Bulgaria - The social impact of seasonal migration

workers from Bulgaria for the implementation of employment contracts, signed on
13.03.1991;
• Intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany concerning
employment of workers for enhancement of their professional and linguistic
knowledge, signed on 04.02.1992;
• Agreement for temporary employment of Bulgarian workers in the sphere of
recreation and for help in families in need of special care, signed in December 2002.
• Agreement between the government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the government
of the Swiss Confederation for exchange of trainees, signed on 05.04.1995.
The practice has shown that after expiring of the term of their employment contracts abroad,
the Bulgarian workers return to the territory of Bulgaria.
An agreement between the government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the government
of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for exchange of trainees entered into force on 1 June
2003.
The agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic for mutual
employment of their citizens entered into force in 2000. By the end of 2003, the
procedure for applying for work abroad under the agreement will be specified.
An agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Portugal for mutual
employment of their citizens entered into force on 12 July 2003.
The signing of 3 new agreements is forthcoming in September 2003. These are the
agreement between the government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the government of
the Flemish Community of the Kingdom of Belgium for exchange of trainees, the
agreement between the government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the government of
the French Republic for exchange of trainees and the agreement between the Republic
of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Spain for regulation of labour migration between the two
states.
Several draft agreements for regulation of labour migration are submitted for
consultation to the competent authorities, namely to the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
the United Kingdom, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, the Republic of
South Africa, etc.
An agreement for seasonal labour between Bulgaria and Greece has been signed at the
end of 1995 yet it has not been implemented in practice. A new agreement with Greece
has been prepared and is being currently negotiated. 14
14 For a list of intergovernmental agreements see
www.mlsp.government.bg/bg/integration/agreements/index.htm
73