Roma to Make Up 1/4 of New Entries into Bulgaria's Labour Market in 2020

Bulgaria needs measures to mitigate cases of social exclusion in view of the growing number of Roma people who are to join the labour market, Deputy PM and Education Minister Meglena Kuneva has said.

"The economy increasingly needs special skills and those who are not educated will be socially excluded," Kuneva has told private bTV station.

"In 2020, a fourth of all people who enter the labour market will be Roma," she has added.

Kuneva has stressed the need to admit long-standing problems in Roma people's integration such as early school dropout caused by poverty or early marriage.

She has also commented on a proposal to grant scholarships to some Roma students, making it clear they will not be "handed out" randomly to divide Bulgarian and Roma students.

"The goal is to help those who face the biggest difficulties... I expect of those who earn a scholarship to set an example for their community," she has added.