On July 4 Bulgaria received from Romania the rotating presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 initiative.

The country would do its best to contribute to the joint effort through the exchange of experience and the provision of inclusion policies, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said during the opening ceremony.

Roma integration problems went beyond the borders of countries and concerned society in general, Stanishev said.

Bulgaria was a country trying to guarantee the equality of all citizens, said Stanishev. Pursuing the goal was focal for all Cabinet policies.

To meet the goals of the initiative Bulgaria introduced various measures including a health strategy for the deprived, the establishment of a Centre for Educational Integration and the approval of a national programme for improvement in minority living conditions, a Council of Ministers press release said.

The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 is an international initiative that the World Bank and Open Society Institute launched. Eight countries are taking part in it.

Through mutual efforts the governments of these countries aim to speed Roma integration by overcoming discrimination and poverty.