The ASSESS project

The situation of vulnerable migrants in Europe is precarious; yet little is known about their integration success and experiences. This EU-funded research project “Assessing Integration Measures for Vulnerable Migrant Groups” (ASSESS) aims to monitor and assess the effectiveness of integration measures for vulnerable migrant groups in ten EU Member States:
- five "old" Member States with considerable immigrant inflow: Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain;
- five “new” Member States with "evolving" immigration patterns and regimes: Bulgaria, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia.
The three main target groups of the project include migrant women, children and victims of trafficking.
The assessment aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the application of the Common Basic Principles on Migrant Integration when it comes to the integration of vulnerable migrant groups. In addition, it will serve to identify and initiate the exchange of good practice in the field between EU countries of different migration patterns, regimes and experiences.

Download the national reports for Phase I (2014) and Phase II (2015)
Download the Comparative Report and the EU Overview
Find out more about the ASSESS project

National Report for Phase I: Review of Existing Monitoring Mechanisms for the Integration of Migrants

This report aims to trace the mechanisms for monitoring of migrant integration in Bulgaria. This task is pursued by investigation of the prevailing migration trends in the country, the leading migrant integration approaches at policy level and the available data collection systems. The report offers a discussion of the main factors that obscure the conduct of effective monitoring of migrant integration and puts forward some recommendations in this regard. Analysis is provided about the attention given to vulnerable migrant groups (women, children and VoT) in national integration policy and in national monitoring initiatives.

The report identifies a number of gaps in the migrant integration policy in the country as well as in the existing data collection mechanisms. In the context of moderate immigration inflows and relatively low interest on the part of institutions to the specific integration needs of third country nationals, Bulgarian policy makers have not yet developed elaborate mechanisms for monitoring migrant integration.

Download the report here

National Report for Phase II: Assessing the Integration of Vulnerable Migrants

Download the report here