RACCOMBAT training in Bulgaria

On 2 April 2019 the Center for the Study of Democracy held a national training seminar on integration of foreigners, social orientation and counteracting racism and xenophobia. The seminar was part of the RACCOMBAT initiative, tackling the social orientation of refugees and migrants as tool for prevention and fighting hate and intolerance against them. The event gathered representatives of social services, the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers, law enforcement authorities and a multitude of service providing NGOs. The discussions throughout the seminar looked at topics such as state and NGO led integration models, the need for sustainable state financing, the lack of systematic approach in introducing integration components and the necessity for the state to offer refugees opportunities to integrate themselves. Questions were also raised about the blurred borders between racism and discrimination and structural problems, for example in hiring beneficiaries of international protection, and the importance of housing support for foreigners.