http://digbig.com/4qjfs
Yana Moyseeva
"Bulgaria’s transition to democracy after 1989 was harder than anyone expected. New democratic and socialist rulers at the time misjudged what was needed to quickly make Bulgaria a free-market economy, a task that countries like Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic managed. The ultimate consequence of those misjudgments in the early days of the republic was an economic catastrophe that resulted in fever-pitch unemployment and a drastic decrease in living standards. But hardest hit were the Roma. Their social and economic situation severely deteriorated as a consequence of the post-communist transition. Roma unemployment skyrocketed up to 90 per cent during the 1990s. Their level of education also fell at great speed. A recent survey reveals that only 10 per cent of Roma aged 10 and above have completed primary education, as opposed to 72 of Bulgarians. As a result, many Roma saw no other option but to earn their bread through social benefits and, alas, crime."
