Paper short abstract:

The paper will analyze the latest dynamics of the refugees’ integration and adaptation processes in Bulgaria, including the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two axes of exploration will be drawn, revealing consistencies and transgressions in policies and practices on national and local level.

Paper long abstract:

For the first time, people who have been granted international protection (refugee and humanitarian status) in Bulgaria, will also be surveyed in the 2021 National Population Census. The lack of accurate data is an impediment showing the scope of the refugee phenomenon in the country. Observations of UNHCR’s Bulgaria office show that the settled refugees (both refugee and humanitarian status) are somewhere between one and two thousand people as of October 2020. Being the poorest member of the European Union is considered to be one of the main factors for the transit character of the country, among other reasons. The paper will analyze the latest dimensions of the integration and adaptation processes of refugees in Bulgaria. Based on interviews with key stakeholders, refugees, and other up-to-date studies carried out in 2020, two axes of exploration will be drawn, revealing consistencies and transgressions in policies and practices on national and local level. Three key questions will be opened for reflections: 1) To what extend the lack of integration policy on national level influences the local integration practices? 2) What are the major motivation factors and drivers for those who choose Bulgaria as their new home, as well as for those who move further? 3) To what extend the cultures and cultural heritage of the countries of origin and the local ones interact and play significant role in the integration and adaptation processes? Additional focus will be put on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it influenced the questions raised.