From 31 March 2024, EU countries will abolish border controls at air and sea borders for people travelling to and from Bulgaria and Romania. Undoubtedly, our country’s accession to the Schengen area at this stage opens a new chapter in the national migration policy and raises a number of questions about what lies ahead. This comes at a time when Bulgaria has signed with the European Commission a new Framework Agreement on cooperation in border and migration management, which follows the implementation of a pilot project on rapid asylum and return procedures launched in March 2023.
In this context, the Legal Aid Centre – Voice in Bulgaria is preparing an event aimed at creating a forum where representatives of the European community, governmental and non-governmental sectors working in the field of migration and asylum could share observations, forecasts and provide more clarity on current and upcoming developments in our migration policies.
The event will take place on April 10, from 10:00 to 12:00 in the Launchee event space, located in the Central Department Store, 10, Launchee Blvd. 2, Sofia.
The event is held under the “Mission: possible” program of the Bulgarian Fund for Women Foundation within the project “Building an Inclusive Resilient Democratic Society in Bulgaria” (BIRDS in BG), implemented in partnership with the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law (BCNL) and Impact Drive Foundation (IDF), with the financial support of the European Union (EU).
The first highlight of the topic is “European developments and trends in the field of refugees and migration”, presented by prof. Tineke STRIK, Member of the European Parliament from the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET).
Other key issues to be addressed include:
- Legislative changes in relation to the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and the practical impact on the protection system in Bulgaria
- Schengen and the effect on migration management in Bulgaria
- Bulgaria in the context of the current European migration policy – Pilot project between Bulgaria and the European Commission, which will be presented by representatives of our national institutions and organizations.
Speakers at the event at national level will be Ms. Mariana Tosheva, President of the State Agency for Refugees and Adv. Desislava Todorova from CPP-Glass in Bulgaria. We also expect a representative from the Ministry of Interior to join the discussion.
With the financial support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women and the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither BFW, nor the EU or EACEA can be held responsible for them.
