The Ethnic Underclass: The Paper Tower of Roma Integration in Bulgaria

This article delves into the intricate, and often inconsistent, worlds of Bulgarian government policies towards ethnic minorities, in particular towards the Roma. I begin with an overview of the ‘ethnic model’ embedded at present in the country’s political system. Then I discuss the integration policies of Bulgarian governments after 1989. My conclusion is that the lack of political will of the ruling parties represents the biggest obstacle to the integration of minorities. Anti-discrimination legislation is plagued by inconsistencies and problems related to its implementation. State policies lack vision, direction and effective monitoring mechanisms. The representatives of the minorities are still, for the most part, ignored in the process of tailoring and implementation of programmes.