Bulgaria: Progress in ensuring access to minority rights remains insufficient – CoE
In spite of some positive developments in legislation, access to healthcare and education over the past four years, insufficient progress can be observed in Bulgaria in implementing earlier recommendations to ensure effective access to minority rights, the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe (CoE) Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities said in its new opinion published on October 10.
The committee provides recommendations to Bulgarian authorities to promote the cultures and the languages of national minorities, to nurture trust and mutual respect, as well as to improve the situation of the Roma minority.
Among positive developments observed in Bulgaria the opinion cites the development of legislation on combating hate speech and hate crime, efforts regarding access to education which have resulted in higher school attendance rates of Roma children and a gradually decreasing number of early dropout rates, as well as public health measures positively impacting the access of Roma to healthcare, in particular the continuous support for Roma healthcare mediators which is commendable, the report said.
The adoption of a “National Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism (2023-2027)” in October 2023 and the restoration of a Synagogue in the city of Vidin are also welcomed.
However, the political instability in the country since 2020 has directly and adversely affected the overall implementation of the rights of people belonging to national minorities. Awareness of minority rights as an integral part of human rights is lacking, and efforts are needed to fight prejudice and stereotypes related to minorities.
The report said that Roma still face many obstacles, including antigypsyism, forced evictions, inadequate housing, unemployment (especially among women), overall health situation and the lack of identity documents, which impedes their full equality and inclusion in Bulgarian society.
Funding for cultural activities remains very limited. Apart from the right to learn one’s “mother tongue” at the primary level of education for two hours a week, there are no other possibilities for learning minority languages at school.
The committee made several recommendations to the Bulgarian authorities.
As a call for immediate action, it urges the authorities to effectively address the lack of identity documents, in particular among persons belonging to the Roma minority.
“The authorities should find, with no further delay, effective solutions for persons without a regular permanent address so that they can also get their identity documents,” it said.
As another recommendation for immediate action, the advisory committee urges the authorities to provide sufficient, earmarked and sustainable long-term baseline funding to preserve and promote cultures and identities of persons belonging to national minorities, with a particular focus on numerically smaller ones.
Further concrete steps must be taken to improve the knowledge among the majority population about Bulgaria’s national minorities with a view to accepting them as an integral and valued part of Bulgarian society.
Active efforts by the authorities are still needed to combat prejudices against and stereotypes of minorities, including through systematic police training to prevent violence against Roma by the police, and securing thorough and independent investigation into all instances of police violence against Roma.
The housing situation of the Roma should be improved, including through guaranteeing their access to drinking water and electricity as well as all other public services, the report said.
“Safe living conditions should be secured, also given the risks posed by the absence of the legal security of tenure, and adequate alternative accommodation in cases of demolition of Roma settlements provided. Such demolitions should be a last resort and should respect the basic principles of the rule of law.”
The committee urged the authorities to promote teaching of minority languages.
The level of demand for the teaching of Turkish, Romani, Armenian and Hebrew languages in areas where persons belonging to these minorities live in substantial numbers needs to be regularly assessed, and continuity of teaching these and other minority languages from preschool to higher education level ensured.
The production of education materials in minority languages should be fostered, and university-level teacher training, in particular in Romani, introduced.
Other recommendations included the use of minority languages in contacts with administration and during election campaigns, as well as the necessity to ensure ongoing and effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities in decision-making processes.
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is Europe’s most comprehensive treaty protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, the CoE said.
It is the first legally binding multilateral instrument devoted to the protection of national minorities worldwide, and its implementation is monitored by an Advisory Committee composed of independent experts. The treaty entered into force on February 1 1998 and is now in force in 38 states.
(Photo: Planet Love/ flickr.com)
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