In the focus of the public in the Western Balkans, one of the topics is the Bulgarian veto on the start of EU negotiations with North Macedonia. I would not comment on the dispute and the problems, but I would refer to another moment, I would only mention one undeniable fact. My grandfather Panta (May he rest in peace), witnessed many events during the Second World War when, as he says: - The Bulgarian army also came to Macedonia. Among other things, they were in Topana, the oldest Roma neighborhood in Skopje and in the Balkans. In the eyes of my grandfather Panta and my grandmother Petra, that Bulgarian army was "so good and kind" to the local people, that they constantly tortured and physically abused them through its raids, home searches and terrorized innocent civilians. Once my grandfather Panta was beaten by the Bulgarian gendarmerie for no reason. His hands were also broken, and my grandmother Petra had to put lamb bandages on him for a whole month, so that he could heal him from bruises all over his body, and as a result of that beating he remained disabled with his hands for the rest of his life. And so he worked with his broken arms. All the old people of Skopje know who Panta was.
Does Bulgaria, as an EU member, respect the rights of the minorities living there? First of all, I mean the Roma minority in Bulgaria!
With the fall of communism and the democratic process, according to analysts, Bulgaria has literally emptied itself. According to forecasts, by 2050 Bulgaria will lose 1/4 of its population. That corps also includes the Roma minority in Bulgaria, which according to some estimates currently numbers over 1 million Roma in Bulgaria.
But with the entry into the EU, an exodus of Bulgarians began. Among them are the Bulgarian Roma. What is the reason for this?
The fact is that besides Romania, Bulgaria is the economically weakest member of the EU. Hence the reasons are clear and unambiguous, that the exodus is mostly for economic reasons.
According to some figures, about half a million Bulgarian Roma have already emigrated to EU countries alone, and hundreds of thousands of Roma from Bulgaria and other countries around the world.
The most attractive destinations are Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, but no less than Great Britain, Spain, Scandinavia and others.
The question also arises as to whether the economic indicator alone is the cause of this exodus. Percentage maybe yes, but there are other factors.
Bulgarian Roma have always been on the margins of Bulgarian society. They have never been high on the agenda of priorities in Bulgarian society and solving their many decades of problems. First of all, we mean employment, education, health, housing, etc. This is clearly stated in the statements and reports of various international organizations, as well as by Roma associations, organizations that regularly send them to the international community.
This is stated in the statements of the International Roma Union - IRU and its members and delegates from this country, who regularly report on any anomalies and actions taken by the Bulgarian government against the Roma. The IRU has repeatedly reacted to all these incidents with protest letters and notes to the Bulgarian Embassy, but to date there is no feedback on whether any action has been taken or any decisions have been made. Nor do they have a court ruling. Maybe that moment is important for this mass exodus of Bulgarian Roma from Bulgaria, In that context and in the past and now with the current government of Boyko Borisov, and his mentors, Karakachanov, Zaharieva and others further contribute to the Roma from this country not feel at home, but treated as a third or fourth class of citizens. Vojvodinovo, Sofia Roma settlement Faculties, Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora and many other Roma settlements were targeted by the state leadership with various actions, demolition of their homes, police actions and raids and other systematic pressures on the most vulnerable category of Bulgarian society . One example is the Pandemic with Covid-19, where for example several Roma settlements were air-disinfected and under special supervision and quarantine by police officers, that the Roma are one of the biggest threats to the Covid 19 infection in Bulgaria. An example is Kyustendil where the Roma settlement was placed under a 30-day full quarantine and curfew. And it is under cover that everything is legally justified, legally and legally sustainable.
If we know that now in March 2021 there is an election in Bulgaria, then we must be aware that the government in order to win the vote of the Bulgarians (with patriotic vocabulary), will do everything for the unhealthy Bulgarian society, the Roma are "guilty", we can assume what expects the Roma in these parties' election campaigns, and where they will "shoot".
Therefore, Europe, do not close your eyes to the facts! And do not be hypocritical, giving Bulgaria 1.5 million euros, so that the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior controls the "threatening Roma settlements" that there are potential public danger of Islamic radicalism and extremism!
Take a look at nationalists like Karakachanov and others who have an agenda that Roma are redundant in Bulgaria.
