Balancing Humanitarian Assistance, Security, and EU Policy to Improve Bulgaria’s Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Since 2013, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of refugees entering Bulgaria. From a few hundred refugees annually, the number has increased to tens of thousands of new asylum applications by 2015. Bulgaria, the poorest EU member state, faces multiple political, social, and resource constraints as it copes with the current influx of asylum seekers.

The Capstone team assessed the conditions facing refugees in Bulgaria and provided the Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees with recommendations on how to best respond to this complex situation. The report is based on a comparative desk review of European best practices in the following areas of refugee policy: 1) The implementation of Article 8 of the European Union Recast Reception Directive 2013/33/EC on detention of asylum seekers; 2) Care for unaccompanied minors; 3) Family reunification and mechanisms for tracing family members of refugees; 4) Reception treatment and integration of asylum seekers.

As part of the research, the team traveled to Bulgaria and interviewed key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGO service providers, volunteers, reception center management and staff from four of the country’s five facilities, and multilateral organizations. The report’s recommendations are guided by these consultations, taking into account the distinct political and socio-economic realities of the Bulgarian context.

Few comparative studies on European best practices of these policies currently exist, therefore the team’s report has the ability to add significant value and make an important impact on Bulgarian policy, particularly for the integration of refugees into society.