The specialised equality body Commission for Protection against Discrimination receives and investigates complaints for cases of discrimination, however there is no mechanism in place, specifically designed to collect data on racial discrimination. The Roma ethnic minority is in distinctively unequal position in all spheres of life and respectively the integration and cohesion policies are directed mainly towards that ethnic group.

Clear
  • Anti-discrimination Legislation & Implementation

    In Bulgaria, the Law on Protection against Discrimination regulates the prohibition of discrimination and protection of all rights and freedoms proclaimed by the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria in accordance with the International Conventions and the EU law.  A specialised equality body Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) receives and investigates complaints for cases of discrimination.

  • Employment

    The unemployment rates of the Turkish and Roma minority groups are lower than those of the Bulgarians. Under official data 87.7% of the Bulgarians in work age are employed, while within the Turkish minority group that share stands at 74.3%. The lowest employment rate is observed within the Roma ethnic group - 50.2% of the population in work age. Unemployment rate of migrants is close to the one of Bulgarians. Data on employment rate among refugees in not available.

  • Housing & Segregation

    The concentration of Roma in segregated neighborhoods is an emerging problem in both urban and rural areas. This concentration in separate quarters usually leads to social isolation, to the deterioration of living conditions, problems with construction and maintenance of infrastructure and sanitation, to transport problems and difficulties in providing services. There have also been examples of forced evictions of Roma families illegally occupying certain territories.

    • Is there evidence of particular difficulties faced by migrant/minority groups in purchasing or renting property of their choice?

      Yes, Roma and refugees.

      Qualitative Info

      The Roma face the worst instances of the housing market characteristics such as deteriorating condition of the housing stock, no system for housing subsidies, and difficulty in accessing mortgage loans due to their low purchasing power.

      The most significant difference in the ownership structure between Roma and non-Roma is the greater dependency of Roma on municipal / state-owned housing, where 15 per cent of Roma live in public housing, while only 1 per cent of the surrounding majority did.

      The low personal income and the high unemployment rate of the majority of the Roma ethnic group and the refugees living in the towns or cities prevent them from affording the purchase or renting property of their choice. For a period of one year the State provides financial assistance for housing to those of the newly recognized refugees who attend courses in Bulgarian language.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Housing
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Affected group with particular difficulties in purchasing or renting property of own choice

      Roma, refugees

      Qualitative Info

      The Roma face the worst instances of the housing market characteristics such as deteriorating condition of the housing stock, no system for housing subsidies, and difficulty in accessing mortgage loans due to their low purchasing power.

      The most significant difference in the ownership structure between Roma and non-Roma is the greater dependency of Roma on municipal / state-owned housing, where 15 per cent of Roma live in public housing, while only 1 per cent of the surrounding majority did.

      The low personal income and the high unemployment rate of the majority of the Roma ethnic group and the refugees living in the towns or cities prevent them from affording the purchase or renting property of their choice. For a period of one year the State provides financial assistance for housing to those of the newly recognized refugees who attend courses in Bulgarian language.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Housing
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are there positive initiatives with an impact on housing of migrant and minority groups?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      The implementation of Phare Project BG 2004/016-711.01.03 ‘Improvement of the situation and inclusion of the disadvantaged ethnic minorities with a special focus on Roma’ is the major positive initiative on national level. The project focuses on improving the social integration of disadvantaged ethnic minorities by upgrading the existing public infrastructure and measures for legalising the constructions.

      The specifics of the living conditions of the Roma population are addressed in the Operational Programme ‘Regional Development’ 2007-2013 of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. The measures for improving the living conditions of Roma are defined under Priority Axis 1: Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development.

      A number of small scale projects for the construction of Roma houses have been implemented throughout the country.

