Bulgaria's Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova accused European Union of a biased attitude on Bulgaria's Mogilino case, mediapool.bg reported.

Maslarova was in Brussels on February 29 2008 for the scheduled session of EU's Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, during which she qualified as "improper" the initiative of Irish member of European Parliament (MEP) Kathy Sinnott to screen in the European Parliament BBC's documentary showing the horrible living conditions in Bulgaria's Mogilino social care home for disabled children.

Maslarova told journalists that making the issue a political one was not fair on Bulgaria and would by no means make solving it easier. She said she would not meet Sinnott's invitation to attend the screening of the documentary and the discussion that would follow, both scheduled for March 4, just one day after celebrations honouring Bulgaria's national holiday - March 3.

"I won't go because I don't think we should make the issue a political one. I don't think a film should be reason to demonise a state and the work of the state's institutions. I definitely think Bulgaria never ran away from its problems and there will be considerable changes in that direction," Maslarova said. 

According to Maslarova, Bulgaria was already experiencing considerable difficulties because of the "biased presentation of the situation at Mogilino", mediapool.bg reported. She said people working at such social care homes were resigning en masse and that the number of people willing to adopt a disabled child also decreased because of the "extremely negative presentation of the conditions of these children".

Bulgarian Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski also commented on the Mogilino case, mediapool.bg said. In Vidin, where Gaidarski opened a day care centre for disabled children, he said that a premeditated campaign was being carried out against the Bulgarian people for their attitude towards disabled children and elderly people.

The Mogilino social care home became infamous after BBC aired a documentary on the poor conditions in which the children there were being raised. The documentary provoked considerable criticism against Bulgaria. It led to the intervention of UNICEF and to the carrying out of a nation-wide campaign to help the children living there. Finally the Bulgarian authorities decided to close down the home.