Bulgaria's Role in Redistributing 30,000 EU Illegal Migrants

Bulgaria is poised to actively participate in the distribution of a minimum of 30,000 illegal migrants across the EU annually, according to the newly proposed pact on migration and asylum. As a crucial border country, Bulgaria stands to benefit from the pact's mandatory solidarity mechanism, reshaping how the EU accepts, assesses, and manages illegal migrants.

In an interview for "Dnevnik" (which will be published on Saturday) MEP Elena Yoncheva, the European Parliament's coordinator for the 11 regulations and directives, sheds light on the advantageous elements of the new rules for countries like Bulgaria. The pact, expected to be voted on in the upcoming European Parliament session, prioritizes criteria such as family ties and completed education over the entry country, placing Bulgaria in a favorable position.

Yoncheva emphasizes that the rules aim to facilitate the screening of illegal migrants before they enter the EU, enabling swift actions like returning potential threats and differentiating between economic migrants and those seeking refugee or humanitarian protection.

The pivotal aspect of the new regulations is the introduction of a mandatory relocation mechanism. In the event of a crisis, countries can seek assistance from others, and the European Commission will oversee the fair distribution of migrants among EU members based on population and GDP.

Yoncheva highlights that in times of border pressure, the EU will be obligated to redistribute a minimum of 30,000 migrants annually. However, in crisis scenarios, there will be no set limit on the number of migrants to be redistributed.