      The National Action Plan for Implementing the National Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for Integration of Roma 2012 – 2020 foresees, among all, defining new areas for housing with opportunities for devolvement and dispersion of the compact Roma neighborhoods;  creation of cadastral maps and registers of areas with compact Roma population; design and construction of technical infrastructure.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Housing

      External Url http://www.nccedi.government.bg/page.php?category=125&id=1633

      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Education

    There is evidence about significantly lower enrollment rates among Roma. School segregation is another main problem regarding the Roma minority. Part of Roma children are enrolled in schools without sufficient knowledge of Bulgarian language and without being mastered basic knowledge and skills necessary to cope in the learning process. Refugees also face problems related to insufficient language skills that impact negatively their educational performance.

    • Practical obstacles and evidence of problems and differential enrollment rates for certain minorities?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      There are many obstacles that ground the significantly lower enrolment rates among Roma. Integration problems and distance are the two main factors discouraging Roma pupils to attend consolidated schools. According to the World Bank, parents are citing the shortage of arrangements (transportation, semi-boarding facilities and school canteens) and the difficult integration with other pupils as the main factors discouraging attendance in rural areas. Besides the financial problems related to the inability to send their children to school thus including them to the “family way of earning the living”, the poor family traditions in education can also be noted.

      The closure of schools in small municipalities as a part of the education reform aiming at cutting costs, resulted in slightly higher dropout rates, especially among the Roma population in rural areas.

      Another specific feature of the Roma group is that functional illiteracy among women is three times more common than in men under Partners Bulgaria Foundation data of 2004. Women take care of the children, their illiteracy or low education are crucial for the educational aspirations and educational success of children.

      Degree/ ethnic group

      %Bulgarian       2011

      %Turkish                      2011

      %Roma                          2011

      Tertiary

      25.6

      4.9

      0.5

      Secondary

      52.3

      29.7

      9.0

      Primary

      18.0

      44.5

      40.8

      Elementary

      3.4

      13.4

      27.9

      Illiterate/ never attended school

      0.9

      7.5

      21.8

      Source: National Statistical Institute data cited in "Project for National Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for Roma Integration", 2011.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://siteresources.worldbank.org/BULGARIAEXTN/Resources/305438-1224088560466/Bulgaria_School_Autonomy_Reforms_FINAL_ENG_for_web.pdf

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Practical obstacles and evidence of problems and differential enrollment rates for migrants?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      Access is critically unfavourable for integration, since children of temporary and undocumented migrants pay fees to access education. Half guarantee access at all education levels. For those lucky enough to attend compulsory education, trained language teachers are supposed to teach standardised Bulgarian programmes. Mother tongues can be taught. Other than that, schools are far less prepared than most in Europe to address new needs and opportunities. The Centre for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities helps schools implement intercultural education, but could guarantee more materials, guidelines and evaluations.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://www.mipex.eu/bulgaria

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Poorer educational performance by certain groups?

      Poorer educational performance is observed among Roma and refugees

      Qualitative Info

      "Part of Roma children are enrolled in schools without sufficient knowledge of Bulgarian language and without being mastered basic knowledge and skills necessary to cope in the learning process. Social patterns in many groups of Roma, especially in districts with prevailing Roma population, cause additional difficulties for the adaptation of Roma children who had not attended kindergarten in school. Moreover, rural and small town schools are associated with lower scores, which are mainly due to the high number of students from linguistic minorities. Such students are also reported to perform better in small schools than in larger ones." 

      Source: "Project for National Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for Roma Integration", 2012

      Refugees also face problems with educational performance. After status recognition both children and adults undergo a mandatory six-month Bulgarian language course.  It can be combined with a course of social orientation and cultural adaptation. After graduating that course the children pass exams which aim at identifying the level of their knowledge in order to be positioned in the Bulgarian educational system. There are NGOs which provide additional courses of the same kind. However, that training proves to be insufficient for the children to adapt normally to the educational system.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://www.aref.government.bg/?cat=16

