Roma in Bulgaria

According to official figures, 370,000 Roma currently live in Bulgaria – 90 percent of whom live on state benefits, receiving 75 euros a month per family. In view of this depressing situation, Adelheid Wölfl expresses her doubts about whether Bulgaria is ready for EU membership and also about European policy on this issue. "Paradoxically, Bulgaria's push for EU membership is making the situation even worse for the Roma, because according to Mihail Georgiev, president of the Roma organisation Baht, Western Europe is sending the message: 'Take back your Roma!'. He criticises 'police methods' like those in Austria, as a result of which Bulgarian Roma children are sent back to Bulgaria. Because EU Europeans perceive Roma as a threat, Roma are also perceived as a potential obstacle to EU membership by Bulgaria's majority population. Last year the Ataka party, which adopts a hostile stance towards minorities, won eight percent of the vote."

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