The European Centre of Racism and Xenophobia in Vienna, sponsored by the European Union, recently conducted a survey in tolerance among 25 000 people in all member and applying countries. Most of the citizens in the EU member countries do not approve immigration and every fifth of them prefers that there are no immigrants in their countries at all. Most Europeans believe that immigrants are the ones to take away jobs and bring up crime ratios thus making the countries less secure. Germans, Swiss and Austrians are estimated most xenophobic of all European nations. Among the new members of the EU Latvia and Estonia are extremely intolerant to immigrants.
Bulgaria is among the few countries (together with Poland and Rumania) with tolerant attitude towards immigrants and foreigners. Bulgaria is said to have always been an excellent example of religious and ethnical tolerance. It is very common for the Balkan area to see people of different nationalities and cultures living in one and the same country. But only in Bulgaria is such a co-existence a peaceful and friendly one. To give you just a few examples: it is very common for Muslims and Christians to celebrate together both religions holidays. What most foreigners find surprising is that people from different religions are all buried together in one and the same graveyard and very often side by side.