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Problems with educational attainement by certain groups (drop out - fragmentation of educational experience)?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      Dropout rates among the Roma, although improving during the past few years, are disproportionately high compared to other ethnic groups. In a survey, held by Vitosha research in 2007 and published in "Reasons for Children Dropping Out of School", 74% of the children who leave school are Roma, 12.4% are Turks and 10.1% are Bulgarian. Among the main reasons pointed out by the parents are: lack of funding for food and clothes (41.4%), the child experienced difficulties in studying (35.7%), lack of funding for textbooks and notebooks (29.5%), poor interest in education (24.4%). Among the top reasons given by teachers in primary schools are: lack of interest by parents (54.2%), lack of finances (49.5%), problems in the family, e.g. divorce, domestic violence, alcoholism (37.5%), and parents who do not allow their children to go to school (35.9%).

      Groups affected/interested

      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url www.vitosha-research.com/fileSrc.php?id=2122

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are there positive initiatives to improve/support poor educational provision for migrant and minority groups?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      Centre for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities (CEICSEM) was established by Decree 4 of the Council of Ministers from 11 January 2005. CEICSEM was created to support the implementation of government policies regarding the educational needs of children and students from ethnic minorities. It funds projects aiming at improving the quality of education of students of ethnic minorities, at promoting equality and facing specific needs of the minority pupils in different regions.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://coiduem.mon.bg/en/index.php

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Victimisation in schools (bullying/harassment/racist violence) ?

      There is no official data available.

      Qualitative Info

      In September 2009, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee published a report ‘Discrimination and Protection against Discrimination in the Attitude of the Majority and among the Vulnerable Groups in Bulgaria’.  The report studies, through focus group discussions, the discriminatory attitude of the majority towards vulnerable groups and the experience of the representatives of six vulnerable groups (Roma, Bulgarian Muslims, refugees, disabled, homosexual, and women protection organisations). The Roma respondents reported that Roma pupils who go to school with Bulgarian children are often verbally harassed because of their ethnic background which finally results in the leaving of the school. They complain that school principals do not do enough to defend the Roma in such situations. School children admit that when discriminated against they talk to their parents and when expressing their will to file a complaint their parents discourage them by saying that complaining is pointless.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Type (R/D)

      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://issuu.com/bghelsinki/docs/discrimination_effectivenessadregime-1-

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Provision of option to learn mother language other than the majority's

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      Education in mother tongue is a part of the primary and secondary curricula as a selective subject. Students state that they are willing to study mother tongue and they specify which their mother tongue is. In 2010/2011 under  Ministry of Education data cited by "В Родопите: 7 часа турски, 5 часа български ", Trud Daily of 19 April 2011, school year a total of 13,536 pupils took advantage of that option. The highest share of pupils study Turkish –  6,678 (compared to 19,800 during the previous year), only 28 pupils are studying Romani language, 134 children were studying Hebrew in 2010, 151 children study Armenian, and 28 children studied Greek in 2010. 27 children study Arabian and less than 10 - English or Czech.

      The embassies of many countries in Bulgaria offer language courses, for which permission from the Bulgarian authorities is not required, and they work under the rules of their home countries, said Mrs. Petya Evtimova, deputy Minister of the Education, cited in "В Родопите: 7 часа турски, 5 часа български ", Trud Daily of 19 April 2011.

      The newly voted National Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for Roma Integration 2012 – 2020, and the action plan for its implementation foresee the implementation of bilingual technologies for education of children with mother tongue other than Bulgarian.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://www.nccedi.government.bg/page.php?category=125&id=1633

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Evidence of modifying school curricula and teaching materials can be modified to reflect the diversity of the school population

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      The low level of presence of multicultural and intercultural elements in teaching materials and curricula can be observed. The minority communities’ traditions and culture are still poorly represented in the curriculum, although there are changes in state educational requirements during the recent years. There are also numerous projects by NGOs in this field, which have impact locally.

      "The monitoring and evaluation of the curricula is made by the Centre for Education Control and Evaluation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science. The main activities of the Centre are focused on models and mechanisms for inner and outer assessment of secondary education and migrant/minority pupils are not a target group of their policies and projects."

