The European Network on Statelessness, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) and the Foundation for Access to Rights have prepared a joint submission to the 36th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in relation to statelessness in Bulgaria. The submission draws on data from the #StatelessnessIndex and FAR's work in providing direct legal assistance and other services to stateless people in Bulgaria, and provides an overview of the key gaps in Bulgarian law, policy and practice in relation to the protection of stateless persons and prevention and reduction of statelessness.
The submission makes a number of recommendations to the Bulgarian Government, including taking concrete steps to improve the statelessness determination procedure and statelessness status, such as, facilitating access to the procedure for all regardless of their legal status in the country, introducing temporary residence permits for applicants for statelessness status, and amending relevant laws so that holders of statelessness status in Bulgaria can work and pay their health insurance.
The submission also focuses on the detention of stateless people in Bulgaria and recommends that the Government takes steps to improve the identification of statelessness prior to issuing a removal or detention order, and to improve burden of proof practices when reviewing the length of detention to ensure that ther is a real prospect of removal within the specific time limit, and thus prevent unlawful detention.
