This Annual Report is based on monitoring focused on the institutional framework and the practical interaction between the various public authorities, as well as on the legal and practical standards governing procedures under the national refugee legislation and their compliance with the principles of international protection and the common European Union asylum acquis (acquis communautaire).
Between 1 January and 31 December 2025, the monitoring was carried out by two lawyers with regard to procedural activities conducted at the territorial units of the State Agency for Refugees in Sofia (Ovcha Kupel, Voenna Rampa and Vrazhdebna Reception Centres) and in the town of Harmanli. The monitoring did not include the Transit Centre in the village of Pastrogor or the Reception Centre in the village of Banya due to financial constraints. The monitoring further covered the individual administrative decisions issued on applications for international protection (first-instance decisions), as well as the judicial proceedings concerning appeals lodged against such decisions.
During 2025, the monitoring covered 316 men, 35 women, one person of another gender, 12 accompanied children (six boys and six girls), and 16 unaccompanied children (all boys) among persons seeking international protection in Bulgaria.
The Annual Report on the Monitoring of Standards in Procedures for International Protection has been published since 2012 as a project of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) in partnership and with the financial support of the UNHCR Representation in Bulgaria. This partnership and financial support, however, were discontinued as of 1 January 2026.
The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee will continue to monitor international protection procedures, albeit on a more limited scale and with a particular focus on the fundamental rights of children, with the support of the UNICEF Representation in Bulgaria.
