Bulgaria extends humanitarian accommodation scheme for Ukrainian refugees to end of September
Bulgaria’s government has extended the scheme of state support for accommodating people who have temporary protection after fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine to the end of September 2023, the government information service said on June 28.
Hoteliers accommodating those who have temporary protection will continue to receive 15 leva per person per day, the statement said.
The statement said that given that the caretaker government had not drawn up real measures for the integration of those who have temporary protection, the government had assigned the ministers of Labour and Social Policy and of Education to develop proposals for concrete measures for integration.
The two ministers have a month to come up with the measures, to be included in a new programme.
The system was put in place in 2022 by the Kiril Petkov government of the time, soon after Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, and provided for sums in state support for places of accommodation housing Ukrainian refugees – strictly speaking, those granted temporary protection by Bulgaria under an EU directive.
It has been extended repeatedly, although the caretaker government appointed by President Roumen Radev cut back the scale of the support.
According to the most recent update on the Bulgarian government dedicated portal on Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria, since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a total of 1 410 258 Ukrainians have entered Bulgaria.
A total of 82 473 remain in the country, with 16 804 accommodated through the humanitarian accommodation programme.
(Photo: Just4You/freeimages.com)
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