A national debate on policies for the Roma in Bulgaria

A national debate on policies for the Roma in Bulgaria opened in Sofia on Saturday. During the two-day forum, some 280 participants are discussing the future of Roma neighbourhoods in the cities and education problems facing that ethnic group, among other matters.

The debate is organized by the Centre for Liberal Strategies, Bulgarian National Television, the Alpha Research polling agency, the Sofia office of the Open Society Institute, and NPO Links.

Approached by journalists, Pirinski said problems cannot be resolved by allocating a lot of funding if it is not properly absorbed. „Even with less money to spend, the effect would be much greater if the process was organized differently and if the money was used differently,“ he said.

Calls for Roma inclusion should be backed by practical action, starting with children of pre-school age, he said. „From the very beginning, they find themselves encapsulated in an environment outside mainstream society, and they are not socialized, not educated or trained for decent jobs. This produces an attitude which is manifested in the thought: ’I have no use for a society that does not want me.’“ Pirinski said.

BTA