An online conference on the project BGLD-3.001-0001 “New approaches to data generation for hard-to-reach groups of the population at risk of violation of their rights” was held on May 17 and 18, 2021, organized jointly by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) and the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency  (FRA).

The conference was entitled “First Results and Next Steps”. Representatives of the European Commission, international organizations, state and local authorities, the scientific community and non-governmental organizations took part.

The conference was opened by Mr. Sergey Tsvetarsky – Chairman of the NSI, and Ms. Anne-Charlotte Niegard, Head of Technical Assistance and Capacity Development at the FRA. They noted the excellent cooperation and interaction between the two institutions – partners in the project, and the successful implementation of the activities, as well as the importance of the results of these activities to provide a wide range of policy-relevant data and indicators.

On the first day of the conference was presented the report “Key indicators for social inclusion and fundamental rights in Bulgaria”, the first in a series of thematic reports to be prepared within the project. The report addresses eight thematic areas: education; employment; poverty and social exclusion; health; housing conditions; discrimination, harassment and violence; and participation, building cooperation and trust, which are applied at three levels of analysis: national, regional and disaggregated by groups. The study of the social and economic context in which the risks of poverty, social exclusion and violation of fundamental rights may manifest itself allows the formulation of adequate policies at all levels of government. On the second day of the conference, the further thematic reports were presented and discussed, in them a more in-depth analysis of the situation of children, Roma, people with disabilities and the elderly in the country will be prepared.