      Source: Mipex Questionnaire Comments, 2010, available at: http://www.mipex.eu/download

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://www.mipex.eu/download

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are there in schools good practices/positive initiatives and intercultural coexistence plans designed to solve problems of discrimination racism or xenophobia?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      An example there is one of the projects of Organisation DROM, named “Together in Diversity”.  Among its main objectives are to promote the history, culture, and traditions of the ethnic Roma minority, to work against overcoming the prejudices against ethnic groups, to ease the access of Roma to the higher education and to support the education of Roma adults. Under the project DROM organisation set up ‘Ethno history and handicrafts’ club and ‘Ethno club’ TV programme. 30 Roma pupils attended university preparation courses, 25 adults were individually prepared for obtaining educational degree.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Roma & Travelers

      Type (R/D)

      • Anti-migrant/xenophobia
      • Anti-roma/zinghanophobia

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://drom-vidin.org/

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Is the teacher regular curricula/training dealing with specific reference to immigrants or ethnic minorities and respect/promotion of diversity?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      "The pedagogical training curricula in some Bulgarian universities includes subjects related to training and integration of children of foreign nationals. Students work as interns in different NGOs and in the State Agency for Refugees.“Training in Bulgarian language of children of foreign nationals” project is being carried out  in some schools in Sofia since 2009. It helps teachers to share pedagogical experience, materials, approaches, etc. The National Report of pre-service training of teachers regarding diversity (2007) shows that the terms pre-service and in-service qualification have not been laid down in Bulgarian regulations. The basic term used in these documents is “qualification” The same paper underlines that themes of immigrant education, cultural and language diversity are treated in  relevant legislation and different programs and strategies, but there are no specific requirements for pre-service training  and qualification of teachers. See also National Program for Integration of Refugees in the Republic of  Bulgaria, Chapter V – Education."

      Source: Mipex Questionnaire Comments, 2010, available at: http://www.mipex.eu/download

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Education

      External Url http://www.mipex.eu/download

      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Health And Social Protection

    More than 33% of the Roma of the age of above 15 have never paid health insurance and thus deprived from the rights of health-insured persons, compared to some 6.0% of the Bulgarians. Different epidemics are specific to the Roma group. They are related to the ineffectiveness of immunisation campaigns among the inhabitants of segregated Roma neighbourhoods.

    • Is there evidence of increased morbidity rates for minority and migrant groups?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      Under a research carried out by the Open Society Institute Sofia in 2007, more than half of the Roma define their health as “satisfactory”, “poor”, or “very poor”. This is by 12% higher than country’s average according to the Eurobarometer data on Bulgaria. Under the OSI survey in more of 30% of the Roma families there is at least one member with recognized heavy disease or a certain share of disablement.

      How do you access your own health?

      %

      Very good

      12,7

      Good

      32,8

      Satisfactory

      27,3

      Poor

      16,6

      Very poor

      7,7

      Cannot say

      1,4

      Not answered

      1,4

      Source: „Health Status of Roma“, Open Society Institute Sofia, 2007.

      There is no data or researches on the healthcare status of Turks, migrants and refugees.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Health and social protection
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Specific health issues such as diseases specific to particular groups

      There are occasionally epidemics which are associated specifically with the Roma group.

      Qualitative Info

      These are related to the ineffectiveness of immunisation campaigns among the inhabitants of segregated Roma neighbourhoods. The rapid spread of diseases is also prompted by negative factors that affect the overall health status of the segregated communities, including overpopulation, poor sanitary conditions and lack of hygiene.  

