MINELRES: HRP: Bulgaria: the Government again Turned its Back on the Desegregation of the Roma Schools

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Original sender: Emil Cohen <emilcohen@mbox.cit.bg>


HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT*

PRESS RELEASE

Bulgaria: The Government Approved Action Plan on the Roma Issues but
Again Turned its Back on the Desegragation of the Roma Schools

Sofia, October 8, 03 - On September 25, 03 the Council of Ministers of
Bulgaria approved special Action Plan for Implementation of the
Framework Program for Equal Integration of Roma in the Bulgarian Society
for the rest of the current year and for 2004. That approval was widely
publicized in Bulgaria and abroad as �new step in the efforts of the
Government of Bulgaria to solve the problem of the Roma minority on the
road to joining of our country to the European Union�. Ms Husmenova (she
is Member of the Council of Mministers in charge with minority issues)
visited Brussels in order to advertise the plan. It was especially
emphasized that the Action Plan was the first complex program directed
to implementation of the aims of the Framework Program. Unfortunately we
have not have that Action Plan available, because of the office of the
National Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues have asserted the
document had not reached the office of the Council yet. At once after
reaching the Action Plan Human Rights Project will comment it. 

The process of approval of that Action Plan was beneath criticism. The
draft was disseminated among the members of the Sub-commission on Roma
Issues of the National Council at the day when the discussion had to
take place (September 15, 2003). People had not time to read the
document and to think on it. 

The content of the Plan is not fully known but what is known with
certainty (by statements of government�s officials) is that it was
provided in the draft the amount of 6000000 Bulgarian levas
(approximately 3000000 EUR ) to be given for establishing of Fund �Equal
Access�. The aim of that Fund was to implement projects for
desegregation of so-called �Roma schools�. Unfortunately there is no
such fund in the final Action Plan. By that way the start of mass
desegregation of the Roma schools again was postponed for an undefined
future. This mean that again at least 10 000 Roma children (these who
will become students in 2004) will loss the possibility to attend normal
schools. 

On September 17, 03 three NGOs that work on the field of Roma human
rights sent a letter with criticism to the Draft Action Plan to Ms Filiz
Husmenova, Member of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria and
Chairperson of the National Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues.
See below the full text of it. 

 

Her Excellency Filiz Husmenova 

Member of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria and 

Chairperson of the National Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues 

September 17, 03

Dear Ms Husmenova:

We address you on behalf of some NGOs that have been at the root of the
elaboration of the Framework Program for Equal Integration of Roma in
the Bulgarian Society. The occasion is the Action Plan for the
Implementation of the Framework Program that was under discussion on
September 15, 03 at a meeting of Sub-commission on Roma problems of the
National Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues. According to our data
it was adopted in a hurry after its dissemination among the members of
the above mentioned Sub-commission at the last minute. We don�t have any
doubts presents by itself a considerable progress toward equal
integration of one underprivileged minority by demonstration of the
concern of the government toward the practical execution of the Program.
A lot of measures provided in the Action Plan will ensure a protection
against discrimination and will give a contribution to the improvement
of the social status of the Roma in Bulgaria. 

Nevertheless there are some problems in the Action Plan that deserve to
be discussed at one larger forum. 

The first of them is the absence in the Action Plan of enough and
adequate reforms in the legislation in a number of basic spheres of the
application of the Framework Program like education, health service and
housing. Without these reforms the desegregation of the Roma schools,
the improving of the access of Roma to health service and also the
regulation of the Roma neighbors is unthinkable despite of the measures
that are provided in the Action Plan. 

Secondly we are concerned about the lack of any funding for some of the
priorities of the Framework Program and, on the contrary about the
providing of relatively big funding for measures that are not listed in
the Framework Program. For instance, there are no money provided in the
Action Plan for ensuring of a special transportation of the Roma
children to the integrated schools. As it is well known without
appropriate transportation it is senseless even to speak about
desegregation especially in the big cities. 

Money that are provided for the regularize of the Roma neighbors are
extremely insufficient and they are designed only for the elaboration of
cadastral plans. These plans will be elaborated on the basis of the
current normative basis on the arrangement of the territory. But you
know that the whole solving of the problem with the arrangement of the
Roma neighbors on the basis of the current legislation is unable. The
situation with the access to health service is similar because in the
Action Plane there are funds that are provided by one of the PHARE
projects. Unfortunately no changes in the legislation for the access to
health service are provided. But the experience from the last years
shows us that the existing legislation in the sphere of the health
service is the main reason for the exclusion of big groups extremely
poor people (among them the Roma are the vast majority) from the access
to health service. The Action Plan provides a number of physician
practices to be opened in the Roma neighbors. But this can�t increase
the access to the health service among Roma because a big part of them
do not have medical insurance. And that lack is due to the existing
legislation in that sphere. 

On the other hand we are at a loss from the fact that a lot of money in
the Action Plan are provided for programs like �From Social Relief to
Employment� and �Beauty Bulgaria� that although benefits a part of Roma
community are not specific Roma programs. 

Dear Ms. Husmenova,

All of these as well as another similar problems connected with the
Action Plan for Implementation of the Framework Program demand a larger
discussion among the groups and experts who are interested. We
understand that the moment situation probably forces the prompt adoption
of the Action Plane before the publication of the Annual Report of the
European Commission that will make a review of the progress of Bulgaria
in the process of joining to the European Union. But let us to turn your
attention on the fact, that the equal integration of the minorities in
our country is a process that has to favor namely the minorities but not
the circles who are interested in the assessment of the European
Commission. Because of it we ask you to organize widely discussion prior
the final approval of the Action Plan. In that discussion, according to
our opinion, should take part as Roma, as all of these who have expert
opinion on all points raised here. We are ready to take active part in
such a discussion and to attract qualified experts on the fields. 

With respect:

Krassimir Kanev, Chair of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee

Emil Cohen, Executive Director of Human Rights Project

Kalinka Vassileva, Executive Director of Equal Access Foundation

_____________

*Human Rights Project was established in the summer of 1992 as a
non-profit organization focusing on monitoring the human rights
situation of the Roma in Bulgaria, and on legal defense in cases of
serious human rights abuses. The HRP monitors the human rights situation
of the Roma community in Bulgaria and reports on the cases which it had
investigated; works with Roma volunteers from all over the country who
report on the human rights observation in their region; conduct
independent extrajudicial investigation into allegations of human rights
violations against Roma; hire lawyers to take up selected cases and
monitors the process of legal defense; advocates legislative and policy
changes in favor of Roma.


Ivan Ivanov is Chair of the Board of HRP. 
Dimitrina Petrova, Dimitar Georgiev, Mitio Kemalov and Rumian Russinov
are members of the Board.
Emil Cohen emilcohen@mbox.cit.bg is Executive Director.
Our address: 23 Solunska St., 6th floor; 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel./fax: (+359 2) 986 35 46 and (+359 2) 981 50 66;
E-mail: hrproject@mbox.cit.bg and hrp@netel.bg