25.10.2018Valeri Simeonov is removed from his post concerning the integration policy, Tomislav Donchev takes over the portfolio
An important victory for the civil society:
With a decision of the government the Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov was dismissed as Chairman of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues at the Council of Ministers. The Council Presidency is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev.
The government's decision, proposed by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, was adopted in absence.
CIDT “Amalipe” and many other organizations objected to the appointment of V. Simeonov as the Chairman of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues in May 2017. Activists of Amalipe then collected more than 3200 signatures against this appointment as part of the joint effort of a broad group of Roma and pro-Roma organizations that resulted in a total of 15,000 signatures. In May 2018 CIDT “Amalipe” and a number of other organizations agreed to participate in an event from the program of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency dedicated to the Roma, only in the case of non-participation of the side of V. Simeonov.
