Roma Evictions and Demolition Of Roma Houses: A Sustainable Solution for Roma Integration or a Problem of Roma Discrimination in Bulgaria?

The report presents the results of research about the legislative framework and administrative practices for demolition of illegal housing in Bulgaria, with a particular focus on segregated Roma neighbourhoods. The aim is to examine the government’s compliance with the adopted national and international norms and principles concerning the protection from discrimination. The research was commissioned by the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels and conducted by experts from the Equal Opportunities Initiative Association and Access to Information Programme from January to May 2016.

The methodology involved research into the legal aspects of illegal constructions, and the international and European legal instruments for protection of discrimination adopted by Bulgaria. Furthermore, it looked into the practices of the demolition of illegal housing by screening the Public registry of the Directorate for National Construction Control (DNCC), launching a survey targeting all municipalities in Bulgaria to uncover all illegal housing and demolition orders as well as using fieldwork and case studies. 

 

Authors: Daniela Mihailova and Alexander Kachamov, Equal Opportunities Initiative Association

 

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