(photo News.bg)

Bulgarian society is undergoing massive demographic changes (total population 7,7 Mio). The largest minority populations, composed by Turks (9,4%) and Roma (4,7%), are expected to reach in the next 30 years the same number as the Bulgarian population in some geographical areas. The results are racism and xenophobia.The EU-entry in 2007 caused great hopes, but also some fears.

Almost 90 percent of the Bulgarians consider the Roma to be criminals and 60 percent consider all Turks to be religious fanatics. These alarming results were published 2 years ago by the Open Society Institute (OSI) in Budapest. Racism is widespread among young educated Bulgarians, incited by populist rightwing parties and media.

Due to the lack of policy for Roma people, the problem of increasing racism and xenophobia among the Bulgarian population can hardly be managed on a national level and needs higher attention from the EU.

(photo News.bg)

This claimed Bulgarian Prime Minister, Sergei Stanishev during his welcome speech at the 10th session of the International Steering Committee on the Decade of Roma Inclusion which took place on June in Sofia. Furthermore the PM underlined that an effective integration of Roma people is not possible before the Bulgarian society is ready for this. In order to overcome the well known Roma stereotypes, the Bulgarian government is emphasizing integration policy, which includes EU programmes such as civil society projects and intercultural trainings for local politicians and minority representatives. These programmes should help to overcome the existing situation of two parallel societies, the lack of interest of Roma people in integrating and the negative Roma image among the Bulgarians.
Parallel societies cause a social "ghettoisation", similar to the situation in Romania and Slovakia. The strictly hierarchic clan-structure of the Roma supports their own illegal tribunals as well as a prospering black-market system. More than 18% of Roma are still illiterate and only 0,2% have an university degree. Programmes on education, labour qualification, better living conditions and employment would be the most important requirements to reduce their social exclusion.
Contrary to the Roma, the Bulgarian Turks are well organised, they have their own political party and maintain close connections to their kin state Turkey. The former communist regime expelled about 300.000 Turks from Bulgaria and nowadays hundreds of thousands Bulgarian Turks are settled in Turkey. More than 100.000 are still Bulgarian citizens and voted for the European Parliament election in May. The results of the election celebrated the big success of the Turkish minority Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) which was ranked third party with more than 20% of votes. Needless to say that this provoked a strong reaction of the Bulgarian nationalist party "Ataka" fearing that the MRF deputies at the European Parliament will represent Turkish interests. The Bulgarian nationalists are emphasizing the historical problematic relationship between Bulgaria and Turkey, going back to the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish investments in economically poorer Bulgaria are provoking anti Turkish feelings among the population. Due to the fear of a selling-out the Bulgarian land, connected with the growth of Muslim Turks and a political and economical powerful Turkey as neighbour state, the EU-accession was seen as the last hope for many Bulgarians to insure the stability of their country. Therefore the majority of Bulgarians rejects the idea of Turkish EU accession although, according to the comments of "Ataka" politicians after the elections to the European Parliament: "Bulgaria is becoming Turkey's Trojan horse in the EU".

28.06.07

Günther Rautz