The Council of Ministers in Bulgaria has made a decision to extend the humanitarian aid programme for displaced persons from Ukraine until September 30, 2023.
In line with a new decision that entered into force on July 1, Bulgarian hoteliers will continue to be granted a daily accommodation subsidy of BGN 15 (€7.67) per person, meaning that the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees will be paid by the government for another three months.
In a recent statement, the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism emphasised that the aid provided to displaced persons from Ukraine is specifically allocated to accommodations listed in the National Tourist Register, following the individuals’ stay at buffer centres, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Furthermore, the aid is available to individuals with valid alien registration cards who the State Agency for Refugees has granted temporary protection, which is valid until March 4, 2024.
As the Ministry explains, the individuals benefiting from the humanitarian aid programme are accommodated in locations where they have previously accommodated between November 1, 2022, and November 15, 2022, and have continued their stay beyond November 16, 2022.
Alternatively, they may be relocated based on the discretion of the National Operational Headquarters (NOST) and its determined terms and procedures.
According to the same authority, newly settled individuals are only admitted with an exceptional decision from NIGHT. Individuals who have recently arrived from Ukraine and wish to be part of the programme must obtain a decision and permission from NIGHT before being accepted into accommodations.
Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism will only verify stays or distribute funds to individuals who meet the specified conditions. Presently, there are 17,111 Ukrainian citizens granted temporary protection residing in accommodations.
Previous data provided by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has revealed that during September 2022, over 130,000 of those who fled the war in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of this country have been registered for temporary protection in Bulgaria, while the number of asylum applications has also tripled.
Based on the latest data from the UN Refugee Agency, as of June 27, Bulgaria has recorded a total of 162,935 Ukrainian refugees.
Similarly, Poland has experienced a substantial influx of Ukrainian refugees, with a recorded count of 994,775 individuals. Romania follows closely with 136,075 refugees originating from Ukraine.
These figures highlight the gravity of the situation. Globally, the data reveals that a staggering number of 6,341,700 refugees have fled from Ukraine in search of safety and stability. Meanwhile, European countries as a whole have registered a significant total of 5,977,800 refugees from Ukraine.