Bulgaria - The social impact of seasonal migration

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- The applicant has submitted documents before the expiry of 12 months from the date
of suspension of preceding self-employment activity permit;
- The applicant has not met his/her obligations under the Compulsory Social Security
Code or his/her tax obligations.
5.2.4. Statistics concerning work permits
From 1 January 2003 to 31 March 2003, 141 work permits have been issued in Bulgaria,
of which 103 new and 38 extended permits. For comparison, from 1 January to 31
December 2001 the total number of work permits issued is 512, of which 276 new and
236 extended work permits.
In 2002, there have been 33 investigations of the lawful employment of foreigners in
Bulgaria. 29 violations have been registered, leading to 5 instructions for their
amendment and 24 bills of indictment. 80 foreigners were found to be working full-time
or on commission on Bulgarian territory without a work permit. 15 of them were issued
bills of indictment for administrative violation of Article 70, paragraph 1 of the Law for
the Encouragement of amployment. During the same period, 7 employers have been
found to employ foreigners without work permits, for which a total of 9 bills of
indictment have been issued.
5.2.5. Regulating Emigration
One of the main factors generating emigration from Bulgaria is the economic one. The
ministry of labour and social policy is attempting to regulate this movement as much as
it is possible. Several measures have been undertaken to reach that end: elaboration of
new legislation, harmonisation of Bulgarian legislation with the negotiation chapters 24
"Co-operation in the field of justice and home affairs" (the part on "Migration") and 2
"Free movement of people" of the acquis communautaire, and joining of international
treaties in the field of migration and human rights. There has been published an
information brochure containing the requirements of the EU member states for entry,
residence and work on their territories as well as the bilateral labour and social
insurance agreements. Good practices of the EU member states for regulating labour
migration have been identified and accepted, and the process for signing of bilateral
agreements with the member states and the 10 would-be members among the accession
countries has been intensified (Stankova 2003).
For the last 12 years, there operated 4 intergovernmental labour agreements of Bulgaria
with Germany and Switzerland through which around 20 000 Bulgarians managed to
exercise work abroad. In addition, the Bulgarian Employment Agency has an agreement
with the Central Office for Labour Mediation in Bonn for finding jobs for Bulgarian
students during their vacation. Most active co-operation was established with Germany,
which, for the last 12 years, accommodated almost all of the 20 000 Bulgarians having
worked abroad under the agreements. The official agreements are the following:
• Intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany concerning