A Round table in Varna indicated the severity of the problems of Roma people deprived of their right to be issued personal IDs because they do not comply with the legal requirement to present an ownership act or rent agreement.
Mrs. Dilyana Angelova, an expert from BILI underscored that the constitutional rights of significant part of the Bulgarian population, such as the right to travel, to receive education or enter into a labour agreement, are seriously violated. The illegal buildings in which Roma population live hinder the issuance of IDs but the problem spreads also to all citizens without property. According to Mrs. Angelova in such a manner property qualifications on civil rights are introduced.
A draft memorandum for institutional cooperation between the municipality of Varna, the regional direction of the Ministry of Interior and the “Social assistance” regional direction was presented by BILI. It makes proposals to solve the problems at regional level, which include an address registration of citizens deprived of such in buildings owned by the municipality or the district administration and no fees to be imposed on such citizens for delayed issuance of their IDs. The local authorities, however, are at the opinion that there should be legislative amendments first rather than violations of the current legislation by registering people at inexistent addresses or too many people at a single address.