Switzerland and Bulgaria signed in Sofia a framework agreement establishing a bilateral cooperation programme on migration, as part of Switzerland’s second contribution to selected EU Member States. The programme, worth CHF 21.35 million, will focus on improving accommodation and care for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers and on digitalising asylum procedures in Bulgaria.
The agreement was signed by Hendrick Krauskopf, Deputy Director of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), and Tomislav Donchev, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister. During his visit, Mr. Krauskopf also toured a Sofia reception centre set to be transformed into a first-arrival facility for unaccompanied minors. Discussions with Bulgarian authorities and NGOs centred on the protection of unaccompanied minors.
Approved by the Swiss Federal Council on 27 August 2025, the agreement aims to strengthen Bulgaria’s reception capacity and, more broadly, to enhance migration management in Europe. Switzerland has earmarked CHF 190 million under its second EU contribution (2025–2029) for migration-related projects supporting countries most affected by migration flows.