      As an example, an epidemic of measles, affecting almost exclusively the Roma minority, was registered in 2010.  Under an Amalipe Center data Бюлетин на Център Амалипе 05/2010 a total of 14,470 people were affected from January to April 2010 according to reports of non-governmental organisations. Between 94 % and 98% of the victims of the disease in different parts of the country were of Roma origin and 10 of the 19 cases resulting in death of the patients were Roma minors.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Roma & Travelers

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Health and social protection
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Differential access to social protection system and benefits - Do some or more categories of migrants minorities or stateless/non-citizens face limitations and restrictions?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      The Bulgarian legislation in healthcare requires regular payment of health insurance installments in order to avoid discontinuation in the rights of health-insured persons. According to "Health Status of Roma“, Open Society Institute Sofia, 2007, the level of health insurance installment payment among Roma is very low – more than 33% of the Roma of the age of above 15 have never paid health insurance, compared to some 6.0% of the Bulgarians.

      The health insurance problem is closely related to the long-term and permanent unemployment.

      Under the Law on Health, all persons in Bulgaria have access to emergency aid. This is the only type of healthcare available for illegal migrants.

      Medical services are not offered in languages other than Bulgarian and the communication barrier between the patient and the medical practitioner jeopardizes the access and quality of healthcare for refugees.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Health and social protection
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Do migrants have a higher risk of poverty than the rest of the population?

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      A survey on the rights of migrants carried out by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in 2006, 41.8% of the migrants survied believe that their standard of living and remuneration is comparable to the national average. Some 29.3% of migrants consider their salary higher or more than double than average, 14.8% say their standard of living and remuneration is lower or significantly lower than country’s average. Only 17.2% of women compared to 36.1% of men consider their remuneration higher or much higher than Bulgaria’s average. A total of 25.4% of women and only 8.8% of male migrants, on the other hand, determine the standard of living as a lower or significantly lower than average.

      Source: Research of the Rights of Migrants in Bulgaria from a Human Rights Perspective, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, November 2006.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Health and social protection

      External Url http://old.bghelsinki.org/upload/resources/MigrantsRightsReportENG-1.doc

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are there policies and/or good practices accomodating culture/ traditions' respect in health care

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      Such practices or policies cannot be found. A positive trend, however, is the increase in the percentage of Roma and Turkish minority employed in the health sector. From the year 2007 to 2010 the share of members of the Turkish minority working in the health sector increased from 2 per cent to 5.9 per cent, while the Roma increased from 1.8 per cent to 3.3 per cent for the same period.[1]



      [1] A. Пампоров (2010) ‘Ефекти от кризата върху българи, турци и роми’, in: Политики, No 7/2010, available at: http://politiki.bg/?cy=183&lang=1&a0i=223581&a0m=readInternal&a0p_id=699

       

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Health and social protection

      External Url http://politiki.bg/?cy=183&lang=1&a0i=223581&a0m=readInternal&a0p_id=699

      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Political & Civic Participation

    Under the Bulgarian Election Code migrants cannot vote or run for in Parliamentary elections.  EU citizens with residence of at least six months in an EU country can run for the EU Parliament. There is no evidence that the public bodies have specific policy to reflect the ethnic diversity of the society. However, representatives of the two largest ethnic minorities can be found among the management of different government bodies.

    • Migrants' political rights - right to vote to national/local elections

      EU citizens have the right to vote on local elections and in elections for European MPs.

      Qualitative Info

      EU citizens have the right to vote on local elections and in elections for European MPs.

      Under the Bulgarian Election Code migrants cannot vote in Parliamentary elections. Migrants with EU citizenship who have resided in Bulgaria for more than three months have voting rights at elections for European MPs. Migrants with EU citizenship who have permanently resided for six months in the respective municipality have the right to vote at local elections.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Outreach - encourage participation - Practical obstacles or problems for migrants in exercising their right to vote

      Third country nationals have no rights to vote. There is no data available on problems for EU citizens to vote.

      Qualitative Info

      Third country nationals have no rights to vote. There is no data available on problems for EU citizens to vote.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Migrants have the right to stand for elections at local/national level?

      EU citizens can stand for local and European MP elections.

