They will come back!

“I think many of the Bulgarian Roma will spend the money the French government has given them to go to other wealthy European countries in order to find jobs,” says Deyan Kolev Roma activist and Chairman of the Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance Amalipe, based in Bulgaria.

Amalipe is a leading Bulgarian national Roma NGO that initiates and implements policy oriented projects on behalf of the Roma community.

The organization plays a central role in organizing the Roma civic movement and advocating for Roma integration before State institutions.

Deyan Kolev answers Vita Europe’s questions about the recent Roma expulsions to Bulgaria enacted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

How many Roma people have been repatriated to Bulgaria and how many will be repatriated in the very near future?

Around 40 Roma people have been repatriated to Bulgaria from France.

The number is small because most Roma people abroad have their own houses and jobs and haven’t commited any crimes, so there is no need to send them back to their countries of origin.

We don’t know how many people will be repatriated in the near future, nobody knows.

How many Roma people are living in Bulgaria?

Official figures estimate that 370,000 Roma people live in Bulgaria but unofficially the number of Roma people living in our country is 800,000.

 Roma in Bulgaria are between 10 and 12 per cent of the population.

 

Who is in charge of the Roma people who have been repatriated from France?

Most of the people have been taken from our airports to Central Bulgaria, where they are mainly from. Nobody cares now about what will happen to them and nobody is taking care of them anymore.

I think many of them will spend the money the French government has given them to go to other wealthy European countries in order to find jobs. I don’t think they will necessarily go back to France, because they are not integrated there: maybe they will go to other wealthy countries, like Belgium, Germany or Italy.

Is there an alternative solution to Sarkozy’s repatriation policy?

Many Roma people migrate to Western Europe because of Bulgaria’s critical economic situation. They want to earn more money and to live better lives and the majority of them manages to do so.

These people continue to think about coming back to Bulgaria, maybe in some years, when the economic situation in Bulgaria will probably be better.

I, as a Roma activist, would like to have more Roma migrants coming back to Bulgaria. I think that when the Roma people who managed to integrate themselves in Western society come back to Bulgaria they will renew the Roma community, they will bring strong values. Their job is also a strong value, through it they will help the organization of our community.

As these people have money they can start new business and help the entire society. Therefore I would like to have these successful migrants come back to Bulgaria. 

What is the consequence of Sarkozy’s repatriations of the jobless and poor Roma people?

This repatriation will worsen the social problem of Roma communities in Bulgaria, it will make marginalization continue and it will not help the modernization of the Bulgarian society.

Are there good policies regarding Roma people in Bulgaria?

First of all there is a very strong discrimination against Roma people in Bulgaria.

As for policies, there are good framework programmes for integration of Roma people in Bulgaria and other laws dedicated to Roma inclusion.

Unfortunately there is no implementation of these laws because there is no money and no administration for their implementation. The integration process is not in the mainstream of the society.

If we had better integration in Bulgaria the Roma would not go live abroad.

Do you think there should be more lobbying from Roma NGOs in Bulgaria?

Yes, Roma communities are not politically represented in Bulgaria.

The only way for Roma communities to influence politics is through advocacy groups.

Amalipe is one of the strongest organizations, we try to influence policies, sometimes we manage but sometimes we don’t.

Find out more:

Nicoleta Bitu of Romani CRISS based in Romania answers our questions about the Roma crackdown ordered by French President Sarkozy. Read more…

Angela Kocze, one of Hungary’s most accredited Roma rights advocates, answers our questions about the Roma crackdown ordered by President Nicolas Sarkozy. Read more…