In October 2024, the Council of Europe adopts a Resolution on the obligations of Member States in relation to missing or deceased migrants (1680b090c3).
The resolution does not resonate in our country, despite the serious humanitarian challenges that Bulgaria faces on a daily basis as an external border of the EU. At both European and national level, institutions are practically abdicating from situations with destitute migrants, leaving officials and NGOs working on the ground to confront and resolve grave humanitarian issues on their own.
According to the Resolution, Member States have the following basic obligations:
To carry out rescue and search operations for missing migrants;
To investigate cases involving migrant deaths;
In relation to their irregular status, to refrain from criminalizing migrants and their support.
On this basis, the Resolution makes the following recommendations:
Adopt uniform definitions in the light of the guidelines of the International Organization of the Red Cross to take measures to search for missing migrants;
Facilitate the issuance of visas and travel documents to family members whose relatives have disappeared, so that families can access rights and local institutions;
Cooperate with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent in the exchange of data to trace and identify missing migrants;
Appoint a contact person or unit to coordinate local and international search activities;
Facilitating and expediting the process of issuing short-stay visas to relatives and family members in order to enable relatives to identify the deceased and assist them in the repatriation process;
Enact legislative changes to create uniform synchronized protocols and procedures in missing and deceased migrant situations;
Clear individualization of graves and the conduct of burial with respect for the dignity and religious beliefs of the deceased;
Ratification of the International Convention for the Protection against Enforced Disappearances.
