site.btaState Agency for Refugees: Half of 63,000 Ukrainians Accommodated in Seaside Hotels Expected to Leave Bulgaria

Speaking on the Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday, State Agency for Refugees Director Mariana Tosheva said that Ukrainian refugees accommodated in Bulgarian seaside hotels are to be relocated by the end of the month. Tosheva said that at the moment 63,000 Ukrainians are staying in seaside hotels. 

In Tosheva's words, the situation is dynamic and more than half of those 63,000 Ukrainians are not expected to remain in Bulgaria. 

Tosheva said that more than 33,000 places for accommodation have been confirmed in municipal facilities to host refugees relocated from seaside hotels. Municipal facilities housing Ukrainian refugees will get support to the amount of 15 leva/day per person. 

Tosheva said that the programme for accommodation of Ukrainians refugees in Bulgarian hotels, which receive state aid for this, had been agreed to end on May 31. She said the measure had been announced as temporary and that as of June 1 "the phase of integration begins, as these people have had time to find their bearings, say whether they are willing to find employment and where". 

Tosheva said that the concerns of the Ukrainians who need to be relocated are understandable. She stressed no one will be left out in the street. Tosheva said that the Ukrainians in Bulgaria are actively seeking employment and cited figures showing that 70% want to start work immediately, 17% are willing to do so later, after one to six months. More than 60% of the Ukrainians who came to Bulgaria after the start of the war have higher education degrees and 30% have vocational education degrees, she said. 

Tosheva said that 2,441 Ukrainians entered Bulgaria on Saturday, but 2,792 left. She noted a tendency has been observed for a week now where the number of the Ukrainians leaving Bulgaria is higher than the number of arrivals. 

As at May 12, a total of 252,826 people fleeing the war in Ukraine had arrived here. More than 103,000 of them are with temporary protection status.