Romani people

Alternate Minister for Social Solidarity Theano Fotiou on Wednesday inaugurated a special secretariat that is to focus on improving the social inclusion of the country's Roma population and tackling the poverty within the community.

The illegal deportation of migrants trying to reach Western Europe via the so-called Balkan route is on the rise, warned on Monday UN's Refugee Agency, reported AFP, cited by Focus Agency.

A report issued by a European Union agency says that about 80 percent of almost 34,000 Roma, or Gypsies, surveyed in nine EU nations live below the poverty level.

The report also says that every third Roma child goes to bed hungry at least once a month, while 50 percent between 6 and 24 do not attend school.

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.

Local act Gadjo Dilo performs at the Gazarte venue in Athens on Thursday, September 29. The ensemble is known for its mix of gypsy jazz manouche (think Django Reinhardt) with Greek songs from the 1950s and 60s. The gig starts at 10 p.m. and admission costs 8 euros.

One-third of Roma people in Bulgaria do not consider themselves poor, while 67.2% reckon so, showed data of the National Statistical Institute from the 2015 annual survey.

The survey is carried out every year, but, for the first time this year, it included a question on ethnic identity.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova said on Monday there had been "provocateurs" at the protest rallies in the town of Radnevo, where tensions rose last week between ethnic Bulgarians and Roma residents.

An action plan to prevent discrimination against Turkey's Roma citizens came into effect after being published in the Official Gazette on April 30. The plan consists of measures in education, employment, housing, healthcare and social services in order to improve the living conditions of Roma people. 

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on Friday spoke with representatives of the Roma national community in Serbia on occasion of April 8, International Roma Day.

He noted that the Roma people will have his sincere and unambiguous support.

Turkey's first Roma deputy, Özcan Purcu, has drawn attention to discrimination against Roma citizens, citing problems in education, healthcare and equal access to the job market. The deputy asked for "proof of love [for Roma people]" on International Roma Day, marked on April 8 each year, by taking efficient political action, instead of uttering "vain words."