The Bulgarian Migration Paradox
Caritas Bulgaria, together with another 11 Caritas organizations from 11 EU member countries, takes part in the three-year initiative “Migration, Interaction, Development” (MIND), implemented with the financial support of the European Commission (GD DEVCO).
An essential part of the MIND initiative is the report “The Bulgarian Migration Paradox – Positive Integration and Negative Political Discourse”, which we would like to present to you with this publication and which, together with the Caritas reports from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden will be part of the Common Home special edition. We would like to express our gratitude to Professor Anna Krasteva for the research work and write-up of the report and to all those who have contributed to the preparation of this document.
Through this publication and all other initiatives related to the theme of “Migration and Development”, we strive to contribute to greater public awareness and sensitivity on the subject, to sharpen attention on the need to work jointly on the themes of migration, socio-economic development and human rights, and to call for the planning and implementation of policies which entail an integrative approach for addressing development issues and which regard migration as a viable management option, so as to ensure migration that is indeed safe and voluntary rather than forced and deadly.
The report contains an analysis of the current situation, policies and debates in Bulgaria related to the topics of migration and development and the existing interrelation between them. It describes the national migration context by underlining the importance of migration-based development and highlights the key contributions of modern-day migration, immigrants and emigrants to the economy, society, the labor market, culture and people. The publication identifies the main obstacles to the realization of the full contribution of migrants to development as well as the opportunities to facilitate and strengthen migrants’ own personal potential, as well as the contribution of migration to development and shared responsibility and accountability, more widely. It highlights the development potential of migration and the need to ensure certain policy coherence to maximize the benefits of immigration for both migrants and society as a whole.
According to Caritas, both migrants and those who remain – regardless of whether they are in their country of origin or in a country of residence, have the right to enjoy sufficient economic, political, environmental and social conditions to lead a dignified and fulfilled life. Migration contributes to the overall development of receiving societies and to societies in migrants’ countries of origin. Regardless of its driving force, migration is an opportunity for our societies to build a prosperous, global “common home” where everyone can contribute and live with dignity.
“The Bulgarian Migration Paradox – Positive Integration and Negative Political Discourse” is a publication of Caritas Bulgaria, aiming to contribute to raising wider awareness on the subject of Migration and Development.
The report contains an analysis of the current situation, policies and debates in Bulgaria related to migration and development and the interrelation between them. It describes the national migration context and highlights the key contributions of modern-day migration, immigrants and emigrants to the economy, society, culture, and the labor market.
The publication is realized within the framework of the MIND initiative, funded by the European Union.