Nearly a million euros was given to the municipality of Novo Mesto for the integration of Roma in the town in 2025. What was done with them remains somewhat opaque, to say the least …
Seven young Roma from Kotel and the villages in the municipality have been selected to train as mediators between the community and institutions. Four girls and three boys aged 16 to 24 will explain to people their rights will direct them to whom to turn in a specific case, explained Maria Hristova, chairwoman of the Association “Local Active Group – Kotel” under whose project the young Roma have been selected and will be trained.
“We have also planned mobile days, which we call “compass days” and will be field work, so young people will be able to meet people, work on real cases and guide, help and cooperate. They will act as mediators between the institutions and the community. If a person from a given settlement in the Kotel municipality does not know where to go to submit documents for social assistance, for example, or wants to learn more about a certain type of service, these young people will assist. They will also accompany elderly people to the institutions,” said Maria Hristova.
People are protesting against the proposed governmental Roma proram, to which 17 mio. Euros are allocated.
Former MEP Peter Pollák Sr. pointed out that after conversion, the project comes out to approximately 85 thousand euros per participant, while the result is only a certificate without real benefits. He says that up to nine million euros are to be directed to project management and trainers. He also criticizes the method of preparing the project, which, according to him, was created without expert discussion, involvement of local governments and people from the field.
The Association of Municipalities and Cities of Slovakia (ZMOS) and the Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS) reject the National Employment Project for 17 million euros. This is a government project aimed at marginalized Roma communities. Both ZMOS and SaS believe that it is too much money considering how many people this project will employ.
The project is to be implemented in 140 municipalities and employ 200 members of Roma communities over 30 months, who will complete 39 hours of training in soft skills during these 30 months.
This would amount to almost 3’000 euros per employed person per month. Way over the average salaries in Slovakia.
The Municipality of Kočevje in Slovenia is investing extensive and long-term efforts in Roma integration, especially in the field of preschool education, but Mayor Gregor Košir warns that without changes at the state level there will be no real breakthrough. He says “As long as it is not worth it for people to work, we can forget about Roma integration”.
He is putting the carriage in front of the ox. As long as there is no prospect of work, there is no integration …
Roma are not a priority for Orban, except of course when he needs their vote for elections.
Shame.
On Wednesday, 14 January 2026, the Inaugural event of the National Platform for Roma (SIFOROMA 7) project took place in Lendava.
The event was attended by representatives of the judiciary, ministries, social work centres, Roma associations, non-governmental organisations, local primary schools and folk high schools, municipal officials, police representatives and a local member of the National Assembly.
The project is a continuation of the SIFOROMA 6 project, in which we strengthened the national consultation process on the situation of Roma and, together with various institutions, developed responses to challenges in the field. The SIFOROMA 7 project will build on these foundations with new partnerships and measures, with a special emphasis on identifying and preventing early and forced marriages in the Roma community.
Protests against the so-called Roma “Problem” are starting again in Slovenia. “The holiday peace is over!” This is how the public message signed by the People’s Initiative of Dolenjska and its coordinator Silvo Mesojedec begins sharply and without embellishment. According to them, the period of patiently waiting for dialogue with the government has finally ended.
They say the government is not doing anything angains Roma criminality and that they are too lenient towards them. They advocate stricter and disceriminatory measures.
Roma and long-term unemployed people joined the restoration of monuments. They managed to restore 31. The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities (ÚSVRK) reported it. The completion of the People and Castles project is therefore assessed as successful.
Well, transporting stones and digging holes is not a long-term integration. So while it was good that it is done, the long term impact is more than relative.
An editorial based on two articles with very different points of view. According to its author “The article by retired criminalist Jakob Demšar, who wrote about crime and current Roma issues, was interesting, as was the interview by Novice Mihajlović with the president of the Roma Foundation for Europe, Željko Jovanović. Mr. Željko is sympathetic to the Roma, but he talks about the real things. It is not easy to weigh who is the bigger victim, the Roma or the “civilians” (the majority nation). They are both, in my opinion. But we know who has to solve this riddle. It is not enough to cut some money from the budget for the Roma, and then let others deal with them.”
The Bulgarian Cabinet of Ministers approved the report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Roma in 2024.
The report was prepared based on the data received on the implemented measures, activities and policies by the responsible institutions and presents comprehensive information on the implementation of the National Strategy, as well as the municipal action plans.
Nice, but what really happened?
The low level of education among Roma is seen in Slovenia as a large issue in integrating Roma in the workforce. There have been efforts to better the situation, but they are only a few. The Novo Mesto Development and Education Centre has been working intensively with the education of Roma for the past twenty-five years, ever since they began to more seriously include them in the adult primary school program.
The Roma media house will not be built in the near future. The project, which was part of the action plans for the Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of Roma by 2030 for the years 2025-2027, no longer appears in the draft of the updated document. Changes to action plans were approved by government on Wednesday.
A newly established Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Inclusion of Marginalized Roma Communities (MRK) is to contribute to the implementation of more effective public policies and coordination of activities of the Government Office (GO) of the Slovak Republic, the plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma communities and other state bodies in the field of Roma inclusion. The proposal for the establishment of the body and its statute was approved by the government on Wednesday.
Let’s see what it does …
Lutsk, Ukraine, takes steps towards equal access to education for Roma children and youth. Educational programs, after-school activities, and support for vulnerable families are the focus of the city’s policy on the integration of national communities.
The Local Action Plan for the Roma Community in the Praga-Południe District 2025–2030 finished a first preliminary project in 2025. The project’s main goal was to increase the level of social and civic integration of the Roma community living in the Praga-Południe district. As a result of the project, a local action plan was developed, outlining specific directions of support and actions that address the community’s real needs. The project’s nature was participatory, meaning that all stakeholders were actively involved in its development: representatives of the Roma community, their neighbours, residents of the district, representatives of the local administration, NGOs, uniformed services, and other public institutions.
In reaction to the femicide, Vjelko Kajtazi, president of the Kali Sara Roma association said that every time an incident occurs, Roma suddenly have no name and surname. He was attending a meeting with the vice president Davor Božinović and representatives of the Međimurje local government. The topic of the meeting was the integration of members of the Roma national minority.
The Centre for the Affirmation of the Roma and Egyptian Population – CAREP begins the implementation of the project “To See Each Other Better – to Understand Each Other Deeper”, with the support of the Fund for the Protection and Exercise of Minority Rights. They will fund a Forum Theatre as a Bridge of Understanding between Youth and Communities and will include a two-day training for 10–12 young people, three forum theatre performances in three municipalities, a public forum “Roma language and culture – how much do we know about Roma”, as well as the production and distribution of information brochures for schools and institutions.
An overview of the current situation, progress, and challenges faced by Roma in Spain.
Slovenian spends around 20 million euros per year on Roma integration. Ther are officially around 10’000 Roma in the country. But, the journalist and president of the Roma Academic Club Sandi Horvat recently said in an interview that very few so-called of Roma money actually reaches Roma.
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