting at the Fourth Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine ...

published on 7/11/25 1:29 PM