09.11.2011Meeting of the Working Group on the National Roma Strategy
On November 4, 2011 was held the second meeting of the Inter-ministerial Group preparing the Bulgarian National Roma Strategy. On this meeting was discussed a draft of the strategic part of the document and the submitted proposals – result of the forums of Roma NGO’s held in Sliven, Stara Zagora, Vratsa and Lom and also the upcoming National debate on the Strategy on November 14, 2011 – Sofia.
After a lot of discussions the following decisions were adopted:
1. The name of the strategy to be “National Strategy for Roma Integration” and also in the preambul of the document to be included a text indicating that the document also applies for groups that define themselves in different ways, but live under the same conditions (Millet, Rudari, etc.). This text proposed by Mr. Deyan Kolev and Mrs. Stela Kostova on behalf of a large group Roma NGO’s was also the result of all the forums held till the present (in Sliven, Stara Zagora, Vratsa and Lom). It was voted and adopted by a qualified majority rather than the working name proposed by the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues – “National Strategy for Integration of Roma and Other Vulnerable Ethnic Groups/ Communities in a similar situation”.
2. Significant changes are needed in the “Implementation mechanisms”, “Monitoring” and “Living conditions” parts of the Strategy;
3. By November 14 must be published a draft of the Action Plan - part of the National Roma Strategy: all the participants shared the view that exactly the Action Plan will make this Strategy different and working comparing the previous documents adopted in the sphere of integration;
4. A special application must indicate the specific programs and financing sources needed for the implementation of the Action Plans such the National Budget and European funds;
The majority of the participants insisted that the National Roma Strategy could change the real situation of the Roma in Bulgaria only if there are clear and concrete actions, funding and administrative responsibilities. “Otherwise in 10 years we will come together to discuss new plans and strategies but the situation will be the same”, pointed out Mr. Rumyan Sechkov – chairman of “SEGA” Foundation.
