The event, dedicated to migration and detention centres, taking place on 30 March 2012 in the Black Sea coastal city of Varna, at the external border of the EU, will serve as the kick-off of Bulgaria`s participation in the Open Access Campaign (www.openaccessnow.eu) of European Alterrnatives. It will attempt to bring civil society activists from throughout the country and local journalists into a migration centre and give them courage to continue their struggle for publicity on illegal migrants. Following study visits and an exhibition of good practices, within the People Power Participation Project`s consultative panel there will be also presentations of various stakeholders and discussions. Finally, participants will come up with concrete proposals and plan joint actions as follow-up of the event.


09.30 - 10.30 Press conference to launch the campaign and announce the event

11.00 - 12.00 A street march with journalists, civil society activists, local citizens and formerly illegal migrants from Varna harbour (main entrance point of illegal migrants) to the detention centre where migrants are kept. Attempt to get in or gather information about the detainees

12.00 - 13.00 A study visit to the premises of the headquarters of the Association of Black Sea Municipalities - collecting good practices on what cities do for migrants

13.00 - 14.30 Moving to conference venue (Otetz Paisii Chitalishte) and quick snack

14.30 – 14.45 Official opening, formal greetings by partners, especially institutional and presentation of European Alternatives and Open Access Campaign

14.45 – 15.00 Migration - European and EU Neighbourhood context, Flore Murard (France, Italy, MigrEurope), TBC

15.00-15.20 EU`s migration policy and fortress Bulgaria – Rosen Dimov, LLM (European Alternatives) and Valeria Ilareva, PhD (Sofia University Clinic for Migrants)

15.20-15.50 The migration from citizen`s point of view. Results of civic monitoring of detention centres – Zvezda Vankova (Open Society Institute), TBC

15.50 – 16.10 Migration from the point of institutions - Ognyan Fartunov, PhD (National AntiTrafficking Commission and the Migration Department of the National Police)

16.10 – 16.30 De-institutionalisation of migrants in detention centers. Islamophobia and the German Experience – Karima Stauch, MA (German Muslim League)

16.30-16.45 Success stories – migrant Tenny popular music artist in Bulgaria, awardee of national and international music contests

16.45 – 17.00 Coffee break

17.00 – 18.00 Focus groups – definition of problems and possible solutions

18.00 – 19.00 Follow-up, what could we do together as national and European campaigns – moderated by Rosen Dimov

Summary of findings deriving from focus groups

GROUP Access to Detention Centres, moderated by Ognyan Fortunov, International Organisation for Migration, Member of the National Migration Committee advising the government

Problems

- Authorities unwilling to cooperate even at the level of giving information’
- Authorities silently reject many requests to enter a detention centre: not answering or answering in an unwritten form
- Often varied categories of migrants (refugees, asylum seekers, those subject to extradiction and expulsion) are kept together.
- Conditions in detention centres are humiliating: detainees treated as criminals, lack of basic stuff (toilet paper, shampoo, enough light), lack of social contacts, lack of areas for recreation, entertainment, ritual prayers.
- Detainees are frequently captivated for much longer than the legal procedures allow, without regular consultations with lawyers and receiving information in common European languages instead of their native tongues.

Solutions

- Non-governmental organisations shall actively distribute information about migrants (emphasizing the positive sides of migration) to sensitize the general public;
- Civil society coalitions shall be formed to pressure the government at the central and local levels. The monitoring shall be systematic and provide the complete picture of what takes place inside the detention centres.
- Fundraising campaigns should be organised to provide detainees with the necessary existential supplies. In-kind donations can be received from companies but also from households.
- University students of law/pro-bono practitioners and Eastern languages can voluntarily help the detainees: respectively, with the legal aid and translation in their native language.
- International pressure (peer civil society organisations from abroad, European institutions) shall be appealed to so that the Bulgarian authorities treat better and lawfully detainees. The Open Access to Detention Centres campaign shall become year-round, permanent, and have this as one of its tasks.

Group  Alternatives to Detention Centres – moderated by Karimah Stauch, German National Muslim League

Problems
- Institutions have the narrow-minded approach to migrants.
- Innovation and creativity is not welcomed in the closed, conservative system of the government.
- Detention is considered by the state as the most perfect solution that has proven its effect throughout the years.


Solutions

- Study foreign experience: in some federal units of Germany migrants just have to register regularly with authorities but are free to reside wherever they wish. A camp is provided for the homeless migrants, though.
- Allow migrants to fully participate in the public and social life (Belgium: associations of migrants in the neighbourhood, helping each other).
- Provide migrants with a chipcard that will be their invidivual dossier and once stopped by the authorities, they can immediately check their status and leave them pass by (case of Canada, Scandinavia).
- Propose an amendment to the European Union legislation about detention: emphasizing the humiliating attitude towards migrants, revise the migration policy and incorporate best non-detention models around the world.
- Initiate a petition/campaign to demand authorities in Bulgaria or Europe to abandon detention practices.

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