      Qualitative Info

      Migrants  cannot run for the parliamentary elections and elections for President.

      Under the Election Code, EU citizens of at least 21 years, who have no citizenship of a third country, with residence of at least six months in an EU country can run for the EU Parliament.

      EU citizens of at least 18 years, who have no citizenship of a third country, with residence of at least six months in the respective municipality can run at the local elections.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Minority members have certain rights to self-government?

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      The minorities have no formal rights of self-government other than the one valid for all the country. The representatives of the minority wherever there is social will to do so elect their representatives in the local authorities.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are migrants' representatives engaged in any formal consultation with public authorities?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants (BCRM) combines organisations working in support of the refugees and asylum seekers n Bulgaria. It aims at influencing and supporting the social transformation towards efficient protection and integration of refugees and migrants. As of 2008, the BCRM has signed a memorandum for cooperation with the State Agency for Refugees within the Council of Ministers, under which jointly to support the fundamental rights of the asylum seekers and the refugees in Bulgaria.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Are there migrants' consultative/advisory/representative bodies established by law?

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      No law provides the establishment of such bodies.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Public administration (including judiciary and executive) reflects the ethnic diversity of society?

      No sufficient data.

      Qualitative Info

      There is no evidence that the judiciary and law enforcement bodies have any specific policy to reflect the ethnic diversity of the society. However, as an example, representatives of the two largest ethnic minorities can be found among the management of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. Furthermore, institutions working in fields relevant to minorities tend to consider the ethnic diversity by forming public councils including among its members representatives of NGOs and experts from ethnic minorities.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political participation
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Is there automatic citizenship acquisition by birth for migrant children born in the country?

      No, only stateless children may acquire citizenship by birth.

      Qualitative Info

      Under the Law for the Bulgarian Citizenship every person born on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, if he/she does not acquire another citizenship by origin, is a Bulgarian citizen by place of birth. Considered to be born on the territory of Bulgaria are children found on this territory, whose parents are unknown.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • What is the general law provision for naturalisation?

      Under the Law for the Bulgarian Citizenship Bulgarian citizenship can be acquired by persons of at least 18 years old, who had permanent residence permit of at least 5 years, who have not been convicted, who have occupation or income in Bulgaria, have certain proficiency in Bulgarian and who have been repleased from their present citizenship.

      Qualitative Info

      Under the Law for the Bulgarian Citizenship of 1999 (last amended SG No.33 30 April 2010) persons who are not Bulgarian citizens can acquire Bulgarian citizenship if by the date of filing the application for naturalization: have become of age; before no less than 5 years have been given permit for permanent stay in the Republic of Bulgaria;  have not been convicted for premeditated crime of general nature by a Bulgarian court and against them criminal prosecution has not been instituted for such crime, unless rehabilitated; have income or occupation which enables their support in Bulgaria; have proficiency in Bulgarian language which is ascertained according to an Ordinance by the Minister of Education, Youth and Science, and, who are released from their present citizenship or will be released from it by the moment of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship.

      Persons who have obtained a refugee or humanitarian status, not later than three years by the date of filing the application for naturalisation can acquire Bulgarian citizenship if they meet the above requirements.

      Besides, persons who are not Bulgarian citizens can acquire Bulgarian citizenship by naturalization if they are of Bulgarian origin, if they are adopted by a Bulgarian, if they have special contributions to the Republic of Bulgaria in the public and economic sphere, in the sphere of science, technology, culture and sport.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees
      See other countriesSee indicator history
  • Policies On Integration - Cohesion

    There are numerous strategic documents on integration, the most general of these being the ‘National Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria on Roma Integration 2012 - 2020’ together with the action plan for its implementation. There is no independent evaluation of the effects of Bulgaria's integration strategy.

  • Public Life, Culture, Sport & Media

    Self-identification of individuals is the only criterion for recognition of minority or ethnic groups' rights by the state. The State generally respects the freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom of association for migrants. However, the ECtHR has repeatedly sentenced Bulgaria for denying the right of association by refusing to register OMO Ilinden Pirin - an organization that promotes the recognition of Macedonian minority in Bulgaria.

    • Is self-identification of individuals/groups a criterion for recognition and respect of minority or ethnic cultural linguistic religious groups' rights by the state/government?

      Yes.

      Qualitative Info

      The "Strategy on National Security" of 2011 says: "The country has established legal instruments and has built institutions to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms including the right to self-determination, freedom of self-organization for the development of communities forming on ethnicity, age, religious, professional or other status."

      External Url http://www.strategy.bg/StrategicDocuments/View.aspx?lang=bg-BG&Id=671

      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Association: are there restrictions of the freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association for migrants

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      The State generally respects the freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom of association for migrants.  There are numerous associations and cultural centres of representatives of different migrant groups, however no data  on their number is available. Such organisations are the Association of the Palestinians in Bulgaria and the Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      See other countriesSee indicator history
    • Association: are there restrictions of the of the freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association for minorities

      No, but restrictions apply on constitution of political parties on ethnic, cultural religion grounds.

      Qualitative Info

      Since the beginning of the political changes in the early 1990s the political representation of the Turkish minority has been practically monopolized by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). It is obvious that the Movement is an ethnically based political party. This obviously contradicts Art. 11 (4) of the Constitution of Bulgaria: “There shall be no political parties on ethnic, racial or religious lines...”. A  Constitutional Court decision defined that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms is established and functioning in accordance with the Constitution.

      The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly sentenced Bulgaria for denying the right of association by refusing to register OMO Ilinden Pirin - an organization that promotes the recognition of Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. In 1999 OMO Ilinden Pirin was registered as a party and in 2000 was declared unconstitutional under Art. 11 of the Constitution. In 2005 and in 2006, the ECHR rules against Bulgaria for violation of the right of association. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe does monitoring of the implementation of the judgment, which is closed in 2009. The last Ruling (CASE OF THE UNITED MACEDONIAN ORGANISATION ILINDEN AND OTHERS v. BULGARIA (No. 2)(Application no. 34960/04)) of 18 October 2011 imposes another fine. Regarding the Bulgarian Government’s position the above cited ruling says: “The grounds given by the national courts for their refusal to register Ilinden could be split in two groups. The first consisted of the real ones – that the registration of an organisation of the Macedonian minority would, by endowing it with a legal status, imperil the country’s sovereignty and the nation’s unity. All three levels of court had relied on such grounds, which were indicative of the authorities’ enduring prejudice against the Macedonian minority. The second group consisted of formal grounds whose purpose was to conceal the real ones. The first such ground – a purported problem with the number of members of Ilinden’s managing council – could have been spotted by the first-instance court and easily rectified. The second one – the bar on associations pursuing political aims – was equally just a pretext to refuse registration, as evident from the earlier refusals to register Ilinden.”

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Political discourse -parties - orgs

      External Url http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=html&documentId=893877&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649

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    • Religion: Persons belonging to minorities face legal and practical obstacles in exercising or manifesting their religion or belief?

      No.

      Qualitative Info

      There are no systematic violations of the freedom of exercising their religion. The most serious incident is of October 2010. The State Agency “National Security” held an operation in south-western Bulgaria against alleged associates of the Bulgarian branch of a radical Islamist group. During the operation the police performed searches and confiscated religious literature, CDs and a computer. The operation was accompanied with indignation by the local Muslim population. In the village of Laznitsa the agents were blocked in a house by the villagers who said they would not let the agents out before they returned the confiscated literature. The Regional Prosecutor’s office later said that three persons were convicted in belonging to the Alwakf Alislami organization.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Religious minorities
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    • Media: Are there positive measures for promoting or restrictions for Migrant and minority media?

      There are no restrictions for migrant/minority media.

