Burgas is situated in the southeastern region of Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast and has a territory of about 48 200 hectares. Burgas is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria. The municipality includes the City of Burgas and other 14 localities. The City of Burgas consists of eight residential areas with more than 226 000 inhabitants. Unemployment in the area is very low, at 1.4%. The main issues faced by the City are continuing urban growth and population increase through inward migration from other parts of the country and beyond, as the economy grows and develops. The sea to the east and the lakes to the west limit the possibilities for growth in the city. Therefore the only possible urban spread in terms of residential and commercial activities can be to the north and south.

A local kick-off meeting and press conference on YOUMIG Project was held in Burgas, Bulgaria, on 18 May 2017. A press conference introducing the project launched the event, followed by a local migration forum, where participants got an overview of YOUMIG’s theoretical research paper entitled “A Conceptual Framework on Youth Migration in the Danube Region”.

The press conference was attended by several branches of local media as well as local stakeholders. The journalistic interest covered a wide scope of questions over the main project topics, but was essentially concentrated on the economic consequences of migration processes, especially youth migration and its local importance. The project manager gave brief information on the project and its value to the municipal administration of Burgas. The hottest topics of interest for journalists were the migration impact on the labour market and statistical information about highly-qualified young people returning to Burgas. Some of the media pursued individual interviews with the city’s deputy mayor and YOUMIG’s local project manager, touching on the problems of youth migration and the benefits for Burgas Municipality to participate in the project. These benefits include access to research findings which should help Burgas get a clear picture about youth leaving the town and coming back, and on the impact of this movement for city development. YOUMIG findings should also help policy-making and learning from best practices, as well as making connections between sending and receiving communities in the Danube region.

At the forum serious attention was paid to the available data at the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria on migration tendencies over the last years, the age structure of migrants, and their total number on state and regional level.

During the discussions participants shared the common understanding that the main reason driving young people to leave the region is the search for better employment and higher wages, as well as searching for better education. The main problems outlined in the discussion referred to a lack of, or insufficient information on reasons driving people to leave the region. The National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria provided data on basic demographic characteristics, but in the field of youth migration, additional research is needed.

The participants concluded that local policies targeting migration should be focused on the prevention of the emigration process. The focus should be on policies in the field of employment and education, as they are the main factors in establishing the quality of life. In respect of carrying out policies and measures stimulating young people to return to the country, especially after completion of education abroad, efforts should be aimed at overcoming the lack of qualified personnel in some industries (health for example), while for increasing the positive effect – a return of qualified migrants to the region should be encouraged.