The Council of Europe’s Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) took part in the roundtable “Effective Guardianship for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking and Refugee Children in Bulgaria: Ways Forward in the Context of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum,” held in Sofia on 21 May 2025.
Organised by the Council of Europe, UNHCR, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Guardianship Network, the event gathered Bulgarian authorities, international organisations, and CSOs representatives to explore sustainable, rights-based solutions for strengthening guardianship systems for unaccompanied children in the context of migration and asylum.
Addressing the event, Nikolaos Sitaropoulos, Head of the Division on Migration and Refugees, recalled that the Council of Europe has a long-standing commitment to protecting the rights of children, including unaccompanied children on the move. He stressed the need for establishing an effective guardianship system in the country “I would like to emphasise that the guiding principle underlying all Council of Europe work in this area is that unaccompanied children must be treated first and foremost as children, not as migrants. Without effective guardianship, children risk falling through legal and social protection gaps, with long-term consequences for their safety and development. The Council of Europe remains ready to support the authorities in strengthening national law and practice to meet these urgent needs,” he stated.
The roundtable also featured contributions from the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, the EU Asylum Agency, the European Guardianship Network, and national actors including the State Agency for Child Protection and the National Commission on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings.
