site.btaUPDATED Largest Percentage of Ukrainian Refugees Get Temporary Protection in Bulgaria

More than 85% of the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria have been issued temporary protection documents to date, which is the largest percentage in the EU, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for Good Governance Kalina Konstantinova said here on Friday.

She spoke at the opening of a discussion on "The Road Ahead for Ukrainian Refugees in Europe and in Bulgaria" at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Sofia.
 
Of over 200,000 people fleeing the war, who have arrived in Bulgaria so far, some 100,000 have opted to stay in this country, the Deputy PM explained. Bulgaria is doing a good job welcoming and assisting the refugees, with some 200 registration desks already open countrywide.

"Outlining the way for their integration in Bulgaria is the next, even more complicated task," Konstantinova added.

She commented during the discussion that out of EUR 148 million that Bulgaria has received from the European Union under the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT EU) Programme, EUR 48 million will go to the Ukrainian refugees in this country, as some EUR 100 million will cover costs of financing of business support programmes that are already in progress. Between EUR 35 and 100 million could also be allocated for refugees from unimplemented projects under expiring operational programmes from the previous programming period. Thus, the potential amount for this purpose adds up to EUR 83 - 120 million, the Deputy PM said.

She hopes that there are plans to launch an employment support measure next week: paying three months' rent through the employer and thus incentivizing the hiring of refugees from Ukraine. Two other measures are also in the pipeline: support for the NGO sector for fieldwork and setting up centres for children. 
 
Konstantinova noted that a vast part of the women who have arrived from Ukraine want to start work immediately, but somebody has to take care of the children. In Sofia, where most jobs are available, there are no placed in kindergartens and Ukrainian vaccinations are not adjusted to Bulgarian ones, she commented further. 

The discussion focused on the key challenges triggered by the Ukrainian refugee wave across Europe and the short-term and medium-term options for addressing the issue. EU support policies and instruments, the problems encountered by refugees from Ukraine and the challenges facing the support institutions are also on the agenda.