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Youssef is one of thousands of Syrian refugees in Bulgaria, the poorest European Union country. Dozens more are crossing the border with Turkey every day. Around 10,000 migrants (two-thirds of them from Syria) have arrived so far this year, a sevenfold increase from last. Authorities have basic facilities ready for only half of them.
The government is also building a controversial 33km (21-mile), 3-metre tall fence in the mountainous region of Elhovo, near the border with Turkey, where about 85% of the illegal immigrants are crossing.
According to officials, the idea behind the “temporary engineering installation”, which has a price tag of €3m ($4m), is to redirect refugees to official border checkpoints. The UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, thinks it is counterproductive. “Introducing barriers, like fences or other deterrents, may lead people to undertake more dangerous crossings and further place the refugees at the mercy of smugglers,” says Adrian Edwards of the UNHCR.
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