site.btaDeputy Prime Minister Konstantinova: Over 50% of Refugees from Ukraine Stay In Bulgaria

Over 50 per cent of refugees coming from Ukraine stay in Bulgaria and one third are children, said Deputy Prime Minister for Good Governance Kalina Konstantinova on the morning show of bTV on Saturday. She summarized the trends of the past two weeks in connection with the refugee flow from Ukraine.

There are a total of 54,000 refugees in Bulgaria, said Konstantinova and added the process for temporary protection which started last week has picked up pace, with over 1,000 daily registrations in the last two days compared with 15 in the beginning. There are about 600 officials involved. Konstantinova said that around 7,000 people have filed applications for temporary protection and there are 28 registration stations for refugees arriving from Ukraine.

She stressed that it is important for refugees to know where they can stay and register in Bulgaria.

Refugees will be accommodated in hotels for the first three months of their stay in Bulgaria and the government is planning to make available residences belonging to the different ministries for long-term stay.

“Our main task is to provide secure and safe environment for the mothers with children,” said Konstantinova and added that efforts are aimed to avoid tent refugee camps in Bulgaria.