      Qualitative Info

      The Bulgarian National Television (BNT) broadcasts news in Turkish on a daily basis and the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) has programmes in Turkish three times a day in specific regions. There are regional cable TV channels and radio stations in minority languages with limited coverage. The Bulgarian National Television broadcasts a programme “Romani Lumia – the World of Roma”, which promotes the Roma culture.

      There are several newspapers of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, published in Turkish. The Roma newspapers such as Drom Dromendar, Akana, the Jewish community newspaper Еврейски вести [Jewish News] and the three Armenian newspapers – Ереван [Erevan Weekly], Вахан [Vahan], and Арменци [Armenians biweekly] are published in Bulgarian.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Media
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    • Media: Are there positive measures for promoting or restrictions for minority and lesser used language in the media?

      There is insufficient media in minority languages.

      Qualitative Info

      The Bulgarian National Television (BNT) broadcasts news in Turkish on a daily basis and the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) has programmes in Turkish three times a day in specific regions. There are regional cable TV channels and radio stations in minority languages with limited coverage. There are several newspapers of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, published in Turkish.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Linguistic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Media
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    • Media: Is there a visible presence (or absence) of members of target groups as media professionals?

      Representatives of the two largest minority groups can be found in TV programmes.

      Qualitative Info

      Representatives of the two largest minority groups can be found in TV programmes. It is unable to assess the share of minority representatives among all types of media professionals.

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Media
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    • Sport: Effective participation of migrants in sport

      In amateur or professional sport there are no practical obstacles for migrants in participating, excluding to some extent the professional football.

      Qualitative Info

      In football, there is a limit of five third country nationals per team. Third country nationals should also obtain a work permit from the Employment Agency in order to sign a contract. The participation of EU nationals is not subject to any restrictions. However, players coming from non-EU countries, which are members of the European Economic Area, are also treated as third country nationals.

       Restrictions in other sports may only be applied as to the number of foreigners playing for one team, but this will be done only if it is necessary to comply with international standards or regulations.

      In football, the number of foreign players in Bulgaria’s primary championship “A Group” for the season of 2011/2012 is 75, 20 of them come from Brazil.[1] There are no statistics on the representation of foreigners, migrants and representatives of ethnic minorities in other sports.

       

      Groups affected/interested

      • Migrants
      • Refugees

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Sport
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    • Sport: Effective participation of minorities in sport

      The Roma minority is reported to be underrepresented in sports.

      Qualitative Info

      According to NGOs Roma are almost excluded from professional sport. However, there are no studies on the reasons for this situation. Representatives of NGOs believe this is primarily due to the negative attitude of managers and trainers rather than to specific rules and provisions.

      In amateur sports there are many players of Turkish ethnic origin, especially in the teams from the north-east and the south parts of the country where the prevailing part of the Turkish minority lives. There are also many Roma players, especially in the youth teams.

      According to NGOs,[1] Roma are significantly underrepresented in children's and youth sport and this is due to the negative attitudes of trainers and parents towards the Roma, e.g. parents of ethnic Bulgarian children do not like their children to play together with Roma children in the same team. NGOs implementing projects on the integration of Roma children through sport report about such problems from their own experience. According to representatives of such NGOs' it is difficult to convince teachers and parents to support the organisation of sport events with the participation of Roma and other children. NGOs also report that such problems occur only in relation to the Roma minority and are completely missing when other ethnic groups in the country are concerned.

      NGOs also report that the underrepresentation of Roma in children's and youth sport is often linked to the segregation in education. Sport activities are seen as closely related to children's education and the fact that Roma children study in separate schools or classes usually leads to their exclusion from the sport activities on school level.



      [1] Center for the Study of Democracy (2009) Interview with senior representative of CEGA Foundation (14.04.2009), Interview with senior representative of Open Society Institute - Sofia (21.04.2009)

       

      Groups affected/interested

      • Ethnic minorities

      Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas

      • Sport
      See other countriesSee indicator history