There has been lots of turbulence over the past week, as far as the so-called Roma minority in Bulgaria is concerned. The previous tension in the village of Garmen has now been added to by the clashes between citizens from the Sofia neighborhood of Orlandovtsi and Roma people. A remark on some music too loud has grown into verbal insults and physical fights. Now the police and gendarmerie are dislocated to the problematic area. The tension remains latent at many other spots and no one knows when and how it can be provoked to escalate.

The authorities said it had been a preliminary tension-creating scenario. Being an ex-fireman, PM Boyko Borissov warned that “no one should play with fire”, as it was hard to extinguish the latter. Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova in her turn said she would consider the joining of Roma people to the structures of the interior ministry as a way to get those integrated. EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said from Brussels that more than EUR 55 mln. from the new EU funds were envisaged precisely for Roma integration in Bulgaria.

The Roma issues seem to have two aspects. The first is the social-cultural one: I dare to say that the majority of Roma people reject the integration efforts of the authorities as a part of their system of values. There are no Roma ghettoes the way media trumpet it, there are Roma enclaves with no Bulgarian laws, but only the ones of the Meshare. These spots are an example of real communism – electricity and water services remain unpaid, there are illegally built houses and no taxes. On the other hand the Roma population sucks out significant resources via unemployment benefits, maternity leave, free healthcare services with no installments paid etc.

The second aspect is the political one: it is a public secret that Roma people are ready to put their ballot to an auction, though the law says it is a crime. Latest data shows there are some 500,000 Roma in Bulgaria, and the number of those, who have the right to vote, cannot be underestimated. Let’s not forget about the forthcoming local elections in 4 months.

The issue with Roma integration will remain unsolved until the authorities stop playing the camel-bird role, in order to avoid the sad reality. No matter the staging versions, we know the Roma status quo – the huge majority of them refuse to get educated, to work and they steal to make a living. The status quo can be changed with the unflinching implementation of the law on an equal basis and with no exceptions. Some Roma leaders have been recently calling on for this as well, by the way.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev