Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria will intensify migrant pressure towards EU

Photo: BGNES

Due to the geopolitical situation, the economic and humanitarian crisis, the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the problems in the Middle East, a new large wave of migrants to Bulgaria is expected

The Bulgarian border is guarded under extremely difficult conditions, Chief Commissioner Rositsa Dimitrova, Director of the Main Directorate "Border Police", told the Bulgarian National Television. The officers of the "Border Police" do not have all-terrain, off-road vehicles, she added. 

On the other hand, the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border does not serve as an obstacle to migrants, there is no equipment, and there is no video surveillance in the busiest section in the Strandzha mountain with a length of 110 km. However, border guards on the Bulgarian-Turkish border have prevented the illegal crossing of more than 164,000 people, Dimitrova explained. 

According to the director of the "Border Police", last year there were over 2,800 pre-trial proceedings for migrant smuggling and illegal migration, 2,100 of which resulted in a verdict. Of them, only 159 people are effectively imprisoned, the rest received fines or suspended sentences. That is why Dimitrova called for increased penalties to deter perpetrators. 

Among the migrant smugglers in addition to Bulgarian and Turkish citizens, there are also Syrian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Romanian, and Russian citizens.


At a briefing for journalists, President Rumen Radev congratulated the leadership and all employees of the Ministry of the Interior, that despite the current situation, the problematic fence on the border, the lack of means of transport and sufficient personnel, the security has been improved, and illegal migrants on the country's roads are already being hunted down and apprehended.



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

Red heat alert has been issued for the entire country

Wednesday will be sunny and very hot, with some cumulus clouds in the afternoon. Lows will be between 19 and 27°C, 20°C in Sofia, and highs between 38 and 43°C, 38° in the capital. A red heat warning has been issued for the whole of the country...

published on 7/16/24 7:05 PM

The Czech Republic is sending 2 helicopters to help Bulgaria combat the wildfires

Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev has established a task force to combat the wildfires in the country. Today, he visited the Stara Zagora region, which is one of the most affected areas, reported the Council of Ministers press service. Five..

published on 7/16/24 5:54 PM
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova (C) with Bulgarian delegation at ECOFIN in Brusselsл

Bulgaria's euro preparations on track, Finance Minister tells ECOFIN Council

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lyudmila Petkova assured that the technical preparations for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria are progressing well . She was attending the meeting of EU Finance and Economic Ministers - ECOFIN - in..

published on 7/16/24 4:18 PM