site.btaMigration Pressure on Bulgarian Border Is down 81% in 2017 - Interior Minister

Sofia, April 20 (BTA) - Migration pressure on Bulgaria has been reduced as a result of the complex measures in 2017, Interior Minister Valentin Radev said during Question Time Friday.

A total of 8,044 attempts of citizens of third countries to cross to the territory of Bulgaria in 2017, down by 81 per cent compared to 2016 when the number of such attempts was 42,461, Radev noted.

Speaking about the March case of 42 passengers passing though Sofia Airport without border control, Radev said he is expecting the results of the disciplinary procedure by April 27, after which it will become clear what the penalties will be.

A total of 94,289,655 euro of the 160 million euro extended to Bulgaria by the EU to cope with the increased migration pressure have been contracted as at the start of April. The resources are absorbed in two funds - interior security, and asylum and migration. The first fund has seen 148 public procurement contracts worth 75,588,218 euro, VAT excluded, by the beginning of April. Payments under these amount to 53,415,720 euro. Under the second fund there are 44 concluded public procurement contracts totaling nearly 19 million euro, 36 per cent of which have been paid out.

The entire sum of 160 million euro needs to be absorbed by November 2018.

The funds are used to purchase equipment, video surveillance, vehicles and business trips of officials. Most of them will be used for intelligent system upgrading, Radev explained.