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The National Development Programme ‘Bulgaria 2020’ will not cover all policy areas, but only those ones conductive to development. This statement has been made by Yuliana Nikolova, Advisor to the Prime Minister and leader of the working group for preparation of the NDP   ‘Bulgaria 2020’ during a forum for public discussion on the draft contents of the strategic part of the document, which was held April 26 in Granite Session Hall of the Council of Ministers. The forum brought together the Minister of Management of EU Funds Tomislav Donchev and respectively deputy ministers in charge of specific program priority areas, secretaries in the administration of the President, representatives of socio-economic partners and NGOs. Center ‘Amalipe’ was represented by Deyan Kolev.

The National Development Programme ‘Bulgaria 2020’ is a collective effort of tens of institutions, socio-economic partners and civil society representatives, pointed out Minister Donchev at the opening of the meeting. This effort is rather a policy matter than an expertise search - we need a clear policy development and expert solutions will be consequently found. We do not need ‘a smooth text’ resulting from a distorted idea of ​​consensus which says everything and suits everybody: such type of text does not give directions and it is not strategic. What we need is a text with edges which opts for a few guidelines among many. Let's not overdo with the document, but rather commit ourselves to planning, demanded Donchev.

This was followed by short introductions and discussions on the key priority areas of the program: - Improving access to and quality of education and training and the qualities of the workforce, reduction of poverty rate and promotion of social inclusion, achievement of sustainable and integrated regional development and utilization of available potential of local people, fostering agricultural development to ensure foodstuff safety and high quality products combined with sustainable management of natural resources, support for the development of highly advanced industrial base and innovative infrastructure, promoting innovation and research activity, consolidation of institutional environment for greater efficiency of public services for citizens and businesses, building of favourable power infrastructure, fostering resource efficiency and lowering the degree of energy dependence, improving transport facilities. The priorities were presented by Deputy Ministers, managing cross-sectoral groups on each priority area and comments and suggestions have been made by socio-economic partners and NGOs.

In his statement, Deyan Kolev accentuated on the necessity of incorporating strategic guidelines for the elaboration and realization of comprehensive policy for Roma integration into NDP ‘Bulgaria 2020’. Roma people can contribute to the development of Bulgaria and Roma integration is actually a development policy. On March 1 the National Assembly adopted unanimously the National Roma Integration Strategy. Meanwhile, the current text of the NDP ‘Bulgaria 2020’ mentions hardly anything about Roma integration. This is a serious gap which in its own turn entails that the Inter-governmental body for resource provision of Roma integration chaired by Minister Donchev review the draft of the NDP and propose relevant texts.