The UNHCR Commissioner advises Europe to support Bulgaria to cope with the influx of Syrian refugees, now that an ever increasing number of refugees have found their way to Bulgaria through Turkey. According to UNHCR, Bulgaria is not properly prepared or equipped to sustain this influx.

Our southern neighbours have received more than 8,000 asylum seekers only this year. According to estimates, 5000 are Syrian and about 4,000 live in reception centres administered by the government. The other live in private homes, waiving the right to material aid during the asylum procedure. Many Syrians live in improper hygiene conditions in open reception centres, improvised hastily, lacking food, heating or access to medical aid.

In this context, António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, stated his commitment to support Bulgaria to sustain the influx of Syrian refugees and made an appeal to the other European Union member states to contribute to reducing the pressure faced by Bulgaria. During a press conference organised in November the official announced that UNHCR will launch a programme to help Bulgaria satisfy the needs of the few thousand refugees. The programme will also include a component to strengthen the capacity of the State Agency for Refugees for a faster processing of asylum applications; it will also provide assistance to satisfy the most pressing needs of the Syrian refugees. "We cannot forget that these persons suffered enormously and it is absolutely unacceptable that they have to suffer even after having arrived in the European Union", said Guterres, according to the UNHCR website.

The reception centre Vrazhdebna, recently visited by Guterres, is arranged in a former school and hosts about 400 persons, most of them kurds from Syria. The refugees whom the officials talked to have mentioned there are significant delays in the processing of asylum applications, as well as survival problems, as their daily allowance is about 1 Euro. In Bulgaria there are 7 accommodation centres for asylum seekers.

Since the conflict started more than 2.2 million Syrians have left their country, most of them seeking refuge in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. An increasing number of them are now trying to get to Europe, along sea or land routes. Bulgaria has received more than 8,000 asylum seekers in 2013, which means an 8-fold increase as compared to the average for the last ten years (1000 asylum seekers); this load obviously puts the asylum system in difficulty.

Source: [url=http://www.unhcr-centraleurope.org/ro/stiri/2013/comisarul-unhcr-indeamna-europa-sa-ajute-bulgaria-sa-faca-fata-afluxului-de-refugiati-sirieni.html

]http://www.unhcr-centraleurope.org/ro/stiri/2013/comisarul-unhcr-indeamna-europa-sa-ajute-bulgaria-sa-faca-fata-afluxului-de-refugiati-sirieni.html[/url]