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Meeting with representatives of the Government of Bulgaria's Strategy for the Inclusion of the Roma Minority
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- Навигация на страницата:
- Ahavni Topakbashian , State expert
- Nelia Mikushinska, Head of department
- Bogdan Bogdanov, Deputy chair
- Mikel Bachravov, State expert
- Elena Kiurova, State expert
- Victoria Kirilova, junior expert
- Debate : Rositsa Ivanova
- Replies from ministry representatives
- Meeting with NGOs Elena Kabakchieva
- Pavlina Rusinova
- Opinion on the NCCEII and on the Bulgarian Roma Integration Strategy Maria Stomeionova
- Georgi Bakov
- Situation regarding discrimination and forced evictions Maria Stomeionova
- Opinion on Mobile health units Elena Kabakchieva
- Final message to bring to Brussels
- ANNEX V MOST IMPORTANT RELATED EESC OPINIONS
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Meeting with representatives of the Government of Bulgaria's Strategy for the Inclusion of the Roma Minority:
Ms Ivanovna, who is also the National Contact Point for Roma Integration and the coordinator for the Decade of Roma Inclusion, presented the activities of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues (NCCEII). In the Council, there is a unit which acts as secretariat to the Council. The Council has a consultative and coordination role, helping the government to implement the national policy on Roma. All ministries are represented. Moreover, there are representatives of the Bulgarian academy of sciences, the National Statistical Institute and the association of municipalities. NGOs are also represented, based on criteria with which they have to comply. This year there are 44 NGOs. The presidency is held by a deputy prime minister. The Council also provides consultation and opinions on relevant international treaties signed by Bulgaria, as well as on EU, COE and OSCE matters. They are the first point of consultation before the Bulgarian government attends these bodies. The Bulgarian Roma Integration Strategy was prepared by the unit, which coordinated the work of the working group which comprises 44 organisations (39 representing the Roma, the rest for other communities). Criteria for applying are that they should not be family-related organisations, and they have to provide information on their activities over the last three years, as well as evidence of projects that they have implemented and social initiatives in which they have participated. This is in addition to administrative ministry requirements, such as documents. The NCCEII is not an exclusively Roma council, it is also for the other ethnic groups living in Bulgaria.
The Centre was set up in 2005 but started working in 2006. 500 educational projects have been financed in kindergartens, schools and municipalities. They implement three strategic goals: preserving identity, improving access to education and working with the parents of children belonging to these ethnic groups. The centre is not only for the Roma; it also targets other minorities such as Romanians, Turks and Jews. Education has the largest budget and the centre has a director and a management board with members from various ministries. The chair is the deputy minister of education. Two members of the board are Roma. The Centre prepares an annual plan (http://coiduem.mon.bg/en/page.php?c=4&d=50). Actions: Encouraging partnerships between government and schools and having Roma parents sit on the board of schools. The centre is a unique institution in Europe. On 27 October, a delegation from Croatia will visit to see how the centre functions. Key of success: Ethnic mix of the team, for example Ms Kovacjeva herself is Roma.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Health has been working on Roma health issues since 2005. The National Strategy for Roma Integration also includes a section on health. Main objectives: improving the health awareness of Roma, their knowledge of various diseases, prevention, vaccinations, decreasing infectious diseases. The main areas of action are prevention, mother - infant care, access to healthcare, providing qualifications for Roma who can become healthcare mediators. Health mediators are very helpful: their profile is recognised and they are officially registered.
They based this measure on good practices in other countries. Each mobile unit is linked to a specific project on the ground and to the most common Roma health problems. The final report is available. In each mobile unit, hospital staff work together and healthcare mediators support their work. Many Roma are uninsured, and the measure targets them especially. The mobile units are located so as to cover remote places where access to healthcare is difficult. The objective is to guarantee equal access to health.
The information collected by means of statistics is used for policy development. The most important information source is the National Census. Main challenge: it is difficult to prove the truth of the answers given; many Roma declare that they are Bulgarian or Turkish, not Roma. This distorts the picture. The latest census is from 2011, according to which there are 325 000 Roma in Bulgaria; but there are probably more. 500-700 000 people is a more accurate number. It would be useful to carry out interim studies between the censuses but this has not been possible until now, owing to restrictions in national legislation. Statistical studies are performed on samples; it would be good to add a section on ethnicity, income level of Roma and other matters. He asked if the NCCEII could come up with a proposal for collecting more information on the Roma. A Roma-specific module would help.
