Switzerland has strengthened its migration-management partnerships in south-eastern Europe by signing a CHF 21.35 million framework agreement with Bulgaria in Sofia on 28 October 2025. The funding comes from the second Swiss Contribution to selected EU member states and will run until 2029.
Under the deal, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior will co-finance projects that expand reception capacity for unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers, digitise the Bulgarian asylum procedure and upgrade border-management IT. The money will also fund training programmes for Bulgarian border guards on identity-fraud detection and return operations.
Swiss officials said the programme is designed to “reinforce European migration governance” by addressing challenges upstream, reducing secondary movements into the Schengen zone and easing pressure on Switzerland’s own asylum system. In return, Bulgarian authorities have agreed to share real-time data on irregular border crossings through the EU’s Integrated Border Management platform, giving Swiss risk-analysis teams earlier warning of shifting migration routes.
For Swiss employers that dispatch staff to Bulgaria or rely on Bulgarian service providers, the agreement promises faster biometric enrolment and e-visa processing once Bulgaria rolls out the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) in 2026. Mobility managers should, however, prepare for stricter identity checks at Bulgarian borders as new equipment comes online.
The initiative also has a political dimension: the Federal Council has been under domestic pressure to show that Swiss solidarity funds deliver tangible returns for Swiss taxpayers. By targeting minors and IT modernisation—areas where Switzerland has recognised expertise—Bern hopes to demonstrate “value for money” while helping an EU partner meet Schengen obligations.
Under the deal, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior will co-finance projects that expand reception capacity for unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers, digitise the Bulgarian asylum procedure and upgrade border-management IT. The money will also fund training programmes for Bulgarian border guards on identity-fraud detection and return operations.
Swiss officials said the programme is designed to “reinforce European migration governance” by addressing challenges upstream, reducing secondary movements into the Schengen zone and easing pressure on Switzerland’s own asylum system. In return, Bulgarian authorities have agreed to share real-time data on irregular border crossings through the EU’s Integrated Border Management platform, giving Swiss risk-analysis teams earlier warning of shifting migration routes.
For Swiss employers that dispatch staff to Bulgaria or rely on Bulgarian service providers, the agreement promises faster biometric enrolment and e-visa processing once Bulgaria rolls out the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) in 2026. Mobility managers should, however, prepare for stricter identity checks at Bulgarian borders as new equipment comes online.
The initiative also has a political dimension: the Federal Council has been under domestic pressure to show that Swiss solidarity funds deliver tangible returns for Swiss taxpayers. By targeting minors and IT modernisation—areas where Switzerland has recognised expertise—Bern hopes to demonstrate “value for money” while helping an EU partner meet Schengen obligations.
