Refugee

The head of Bulgaria's Refugee Agency Nikolai Chirpanliev urged for changes in the EU rules on refugees, reports the public broadcaster BNT. 

He said it was not fair that the refugee waves are concentrated in just a few countries, while the rest don't share in the care of the refugees. 

The refugee reception center in Sofia’s Vrazhdebna district opened doors in September 2013, on the premises of an old abandoned school.

Bulgaria's Border Police caught 22 illegal immigrants at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Turkey, said Interior Ministry. 

The 22 men, two women and one child were hidden in two containers on a freight train travelling from Turkey. 

None of them had documents, but three said they were from Myanmar and the rest – from Syria. 

At least 14 migrants have died when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Italy on Monday.

The fast response of the Italian coast guard helped the rescue of some 200 people from the sinking boat, CNN reported, citing the local ANSA agency. It is unknown yet how many people were on board.

Bulgaria will demand that EU funds be allocated for the integration of people which have been granted refugee status, the State Agency for Refugees announced.

A total of 4,363 would-be migrants were stopped by the Coast Guard and the Greek Police during the first four months of the year, a 142 percent increase compared to the same period last year, official statistics showed on Friday.

Greece is to begin vaccinating young refugees from Syria against polio because of fears that the infectious disease, which was officially wiped out more than a decade ago, may be reintroduced to the country by people fleeing the war-torn state.

Number of fake asylum seekers "reduced"

BELGRADE -- The number of fake asylum seekers from Serbia has been reduced since the beginning of the year, including the number of those seeking asylum in Germany.

There the problem was "the most acute," Nenad Banović, president of a commission tasked with monitoring the visa-free regime, said on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Nenad Banovic, president of the Commission tasked with monitoring the visa-free regime, stated on Wednesday that the number of fake asylum seekers from Serbia has reduced since the beginning of the year, including the number of those seeking asylum in Germany, where the problem was the most acute.

Greece has also committed serious violations against asylum seekers and immigrants entering its territory from Turkey, a new report by Amnesty International has argued.