He started by presenting the legal framework: employment is encouraged and discrimination is banned, but the most vulnerable group in the labour market are the Roma, and so special measures are provided for them. They encourage in particular the long-term unemployed to join the labour market. There are 63 labour offices and 78 mediators who are Roma. They must have secondary education and go through a procedure to be public servants. In 2014, 7500 people had been registered in the labour offices thanks to this work. 1500 have found employment, 250 have undergone training, and 69 have signed up for literacy courses. The majority of Roma have no education. A range of programmes are implemented jointly with municipalities, in cooperation with Roma mediators and NGOs. Every year, a Roma labour exchange is organised, where employees meet with employers. While the general unemployment rate is known, the one for Roma is not because of the problem of identification. Since 2014, Bulgarian citizens can move freely in the European labour market and so can Roma. A rise in requests for training and qualifications (especially languages) has been recorded, connected to this new option.
There is a lack of specific data on Roma. In 2013, some polls were carried out but they are not comprehensive. A study was completed as part of a project on comprehensive measures for marginalised communities with specific focus on Roma, financed by the ESF. It is a representative social study, covering the entire country, on integration of minorities. The data was then mapped. 10% of this specific ethnicity are marginalised and need targeted activities, but the problem is that not all identify themselves as Roma. The World Bank is also working on mapping poverty, and the results are expected soon. The results of the project were used to create a toolkit for policy development and sent to the Association of municipalities. The focus was on capacity-building. 600 officials were trained on the project and on practical implementation of the measures proposed. The outcomes were also publicised in seminars, conferences, etc. Representatives of NGOs were invited to all the events, as well as experts on integration. The results have been published on the website but only in BG.
One of their key tasks is to help integration of minorities. They face the same difficulties in reporting on the activities in statistical terms reported by representatives of other ministries. Three types of measures:
Debate: Rositsa Ivanova: in 2015, Bulgaria will have to report to the Commission, as they will be monitoring the implementation of the national Roma Integration Strategy Ákos Topolánszky: two topics have not been covered: anti-discrimination and school segregation. Moreover, the survey carried out by the EESC on the involvement of civil society in the drafting and implementation of the Roma Integration Strategy showed very negative results. Replies from ministry representatives: The NCCEII is a body set up to coordinate with NGOs. It is an advisory body, and so the NGOs cannot monitor the government. Two years ago, some NGOs protested and boycotted Roma Day on 11 April. Those NGOs used social media and international meetings to attract attention. They wanted the NCCEII to act as an executive body but this is impossible because of the legislation. They wanted a Roma ministry to be set up. They used local TV and said they did not want to be part of the NCCEII anymore. They called for a Roma ministry to be set up. Ms Ivanov thinks this is unrealistic. Nobody listened to the government's version. The NGOs disseminated false information, for example they said 30 organisations boycotted the NCCEII when in fact there were only nine. They claimed they occupied the ministry, but the truth was that there were people asking for a meeting with the deputy prime minister. The request was granted immediately. Regarding segregation of Roma children: desegregation started in 2001-2006 and was carried out by one NGOs (DROM). There were 31 segregated schools. There have been negotiations between the NGOs and the Ministry of Education; the strategy was approved by the ministry in 2004. In the first years, the focus was on desegregation of Roma children and working with the parents. There are measurable results, such as the number of teachers who have undergone training to work with Roma children and how many parents were reached. They also assess the gender balance among children. The financial report is performed by an external audit. Ms Kirilova denies that there is school segregation of Roma children in schools for children with special needs. The specialised schools are for people with impairment or mental illness. Being Roma is not the reason. The government did not force them to go to these schools; it was for economic reasons. Roma families sent the children there because there was free food and clothing. When they saw that they were disadvantaged when looking for a job, they started not to send their children there anymore. An educational NGOs called “Step by Step” launched a three-year programme and run a survey on segregation. . Nowadays, a panel has to screen the admission of children in these schools and a Roma has to be part of the panel. In the past five to six years, there have been no more cases of segregation: this happened thanks to the action of NGOs and also to amendments to the legislation. Regarding equal opportunities: the report by the commission against discrimination gives all the answers online. Article 4 of the Bulgarian Constitution is open-ended so there is a broad definition of discrimination. Meeting with NGOs
After a short presentation on the EESC and on the project, Ákos Topolánszky asked the organisations attending to give a brief presentation of them. The debate then started, touching on different points:
Maria Stomeionova: The Roma strategy is good but it is not being implemented; much money is given but it does not get to people who need it. The difference between rich and poor has increased after democracy. Huge discrimination, prejudice; if Roma steal it is because they are hungry and do not have work. There are not enough funds for NGOs; the money that comes from the EU goes to the government and not to NGOs. Romania has received a great deal of money, as has Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Spain; Bulgaria has not. Georgi Bakov: the NCCEII is not sufficiently inclusive; they held only a few meetings with NGOs. Radostina Chaprazova: Aretee Youth Foundation is not a member of the NCCEII. In her opinion, constructive ideas are suggested during meetings but there is no follow-up. There has been strong opposition to the strategy because it is just on paper and does not work in practice. Moreover, there is no evaluation by an external body, with a resulting lack of transparency. Tsanko Mihaylov: the main problem with project management is learning how to use funds as this is quite complicated. OSI has established a free-of-charge service, providing free advice. Without this free service, the NGO needs to pay a consultant if they want to manage money for a project and normally this is expensive. Access to EU funds is difficult for small NGOs.
