RECEPTION AND ACCOMMODATION OF FOREIGNERS IN THE ELHOVO DISTRIBUTION CENTRE AND THE SPECIAL CENTRES FOR TEMPORARRY ACCOMMODATION OF FOREIGNERS WITH THE MIGRATION DIRECTORATE The NPM found that most of the asylum seekers and migrants crossing the Bulgarian-Turkish border continue to be initially received in the distribution centre in Elhovo. The NPM points out once again that the operation of the distribution centre and its status should be regulated in a law or bylaw. The first problem that the NPM identified during the inspection was overcrowding. The Elhovo distribution centre with a capacity of 240 people accommodated 340 foreigners: 162 from Afghanistan, 65 from Iraq, 80 from Syria, and 33 of other nationalities. Likewise, the Special Centre for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners (SCTAF) in Lyubimets with a capacity of 300 people accommodated 363 foreigners. In the SCTAF in Sofia one of the floors in the sleeping quarters was out of use due to ongoing reconstructions, and the administration placed people in the available free spaces such as the medical isolation ward or security room. Overcrowding explains a considerable deterioration of the living conditions in the distribution centre and SCTAFs compared to previous visits by the NPM. Sleeping quarters and sanitary facilities were dirty, poorly kept, and allowed for limited privacy. There were leaks, mould, broken sinks and no running hot water in the bathrooms. During its visit the NPM found that provision of personal hygiene products to foreigners continued to be a problem due to limited financial resources of the Migration Directorate. The NPM established a reorganization of food provision. Food was no longer prepared in the centre but delivered instead by a catering company following an agreement with the Ministry of Interior. Reviewing the weekly menus, the NPM team found that no fruits were served in the distribution centre in Elhovo – an omission that the NPM recommended to be corrected by including fruits in the foreigners’ diet. Lack of interpreters continues to be a major obstacle in the communication between people accommodated and the staff of the MoI Migration Directorate. The language barrier appears to be one of the unresolved problems for the Ministry of Interior, not only in the distribution centre but in the SCTAFs as well. In its 2014 report the NPM recommended to the Ministry of Interior to ensure space for prayer rooms in the distribution centre in Elhovo. The MoI explained in response that due to the limited space in the building and foreigners’ temporary stay such rooms could not be arranged for. The NPM finds this an illegitimate excuse and recommends once again that efforts are made and action taken to guarantee the right to practice one’s religion. The NPM found no change in the medical care provided to foreigners compared to the previous inspection. The Ombudsman acting as NPM cannot remain indifferent to the persistent problem of placing families with children in the SCTAFs. The Ombudsman has reiterated in other reports that the special centres are inappropriate for placing families with children as these places do not have the proper conditions and specially trained personnel. In this regard the NPM recommends again that alternative forms of migration detention are considered in relation to this group of people. 19