Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002974/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Damien Carême (The Left), Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE), Birgit Sippel (S&D), Catarina Martins (The Left), Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE), Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE), Marco Tarquinio (S&D), Mélissa Camara (Verts/ALE)
On 15 April 2025, over 200 Roma residents in Sofia’s Ilinden district were forcibly evicted, despite interim measures imposed by the European Court of Human Rights requiring adequate alternative accommodation. These actions reflect a wider pattern of forced evictions disproportionately affecting Roma communities, which raise serious concerns about structural antigypsyism in Europe.
Under the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Member States must uphold human dignity (Article 1), prohibit discrimination based on ethnic origin (Article 21), and ensure access to housing assistance (Article 34(3)) when implementing EU law or using EU funds.
In the light of these obligations and the enabling condition requiring respect for the Charter in the use of EU funds:
- 1.What measures is the Commission taking to ensure that EU-funded programmes, particularly those related to housing, comply with the Charter and do not contribute to forced evictions or discrimination?
- 2.How is the Commission monitoring Bulgaria’s compliance with the Charter and the EU Roma Strategic Framework in the light of the recent evictions?
- 3.Will the Commission assess whether Bulgaria remains compliant with the enabling conditions for accessing cohesion funding, given concerns about fundamental rights violations against Roma?
Submitted: 17.7.2025