Bulgaria Has No Funds for Sweden-Stranded Berry Pickers

The spokesperson of the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Vessela Cherneva. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian berry pickers, stranded in the Swedish capital Stockholm, are still desperately trying to find money to travel back home.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Vessela Cherneva, stated that the Bulgarian Embassy in Sweden will not provide funding for the stranded Bulgarians.

It was reported Sunday that some 200 Bulgarian citizens have gathered outside the country's embassy in Stockholm, waiting to be supplied with tickets in order to return home.

The Bulgarian citizens had been lured to Sweden with the promise of work during the berry picking season, but were then left to fend for themselves in the forests, local media informed.

According to the Bulgarian Embassy in Stockholm, the berry pickers were brought to Sweden by an as yet unidentified person, believed to be a Bulgarian national, and they had been forced to survive in trying conditions.

Some of the berry pickers have been able to return home. However, others have been left in the hands of the Stockholm Embassy or with the hope of help from family or friends.

On Wednesday, Cherneva stressed Bulgarian embassies never provide money to fellow citizens. She reiterated that the embassy is currently supplying the stranded group with bread, water, and coffee when needed; has provided them with a bus to sleep in and with a chemical WC.

The spokesperson promised that Bulgarian Interior and Social Policy Ministries will seek the assistance of the Swedish authorities in the effort to bring the berry pickers back home.

According to police, it is unclear if any of the 200 people gathered by the embassy are connected to a 43-year-old Bulgarian resident who was arrested on Thursday after allegedly luring other Bulgarian citizens into coming to Sweden with the promise of a salary, a home, and a job.

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