News

Deputy Minister of Regional Development Valentin Yovev held a meeting with organizations from the Roma Integration Network, discussing the problems related to improving the housing conditions of marginalized population, including the neighborhoods with predominantly Roma population. The meeting was also attendend by Gergana Blagieva( Director of Housing Policy Directorate), experts from Housing Policy, Public works and Geo-protection, Territorial Planning and National expertize Directorateс to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Directorate for National Construction Control, and the Agency for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre. The Roma Integration Network was represented by Deyan Kolev, Raycho Chaprazov, Ivan Todorov (Amalipe Center), Spaska Petrova (New Road Association - Vratsa), Stella Kostova (Roma Academy for Culture and Education - Sliven), Gancho Iliev (World without borders Association Stara Zagora), Sergi Karakashev (Iskra Roma Foundation - Shumen). Maria Metodieva from the Trust for Social Achievement also participated in the meeting.

During the discussion Deyan Kolev expressed his gratitude for the invitation and reminded that the Ministry has partnered to civil sector in elaboration of the already forgotten National Program for Improving the Housing Conditions of the Roma and it is time for the partnership to be restored. The civic activists presented successful initiatives to solve some of the Roma housing problems in Veliko Tarnovo, Stara Zagora, Peshtera and Dupnitsa. They also recalled the unsuccessful attempts to launch integrated projects for social housing in Bourgas and Varna under the  "Regional Development" and "Human Resources Development" Operational Programs, which showed that in case of poor communication strategy even the best projects could be blocked . They also declared that:

1. Legal compliance and de-ghetoization is a common goal of national institutions, municipalities and civic organizations;

2. Demolition and eviction are not solution, but cause problems for all;

3. Legal changes are necessary to introduce a "single home" definition and mapping of those houses that are structurally sustainable and can obtain a tolerance document

4. Municipalities should provide land for legal construction as well as type plans, which will reduce over-construction in Roma neighborhoods;

5. The construction of municipal social housing is a small part of solving the problem. It can support de-ghetoisation if social housing is outside Roma neighborhoods and is not for Roma families only.

Deputy Minister Yovev expressed willingness for mutual cooperation and involvement of representatives of non-governmental organizations in the working group at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, engaged in the development of the National Housing Strategy and target programs related to its realization.

Deputy Minister Yovev stressed that the future amendments to the Spatial Planning Act are aimed at relieving the administrative burden of issuing building permits and may contribute to solving some of the problems described.