1. S-7 slide 1 Illegal Immigration Early 2002

2. S-7 slide 2 Illegal Immigration Ukraine has suffered 2 years of continuous drought –Ukrainian agriculture, and hence the overall economy, is collapsing –There is massive unemployment and unrest –Growing numbers of Ukrainians seek to emigrate in hopes of finding employment EU countries are tightening restrictions on immigrant labor

3. S-7 slide 3 Illegal Immigration — cont’d Lured by Bulgaria’s strong economic performance in 2000, would-be Ukrainian gastarbeiters began to enter Bulgaria –The number of Ukrainian immigrants increased in 2001 from hundreds to a few thousand By early 2002, many thousand Ukrainians were attempting to enter Bulgaria –Several thousand have done so illegally

4. S-7 slide 4 Illegal Immigration — cont’d Many European Union countries are facing a similar problem in early 2002 –There is a steady stream of illegal immigrants from the south and east –EU governments have largely failed to stop the flow The press and several political parties in Bulgaria are agitating for the government to “do something” to solve this problem