Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria invites you to a presentation of the results of the legal and economic analysis of the state of the labor market in Bulgaria and the role of migration in addressing the challenges, conducted under the project “Strengthening the labour rights of migrant workers in Bulgaria” within the framework of a joint programme on labour rights and labour migration of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Germany.
WHEN : 3rd June, Mondays, from 15:00 to 17:00
WHERE : Shtrak, located in the Strak space at 3 Hristo Belchev Street (ground floor), Sofia
The publication to be presented is an academic legal and economic analysis carried out by experts from Center of Legal Aid- Voice in Bulgaria in Bulgaria and the Institute for Market Economics (IME), combined with field research through informational interviews with three target groups – vulnerable migrant workers; employers and business representatives working with migrants; trade unions.
Findings from the field research and both analyses unequivocally indicate that:
- labour market needs for workers in Bulgaria are increasing and migration will play an increasing role in supplying them;
- the profile of the third country migrant population in Bulgaria is highly favourable;
- the need for further reform and facilitation of access to work permits, right to work and effective integration of migrants is pressing;
- refugees remain an almost completely untapped labour resource, despite the demonstrated success of targeted labour integration projects;
- the protection of migrant workers’ rights, especially the most vulnerable among them, remains out of sight for trade unions, NGOs and the state.
Based on our findings, this publication provides recommendations for legislative, administrative and policy changes.
This publication aims to raise a whole new discussion on migration in Bulgaria, based on the enormous potential, positives and development that migrants bring. Participants in this discussion as speakers will be migrants themselves. We hope that the participation of everyone attending the event will also contribute to the development of this important and necessary topic.
P R O G R A M
PANEL 1
| 15:00 – 15:05 | Opening – Adv. Diana Radoslavova, Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria |
| 15:05 – 15:15 | Shared experiences and testimonials of migrants Silsila Mahbub, Afghan refugee, entrepreneur, representative of the association ” Refugee Advisory Council” in Bulgaria |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Presentation of the economic analysis Adrian Nikolov, Senior Economist, Institute for Market Economics |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Presentation of the legal analysis of the study Todor Iliev, Legal Expert, Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | DISCUSSION – moderated by Adv. Diana Radoslavova, Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria |
Coffee break – 10 min
PANEL 2
| 16:00 16:10 | Shared experiences and testimonials of migrants Alireza Shabankare, Iranian national, worker and entrepreneur |
| 16:10 16:25 | The Role of Trade Unions in Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers Atanaka Todorova, Chief Expert, Labour Market, Migration and Mobility, KNSB |
| 16:25 16:40 | Employers and their role in the integration of migrant workers in Bulgaria Ivodor Kovachev, founder and CEO of the Sventilnik School, manager of the Salvation Mission Foundation, chaplain of Sofia Prison |
| 16:40 17:00 | DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION – moderated by Adv. Diana Radoslavova, Center of Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria |
Registrations are needed at our email: VoiceinBulgaria@gmail.com
We are looking forward to seeing you!
