Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000665/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Jaume Asens Llodrà (Verts/ALE), Ilaria Salis (The Left), Estrella Galán (The Left), Per Clausen (The Left), Rima Hassan (The Left), Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE), Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE), Mounir Satouri (Verts/ALE), Sebastian Everding (The Left), Diana Riba i Giner (Verts/ALE), Catarina Martins (The Left), Isabel Serra Sánchez (The Left), Irene Montero (The Left), Mimmo Lucano (The Left), Marco Tarquinio (S&D), Markéta Gregorová (Verts/ALE), Damien Carême (The Left), Ana Miranda Paz (Verts/ALE), Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE), Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE), Cecilia Strada (S&D), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Mélissa Camara (Verts/ALE), Pernando Barrena Arza (The Left), Vicent Marzà Ibáñez (Verts/ALE), Brando Benifei (S&D), Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D), Konstantinos Arvanitis (The Left), Francisco Assis (S&D), Cristina Guarda (Verts/ALE), Benedetta Scuderi (Verts/ALE), Lynn Boylan (The Left), Thijs Reuten (S&D), Leire Pajín (S&D), Hana Jalloul Muro (S&D)
According to a recent report[1], Bulgarian border police failed to assist three unaccompanied Egyptian minors in distress, despite repeated alerts from human rights defenders. Attempts to rescue them were blocked by the Bulgarian authorities, resulting in the minors’ deaths.
For years, human rights monitors, journalists and Frontex officers have documented systematic violations by the Bulgarian border authorities. Attacks on defenders of migrants’ rights have escalated, with Bulgarian authorities shifting responsibility for these deaths onto them. These abuses coincide with Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen area and significant EU funding for migration management.
This raises serious concerns under Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
- 1.What steps will the Commission take to investigate Bulgaria’s responsibility for these deaths, ensure accountability (under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union), and prevent further abuses in the context of its Schengen accession?
- 2.How will the Commission ensure that EU funds for Bulgarian border management are not used to support pushbacks, obstruct humanitarian aid or contribute to human rights violations?
- 3.What measures will the Commission implement to protect human rights defenders from criminalisation under the EU Facilitation Directive and ensure they can operate without interference?
Submitted: 12.2.2025
- [1] https://bloodyborders.org/reports/frozen-lives-an-investigation-into-how-bulgarian-authorities-put-the-lives-of-people-on-the-move-at-risk-of-death/.