site.btaBulgaria Is Consistent in Eliminating Discrimination: Deputy PM Zafirov

Bulgaria implements a consistent policy for preventing and eliminating all forms of discrimination, said Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov during a round table on the prevention and fight against racism and intolerance on Thursday. He participated in the event as Chair of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues. The forum is organized by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and the Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD).

In his speech, Zafirov highlighted the country’s efforts to promote tolerance towards individuals from different ethnic and religious groups. The Deputy Prime Minister believes that efforts must also focus on children, "to counter the decline of values." He noted that real change in attitudes can only be achieved through joint work with institutions, society, and individual communities.

Chair of the CPD Ana Dzhumalieva commented that it is important to not only share the challenges but also to acknowledge the progress made. She emphasized that no single institution can overcome all the challenges related to human rights alone. 

According to Genka Georgieva, Director General for Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria has managed to build on its achievements and take appropriate measures to counteract racism and intolerance. 

Bertil Cottier, Chair of ECRI, stated that the fight against racism and intolerance requires full mobilization.

On Wednesday, the ECRI representatives reported on the results under two priorities for Bulgaria set in the 2022 monitoring report. They said that there has been progress under the recommendation to incrеase the number and activity distribution of Roma mediators in healthcare, education, and employment. However, Bulgaria has not implemented the recommendation related to the rights and equality of the LGBTQ community, namely to establish a working group and adopt a national action plan.