site.btaRound Table Discusses Humanitarian Corridors Scheme as a Public-Private Partnership for Refugee Integration

The "Humanitarian Corridors" scheme - a model of public-private partnership and private sponsorship in the integration of refugees was presented during a round table on "The Humanitarian Corridors scheme - avenues for refugee integration and the potential of the civil sector", which took place on Thursday at the House of Europe in Sofia.

The initiative was organized by the Institute for Social Studies and Policies within the Humanitarian Corridors Integration pathways: fostering better integration opportunities for people in need of protection through strengthened private sponsorship schemes (HUMCORE) project, funded by the European Commission's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

During the discussion it was noted that the ultimate goal of the humanitarian corridors is the full integration of migrants into the social fabric of the host countries. A humanitarian corridor is a structured process consisting of several stages: the signing of a protocol with state authorities, the selection and preparation of beneficiaries, the selection and training of private sponsors, safe and legal travel, a pathway to integration and inclusion in the social fabric of the host country.

 The scheme was presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lyuba Spasova, leader of the Bulgarian team of the HUMCORE project. The Humanitarian Corridors Programme consists of a private sponsorship model that allows legal entry and full integration of vulnerable people in EU countries, she stressed.

Mariana Tosheva, Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) under the Council of Ministers, pointed out that 99% of refugees enter the country illegally. According to her, the biggest problem is the lack of a national integration programme as 90% of those who enter the country leave it. Some of them would stay if there was a programme, Tosheva said, adding that the welfare systems in the country are also a problem. The aids provided by Bulgaria are not enough for people who start from scratch, she noted. 

By the end of the month, SAR intends to table before the government a new integration programme.