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Private area
Private area
European Network on Social Inclusion and Roma under the Structural Funds
Structural Funds: Investing in Roma
Private area
European Network on Social Inclusion and Roma under the Structural Funds
Structural Funds: Investing in Roma
Full postal address: 2 Triaditza str.,
Tel: +359 2 8119 600 / +359 2 8119 441
Fax: +3592 987 65 67
Contact persons:
Galya Savova gsavova@mlsp.government.bg
Ani Evgenieva evgenieva@mlsp.government.bg
As per the 2001 census, of Bulgaria's total population of 7,973,673, some 4.6% (358,815) identified themselves as Roma and 9.5% (757,499) declared to be of Turkish ethnic origin on a 2% representation basis. According to expert estimations, however, the number of Roma is in reality between 700,000 and 800,000. The political and economic reforms initiated in 1990 were accompanied by sharp falls in economic activity and a sharp increase in unemployment and poverty. The social impact of reforms in Bulgaria was particularly high compared to other Central and Eastern European countries due to frequent political changes and capacity shortfalls in developing effective national and macro-economic policies in relation to the restructuring of the economy.
Unemployment and poverty particularly impacted the Roma minorities. The concentration of those minorities in certain areas and in declining economic activities resulted in the emergence of numerous pockets of severe unemployment and poverty in rural areas and in many Bulgarian towns. The Roma neighbourhoods (mahali) of many Bulgarian towns, where at least 600,000 Roma live (according to expert estimations), have gradually transformed into informal settlements. Several rural areas of
Over the last ten years, the unemployment rates among Roma have been systematically higher that those for ethnic Bulgarians. In 2001, 31.1% of the total number of unemployed in
The results of a survey (“From Social Assistance to Employment” – Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Survey, January 2003) carried out among the Roma population show that the prevailing part of this group is not professionally oriented. They often do not have a clear idea about the profession they would like to have and usually choose professions that require low or no qualification and are related to the Roma traditions. The prevailing part of the Roma population assigns greater value to obtaining vocational skills than education. For 30% of the respondents, obtaining a profession is the first and most important condition for finding a job. As for professions requiring specific skills, these include construction workers, welders and turners, drivers, farmers, carpenters, barbers and plumbers for the men, and sewing, cooking and hair dressing for the women.
Therefore the main solutions related to professional orientation and qualification would come through the provision of training courses in professions that require mostly specific production skills and a low level of literacy. Positive results are expected from training courses that combine training with employment, like apprenticeships.
According to the survey, Roma NGOs play an important role as intermediaries between the local authorities, businesses and the Roma community. Their primary function will be to identify people with a certain level of education and qualification, especially people without certificates to prove their skills. The objective will be to include such persons in training courses or apprenticeships.
Efforts will be made to integrate the Roma population trough fulfillment of the Government commitments related to the improvement of Roma access to the labour market, to develop measures promoting the special and economic integration by improving the access to education and training – the best preparation of individuals for their entry into the labour market and the encouragement of the tolerance and mutual understanding among the Bulgarian citizens of different to ethnic origin and religious beliefs.
In 2007, the government made efforts to build institutional capacity at a central level for coordinating the implementation of the Decade Action Plan; an intergovernmental working group was established with the aim of monitoring its implementation. The activities in all priority areas included in the National Decade Action Plan are under discussion by the Council for Roma Integration in Bulgarian Society and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. A major achievement in securing the financial sustainability of Roma integration activities has been the incorporation of some activities, especially in the fields of education and employment, into the EU Structural Funds programs for the period 2007- 2013. Activities in other Decade priorities, however, such as access to healthcare and housing, remained underfunded and a systematic approach in these areas has not been achieved.