Maria Stomeionova: there are many episodes of hate speech by politicians, which is why many Roma prefer to say they are Turkish in the census or in other surveys. None of the governments after democracy approved any significant act to really help Roma integration. Roma votes are bought during elections; every political party in Bulgaria does it; they have a structured scheme for that. The EU should exercise more control on the use of the funds received by Roma organisations, because many of them are corrupt.
Elena Kabakchieva: mobile units provide only a basic service; the main problem is funding, as they cannot cover their running costs. It is a fine idea with a low efficiency rate. Roma who have an income sometimes do not pay taxes; they prefer to make a payment once and be insured. It is not easy to convince Roma to go to these mobile units. She also thinks that the planning of the mobile units does not consider the population's needs. Ákos Topolánszky asked those present to name the recommendations or requests they consider to be the most important:
Fight discrimination in the media - hate speech Improve access by small NGOs to funding Improve monitoring and control of funding that enters Bulgaria (problem of corruption) Cut red tape in the procedure for accessing funds Set up an independent equality body Give the Roma more information about their rights Improve employment opportunities and education Ensure Roma have full access to services Verification and impact assessment of spending; need for indicators Need for social entrepreneurial skills Establishment of social enterprises Better salary for healthcare mediators Need for a special fund to provide NGOs with resources for project preparation _____________ ANNEX V MOST IMPORTANT RELATED EESC OPINIONS SOC/489 Socio-economic integration of Roma SOC/447 Roma citizens SOC/397 Societal empowerment and integration SOC/337 Intercultural dialogue and the Roma SOC/263 Integration of minorities - Roma SOC/408 The problem of homelessness SOC/479 A more inclusive citizenship open to immigrants SOC/411 Cooperation between civil society organisations and local and regional authorities in integrating immigrants 1 COM(2011) 173 окончателен. 2 http://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2014/education-employment-and-gender-roma-survey-results-focus. 3 Държавите членки следва да покажат политическа воля и да подпишат допълнителния протокол към Европейската социална харта (Съвет на Европа, Допълнителен протокол към Европейската социална харта относно системата за колективни искове, CETS № 158, 1995 г.). Тъй като интеграцията на ромите има по-широко европейско измерение, което включва значително ромско население, живеещо в европейски държави извън ЕС, присъединяването на членовете на ЕС би могло да насърчи държавите, членуващи в Съвета на Европа, да последват този пример. 4 Препоръка на Съвета „... макар държавите членки да са разполагали с правна възможност за действия по въпроса за интегрирането на ромите, планираните досега мерки не са достатъчни. Поради липсата на координиран подход към въпроса за интегрирането на ромите, налице са нарастващи несъответствия между държавите членки.“ 5 Подгрупа на мрежата на Европейската комисия от национални звена за контакт по въпросите на ромите. 6 http://www.gitanos.org/publicaciones/memoria07English/pdf/activities_02.pdf. https://www.gitanos.org/que-hacemos/areas/employment/acceder.html. 7 http://ec.europa.eu/health/social_determinants/docs/healthinequalitiesineu_2013_en.pdf. 8Комитет за икономически, социални и културни права, „Подходящото жилище трябва да разполага с определени съоръжения, които са от съществено значение за здравето, сигурността, удобството и храненето. Всички ползватели на правото на подходящо жилище следва да имат постоянен достъп до природните и общите ресурси, безопасна питейна вода, енергия за готвене, отопление и осветление, санитарни и хигиенни помещения, средства за съхранение на хранителни продукти, съоръжения за изхвърляне на отпадъци, канализационни услуги и спешна помощ“. 9 (2000/43/ЕО1). 10 (2000/78/EО). 11Например: http://goodpracticeroma.ppa.coe.int/en, www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/fight-against-discrimination/coalition-of-cities/good-practices/, http://www.erionet.eu/doc-paper-las_2014, http://coe-romact.org/sites/default/files/Final%20version%20-%20EURoma%20guide%20for%20local%20authorities%2030%2005%2014.pdf. Каталог: resources -> docs docs -> Bg европейски икономически и социален комитет docs -> Bg европейски икономически и социален комитет docs -> Награда на еиск за организираното гражданско общество за 2014 г. Отличие за изключителни постижения в инициативи на гражданското общество docs -> Bg европейски икономически и социален комитет docs -> „Гърция и Великите сили през Втората световна война docs -> Bg rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 — 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel — belgique/belgië docs -> Bg европейски икономически и социален комитет docs -> Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 — 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel — belgique/belgië docs -> Bg европейски икономически и социален комитет docs -> Януари 2012 г. Съдържание стр Изтегляне 0.6 Mb. Сподели с приятели:
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