EUROPEAN Union (EU) accession simply means better opportunities to find employment elsewhere for some Bulgarians, but for others it opens up new horizons. Long before EU accession seemed likely, a large Bulgarian diaspora had relocated to various parts of Europe, Australia, Canada and the US.
"The EU will make it possible for people to work and travel freely across Europe, to get better remuneration and to give them greater confidence," the results of the survey of the National Public Opinion Centre showed. According to the survey, 55.3 per cent of the Bulgarians expect to work more but also to earn more after Bulgaria's accession to the EU; 59.3 per cent expect to be able to travel freely and 46.2 per cent expect EU membership will boost confidence and 42.9 per cent of Bulgarians believe that EU membership means that they will be able to work wherever they wish in the union.
Bulgarians who migrated to the UK have made their choice. The diaspora there number over 70 000 people split in three types of immigrants. The first group to arrive there were about 1000 political refugees following the events of September 9, 1944. The other two groups are made up of those Bulgarians relocating there due to mixed marriages over the past 20 years and the latest is the wave of economic immigrants since 1989. This wave is the biggest and the Bulgarian diaspora is mainly concentrated in the big towns of London, Birmingham, Southampton and Norwich.
"It is absurd to always complain about the constantly bad weather and the hectic daily routine in London and to choose staying here for years," said Denitsa Slavova, editor-in-chief of Budilnik newspaper (www.budilnik.com) published in the UK and Ireland.
She has been living in the capital for one year but had visited there years earlier. "I adore London because it is the most lively town," she said adding that it has it all a varied mixture of concerts, parks, football, theatres and several vegetarian eateries in the side street of Soho, Slavova's favourite district.
She says she hasn't planned on settling in the UK although it is a far better developed country from her native Bulgaria. She happily admits she sees her future in both places and sharing her time between Bulgaria and the UK. Her commitment with the first Bulgarian newspaper in Great Britain, and the only one in the UK for now, requires her to travel frequently between both countries.
She believes that her "Bulgaria" will start functioning like it should be when all its immigrants scattered around the world return importing wisdom, experience, self esteem and last but not least finances.
The past two years in London revealed to her a close-knit Bulgarian diaspora. "We are fighting life together and in the end of the day we are entertaining ourselves together," she said.
They are all compatriots with different professional background and bank accounts varying from footballers, diplomats, painting teachers, etc. She says some go to Azis concerts and others attend Metallica concerts.
Bulgarian school opens only on Sundays and although it is not constantly functioning, Bulgarian people continue learning there. They learn British customs such as driving on the left, appropriate cultural behaviour and to celebrate the queen's birthday, she said.
Statistics released by the Bulgarian Employment Agency as of beginning of June reveal that most Bulgarians working abroad are nurses, construction workers and hotel personnel and that they prefer destinations such as Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Dubai, Libya and Israel.
Only Canadians are positively predisposed to immigrants, according to a recently conducted survey by the Associated Press. In the UK, the US, France. Germany, Italy and Spain, immigrants of any nationality are viewed predominantly as occupying work places and locals have a negative attitude towards them. The negative attitude are mainly due to perceived fears of terrorist attacks and unemployment rates.
Sixty per cent of UK respondents expressed concern that immigrants have a negative impact on the UK and according to sociologists this is due to apprehensions connected with the EU's expansion and press's negative publications for a forthcoming influx of imimmigrants. Further, 57 per cent of German respondents expressed the opinion that immigrants affect the country badly, relating their responses to security, terrorism and high unemployment. In France, according to the survey has 53 per cent of people had a negatively approach towards immigrants.
However, dual-citizenship holder Boyan Markov's nomination for Australian of the Year in January is proof that immigrants are not only valuable economic agents assisting in building a robust economy but also that they contribute significantly to the social fabric. He immigrated to Australia in 1957 and since then showed merits for winning the award in recognition of democracy and in the Australian egalitarian spirit. He is one of the editors of Australian broadcasts of Darik Radio in Triple Z frequency in Melbourne.
In the UK, Bulgarian nurses are paid about five pounds an hour, daily wages of construction workers in Spain equal about 25 euro and farmers in Ireland are paid at least 6.40 pounds an hour. Altogether 800 Bulgarians found work abroad with the help of intermediary companies (124 based in the country). A total of 279 people found employment in a foreign country in the first quarter of 2004.
The Bulgarian diaspora sends $720 million a year back home, according to January statistics released by Konsdtantin Trenchev, leader of the Trade Union Podkrepa. He said that $620 million come via banks and $110 million by hand, adding that this money is gifted to immigrants relatives back in Bulgaria that living in on the verge of misery.
There are estimated to be 200 000 Bulgarians living in Greece and over 80 000 in Spain.
The representatives of the oldest immigration group there (from immediately after September 1944) have prospered and attained high social status as well. There are important industrialists, entrepreneurs and significant intellectuals.
The Italian diaspora was formed after World War II from a large group of intellectuals, musicians, artists, opera singers and architects. In the end of 1980s Bulgarians in Italy numbered around 1500 people, while now they are more than 6000. The number of permanent Bulgarian residents living in Italy have increased dramatically after 1993. The largest numbers reside in the towns of Northern Italy, like Milan and Torino.
The German Bulgarian diaspora varies between 60 000 and 70 000 people. The largest groups live in Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Furthermore there are 40 to 50 000 Bulgarians living in Austria, who are mix of old and new immigrants. They have tried to preserve their Bulgarian ties with the church municipality Saint Ivan Rilski started in 1968 and also by forming agricultural unions.
