E.M.E.R.G.E. - European Mobility Enabling to Reduce th Ground of Exclusion - European Project hosted by Istituto Sturzo in partnership with ESA and FCASEC

What kind of help is a constructive kind of help?

Exchange of ideas between E.M.E.R.G.E. researchers Elena Kirova and Federica Chiezzi

Elena Kirova (Bulgaria): "Sofia is a beautiful city. The streets are often covered with holes (that become craters in the winter months), traffic jams during business hours on Mon-Fri can be real bad, parking spots are a scarce, but what really makes it a horrible experience when driving on the streets of Sofia are the people who stay at the traffic lights waiting for the red signal to ambush your car and racket you for your money.
In this article I’m going to open a topic for a debate on an issue that affects a large percent of the drivers in Europe. It may at first sound insignificant, but as we go further into the issue, I believe we could find some general problems with social integration rooted in the following scenario.
This is how it usually happens:
1. A driver stops at an intersection.
2. A windshield cleaning “professional” comes to offer the service.
3. The driver politely or not so politely declines the service.
4. The cleaning professional performs the service.
5. The driver feeling intimidated and not wanting to enter a confrontation gives a small amount of money in return.
6. Cleaner accepts and repeats.
Many cities are already taking action against what is seen as pure form of racket and exploitation of minors. In Florence it is now illegal to clean the windscreens of cars waiting at traffic lights. The act of Florence city officials was prompted by citizens’ complaints of window-washers "becoming more aggressive, especially to women alone in their cars." The first patrol which resulted in 15 people being charged was led by Florence police Chief Alessandro Bartolini. "There are no more on the streets. Word has got around, apparently," Bartolini said.
The people that are performing this type of cleaning service fall in the poor and socially excluded category. In Bulgaria, the majority of them are Gypsies. For most of them it is their only source of income. If we take this venture out of their hands does it mean that we will exclude them even more from the society and make them poorer? 

Federica Chiezzi (Italy): As in Florence, also in Rome, from the 1st of November 2009, window-washers, jugglers and hawkers are strictly forbidden to walk through the city streets and offer any kind of services. The “first citizen” Gianni Alemanno issued and signed new measures to eliminate illegal services performed by those people which can both disturb and bother drivers. Alemanno set the imposition of a fine of 100 euro for those who don’t respect that ordinance.

Free movement of workers or increase of social exclusion?

The case of Romanian care workers living in Italy

Dora is a Romanian care worker who has a sad story to tell. Thanks to the web archive www.storiemigranti.org we can listen to her voice. When she decided to emigrate to Italy in order to find a job, the help of a cousin was necessary for the placement to be organised. Dora was put in contact with a Sardinian family needing assistance for a very old “grandfather” and then started a regular job as a care worker. When the cousin requested money for the “service”, Dora was happy to have the chance to thank him for such a great opportunity. Unfortunately, these requests did not stop and Dora discovered to be exploited – with violence – by a member of her family. Furthermore, when she started to have a social life and to go out, always in the restricted periods of free time given to a care worker, something new happened. She was accused by her employer to attend the night clubs, “as the Romanian women regularly do”. This was not true. Her short Italian adventure had come to an unpredictable and dramatic end. Dora experienced social exclusions at two levels. At family level, she was exploited as a woman – a hard worker easy to sell and to rob. At social level, she was offended as a member of a national community with a negative reputation in the Italian society. Furthermore, a second victim of social exclusion should be mentioned. The old “grandfather” was suddenly deprived of a person having assisted him with respect and care.

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The Western Balkans European prospects:

has the Sarajevo conference pushed forward a “new deal” between EU and Balkans?

The international conference held in Sarajevo on 2 June was organized by the rotating presidency of the EU, currently held by Spain, in order to solemnly reaffirm the European prospects of the Balkan countries and to present the economic and political advances they have made with a view to their future integration. The main purpose of this conference from the EU side was to reaffirm the desire to integrate the Western Balkans into the EU and will reassert the place of the region in Europe. In this region the EU has spent many efforts to achieve stabilization and modernization, both economic and political and has invested different resources, including military units, police and judges to help build security structures based on the European standards. A vast bulk of steps and passages are included in a decade-old process to bring the former Yugoslav republics closer to the EU. The conference of Sarajevo was organized ten years after the Zagreb meeting and seven years after the Thessaloniki summit.

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Bulgaria’s contribution to the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

Initiatives and projects with Bulgarian participation in regard with the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

After the official launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion on 22nd February in Sofia, Bulgaria has been relatively proactive in its agenda for raising awareness of the issues of social exclusion and dynamic promotion of ideas concerning projects related to the Year. Since the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is the institution responsible for implementation of activities in regard with the Year, its Minister – Totyu Mladenov presented the specific national goals in the context of the main European common objectives and principles of the Year. The amount of over € 500,000 for the Year is provided by the state budget and the budget of the European Union. The priority thematic areas for Bulgaria during the 2010 Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion are: fighting child poverty; promoting inclusive labor market; equal access to services, culture and sport; overcoming the discrimination of vulnerable ethnic groups; social inclusion of people with disabilities; and gender mainstreaming.

One of the most recent projects advertised by the Bulgarian Ministry of labor and social policy is the “In Search of Solidarity” photo competition which is devoted to combating poverty and social exclusion in 2010. The aim of this contest is to promote a society which supports and improves the quality of life, social well-being and equal opportunities for every single person. Every contestant has to put together a documentary containing 3 to 6 images illustrating the initiatives taken in order to help and improve the condition of the most disadvantaged groups of the population. That is how the ordinary citizen can contribute to the fight against poverty and social exclusion in his area, town or region in the scope of this photo competition.
 

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