News

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Thomas Hammarberg, will conduct a visit to Bulgaria to assess human rights issues in particular in the area of minorities and children in institutions. The Commissioner will have a meeting with NGO representatives on November 3.

During the meeting Deyan Kolev, Chairman of Center Amalipe will present the following statement:

CURRENT STATE OF ROMA INTEGRATION POLICY IN BULGARIA

The process of Roma integration meets four main problems:

1. Weak institutional infrastructure and low administrative capacity for implementing Roma related policies: The main principle of the institutional framework at national level is not to establish new special institutions for Roma integration policy but to make use of the existing system through adding some new competencies. The National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Demographic Issues (NCCEDI) is established as body that coordinates the efforts of the main institutions (ministries). This scheme does not function at present because:

- there are no proper administrative branches that deal with Roma integration within the main institutions: usually this work is dedicated to a expert. Only in two cases (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labor) small administrative units (branches) could be found but their staff is at minimum and they have large scale of duties and responsibilities - Roma integration is small part of them

- the NCCEDI does not implement its coordinating duties: it does not make recommendations and suggestions to the main institutions and rare takes part in the so-called “coordinating procedure of the acts proposed by Council of Ministers” (although it has this opportunities). During the previous 4 years the Council nominally has Ethnic and Demographic Issued Directorate as Secretariat but in reality the Directorate functioned rather as Project Implementation Unite of PHARE projects. In addition it was chaired by figures with strong “party / political affiliations” and served this party instead of NCCEDI. In September this Directorate was abolished and small Secretariat of the NCCEDI was established but no evidences for change in its behavior are provided until now;

- the institution of the National Coordinator of the Decade of Roma Inclusion exists but it is situated at very low administrative level (the National Coordinator is not minister of deputy minister but only advisor of the minister of labor), it is situated in a particular ministry (Ministry of Labor and Social Policy) in stead of in the Council of Minister, it has not own secretariat. In addition certain coincidences in the responsibilities of the National Coordinator and the NCCEDI exist that divide the efforts for Roma integration and make them weaker.

2. The normative framework for Roma integration is low: There are Roma integration strategies (Framework Program for Roma Integration, Strategy for Educational Integration…, Health Strategy for Integration…, National Program for Improving the Living Conditions of Roma) but their have the lowest possible status (decision of the Council of Ministers). No legislative act for Roma integration exists and the efforts of Roma NGOs to propose approving these documents with Decision of the Parliament were rejected. The mainstream documents in the certain field (education, health care, etc.) do not contain any point related to Roma integration and the efforts of Roma NGOs to propose such points were rejected.

In addition the Framework Program for Equal Integration of Roma in Bulgarian Society expired in 2009. In 2008 and 2009 the NCCEDI conducted a process for preparing new Program. Although Roma organizations did significant efforts and provided significant impact their suggestions were denied and new document was not prepared because of political and institutional pressure

3. The financial resources for Roma integration policy are far below the needed with insufficient engagement from the state budget: no special financing for implementation of the Roma integration documents exist. The main trend is to expect implementation without special financing or to rely only on financing from European funds

3. Roma community and Roma NGOs are not engaged as real partner of the institutions: the NCCEDI was established as supreme consultative body but during the previous years it did not fulfill this role. The Council was dominated by the institutions: all final decisions were taken by its chair (who were Deputy Prime Ministers), the role of Deputy Chair of NCCEDI by the side of civil society was left without real competences, etc. This provoked high level of lack of confidence to the Council’s work.

At present no consultative body exist within Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health although these institutions have Roma related documents and many Roma NGOs work in these fields

The only exception is the existence of observers elected by Roma NGOs in the Monitoring Committees of different Operational programs and the National Strategic Reference Framework.

4. The local level (municipalities) are not systematically engaged in Roma integration efforts and their capacity in this direction is critically low

Until now the political change from July 2009 when the new government was elected has not given significant signs that the present state of Roma integration efforts would change:

- GERB party has own pre-election platform for Roma integration prepared by leading Roma NGOs and called “Active Roma participation in Roma related policy”. Nevertheless, its main assumption for assigning more Roma in institutions has not been implementing until now;

- Roma are not appointed / elected at leading positions (ministers, deputy ministers, etc.) and at present the Roma presence in the government is even lower than it was during the previous years;

- the weak model for Roma integration institutional infrastructure is preserved and only personal changes are realized: for example the dichotomy between NCCEDI and Ministry of Labor (and the National Coordinator for the Decade of Roma Inclusion) is maintained, etc.

- there is a decrease in the administrative capacity for Roma integration policy: the Ethnic and Demographic Issues Directorate (17 people) was abolished and replaced with small Secretariat of NCCEDI (2 people)

- according to the new Internal Regulations of the Council of Ministers the policy on ethnic issues passes into Ministry of Labor: this is highly questionable having in mind that Roma integration policy is horizontal policy and it could not be reduced only to employment and social affairs. There is a dangerous tendency to present Roma question only as social question that started in the previous years and was not changed by the new government.

- Milen Milanov, young Roma NGO activist is appointed as National Coordinator of the Decade of Roma Inclusion. This is a positive and inspiring sign. Nevertheless, the responsibilities of the National Coordinator are relatively limited (especially its status – advisor of the Minister of Labor) and no clear indicators for raising the status and responsibilities of the National Coordinator exist at present

Recommendations:

1. New Framework Program for Roma Integration should be promptly approved based on the draft proposed by Roma NGOs and institutions in January 2009. The Program should be approved at least with Decree of the Council of Ministers and also with Decision of the Parliament;

2. Financing from the state budget for implementation of Roma related strategies should be defined. In addition, resources from European funds should be dedicated;

3. Significant changes in the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Demographic Issues are necessary directed at ensuring the real participation of NGOs in its work and the implementation of its coordinating role. New Internal Regulations of the Council could be a step in this direction. These changes should be designed and implemented with the participation of NGOs avoiding any political and institutional pressure;

4. The status of the National Coordinator of the Decade of Roma Inclusion should be raised as well as its responsibilities. Assigning Decade Secretariat is necessary precondition for this;

5. Establishing consultative councils on Roma integration within Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Culture is necessary for strengthening the consultative process. This should happen with clear procedures for participation of NGOs in these structures;

6. The role of observers elected by Roma NGOs in the Monitoring Committees of different Operational programs should be strengthened and their work should be supported;

7. Assigning Roma at all levels of the administrative hierarchy is crucial step that should be implemented urgently in order to realize all other recommendations