Burgas

“My first contact with the Snapshot project was through the NGO Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy. Their initiative was accepted by the Municipality of Burgas. Together we decided to join the project and cooperate in the work process,” answers Vesna Baltina, deputy mayor of the Bulgarian city and responsible for sustainable development and climate change strategies in Burgas.

The municipality of Burgas is located in southeastern Bulgaria and is the administrative center of the area. The population of the city of Burgas is approximately 205,000, the eastern border of the Burgas region is the Black Sea and the southern border is with Turkey. “This location is a prerequisite for the influx of many waves of migrants from Asia, as it happened in 2015 – tells Vesna – The Municipality of Burgas pursues a careful policy related to migration, with meetings, seminars, trainings that are held to inform citizens about the global issue of migration. Food packages and medical care are provided to anyone in need.”

“Our expectations of the Snapshot project, which were completely met, were that it offered a different approach to engage the public with the current issues of migration and refugee flows. The emphasis of the project was on building strong bonds of solidarity, kindness, and hospitality in border areas,” Vesna says.

“For me the whole process of work was interesting and exciting, I don’t have a particular moment to remember, although meeting with various representatives of public organizations and citizens gave me many positive emotions. I touched different cultures, different worldviews, but the most important thing was that we all had a common cause: to make the public aware of the problems related to migration and to inform the local communities”, says the Deputy Mayor of Burgas.

Burgas, a borderland: what relationship does the city have with concepts such as solidarity, memory and networking among the territories of Europe?

“Bulgarians are famous for their hospitality, we warmly welcome our guests. In general, our country is a temporary stop on the way of migrants trying to continue their journey to other countries – answers the vice-mayor of Burgas – currently the centers for temporary accommodation of illegal migrants are 75% occupied. According to statistics, hundreds of people successfully cross our border and the authorities detect them only inside the country or when they try to leave the country. The crisis in Afghanistan could trigger a new wave of migrants, which will strengthen cooperation with Turkey, which is trying to contain the increased flow of migrants from the south.”

What balance sheet can you draw from your municipality’s participation in the Snapshots project?

“I think the work on the Snapshots project has contributed to public awareness and acceptance of people from across the border. The City held a two-day workshop on Innovative Methods for Communication, Training, and Working with Migrants in Emergency Conditions with the participation of stakeholders from the state administration. Many non-governmental organizations, various media and citizens participated in the discussions, and this was valuable – says Vesna – Cooperation between countries is essential for the implementation of the right policy and prevention of migration flows. I think we need to work a lot on international relations to help us all work better”.