Next week: the Bulgarian diaspora in the US.
"The EU will make it possible for people to work and travel freely across Europe, to get better remuneration and to give them greater confidence," the results of the survey of the National Public Opinion Centre showed. According to the survey, 55.3 per cent of the Bulgarians expect to work more but also to earn more after Bulgaria's accession to the EU; 59.3 per cent expect to be able to travel freely and 46.2 per cent expect EU membership will boost confidence and 42.9 per cent of Bulgarians believe that EU membership means that they will be able to work wherever they wish in the union.
Bulgarians who migrated to the UK have made their choice. The diaspora there number over 70 000 people split in three types of immigrants. The first group to arrive there were about 1000 political refugees following the events of September 9, 1944. The other two groups are made up of those Bulgarians relocating there due to mixed marriages over the past 20 years and the latest is the wave of economic immigrants since 1989. This wave is the biggest and the Bulgarian diaspora is mainly concentrated in the big towns of London, Birmingham, Southampton and Norwich.
"It is absurd to always complain about the constantly bad weather and the hectic daily routine in London and to choose staying here for years," said Denitsa Slavova, editor-in-chief of Budilnik newspaper (www.budilnik.com) published in the UK and Ireland.
She has been living in the capital for one year but had visited there years earlier. "I adore London because it is the most lively town," she said adding that it has it all a varied mixture of concerts, parks, football, theatres and several vegetarian eateries in the side street of Soho, Slavova's favourite district.
She says she hasn't planned on settling in the UK although it is a far better developed country from her native Bulgaria. She happily admits she sees her future in both places and sharing her time between Bulgaria and the UK. Her commitment with the first Bulgarian newspaper in Great Britain, and the only one in the UK for now, requires her to travel frequently between both countries.
She believes that her "Bulgaria" will start functioning like it should be when all its immigrants scattered around the world return importing wisdom, experience, self esteem and last but not least finances.
The past two years in London revealed to her a close-knit Bulgarian diaspora. "We are fighting life together and in the end of the day we are entertaining ourselves together," she said.
They are all compatriots with different professional background and bank accounts varying from footballers, diplomats, painting teachers, etc. She says some go to Azis concerts and others attend Metallica concerts.
Bulgarian school opens only on Sundays and although it is not constantly functioning, Bulgarian people continue learning there. They learn British customs such as driving on the left, appropriate cultural behaviour and to celebrate the queen's birthday, she said.
Statistics released by the Bulgarian Employment Agency as of beginning of June reveal that most Bulgarians working abroad are nurses, construction workers and hotel personnel and that they prefer destinations such as Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Dubai, Libya and Israel.
Only Canadians are positively predisposed to immigrants, according to a recently conducted survey by the Associated Press. In the UK, the US, France. Germany, Italy and Spain, immigrants of any nationality are viewed predominantly as occupying work places and locals have a negative attitude towards them. The negative attitude are mainly due to perceived fears of terrorist attacks and unemployment rates.
Sixty per cent of UK respondents expressed concern that immigrants have a negative impact on the UK and according to sociologists this is due to apprehensions connected with the EU's expansion and press's negative publications for a forthcoming influx of imimmigrants. Further, 57 per cent of German respondents expressed the opinion that immigrants affect the country badly, relating their responses to security, terrorism and high unemployment. In France, according to the survey has 53 per cent of people had a negatively approach towards immigrants.
However, dual-citizenship holder Boyan Markov's nomination for Australian of the Year in January is proof that immigrants are not only valuable economic agents assisting in building a robust economy but also that they contribute significantly to the social fabric. He immigrated to Australia in 1957 and since then showed merits for winning the award in recognition of democracy and in the Australian egalitarian spirit. He is one of the editors of Australian broadcasts of Darik Radio in Triple Z frequency in Melbourne.
In the UK, Bulgarian nurses are paid about five pounds an hour, daily wages of construction workers in Spain equal about 25 euro and farmers in Ireland are paid at least 6.40 pounds an hour. Altogether 800 Bulgarians found work abroad with the help of intermediary companies (124 based in the country). A total of 279 people found employment in a foreign country in the first quarter of 2004.
The Bulgarian diaspora sends $720 million a year back home, according to January statistics released by Konsdtantin Trenchev, leader of the Trade Union Podkrepa. He said that $620 million come via banks and $110 million by hand, adding that this money is gifted to immigrants relatives back in Bulgaria that living in on the verge of misery.
There are estimated to be 200 000 Bulgarians living in Greece and over 80 000 in Spain.
The representatives of the oldest immigration group there (from immediately after September 1944) have prospered and attained high social status as well. There are important industrialists, entrepreneurs and significant intellectuals.
The Italian diaspora was formed after World War II from a large group of intellectuals, musicians, artists, opera singers and architects. In the end of 1980s Bulgarians in Italy numbered around 1500 people, while now they are more than 6000. The number of permanent Bulgarian residents living in Italy have increased dramatically after 1993. The largest numbers reside in the towns of Northern Italy, like Milan and Torino.
The German Bulgarian diaspora varies between 60 000 and 70 000 people. The largest groups live in Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Furthermore there are 40 to 50 000 Bulgarians living in Austria, who are mix of old and new immigrants. They have tried to preserve their Bulgarian ties with the church municipality Saint Ivan Rilski started in 1968 and also by forming agricultural unions.
Next week: the Bulgarian diaspora in the US.
