Tag Archives: Integration

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

The director of Komunala Novo Mesto Bojan Kekec participated in a recent consultation on the employment of Roma. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities presented a new program for the employment of the Roma population to mayors and employers in Novo Mesto.

“We are one of the few companies that also employs members of the Roma community. There are currently three Roma in regular employment at Komunala Novo Mesto,” explained director Bojan Kekec.

Better than nothing …

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Road Show

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Czechia: Road Show

The Roma Road Show series of events, with which Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková is going to the regions, presents inspiring Roma projects focused on housing, community work, health, education or security. The aim is to support cooperation between Roma organizations, local governments and local leaders. The first meeting took place on March 5 in Šternberk, with further stops in Pardubice and Jihlava.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Reportage on Tomáš Csics

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Reportage on Tomáš Csics

He is a Rom, an engineer, and an activist and influencer followed by thousands of people. At school, he was always reminded that he was just a gypsy. “Don’t go to college, Roma will only be hired for lower jobs anyway.” These are the words that begin one of the videos posted on. On social media, he proves with his story that Roma do not have to end up in factories for the lower grades, but can have big dreams and ambitions, just like he had. He achieved success despite growing up in poverty and encountering those who didn’t wish him well along the way.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Legislative Package

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Slovenia: Legislative Package

The Slovene Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Luka Mesec paid a working visit to Novo Mesto Mayor Gregor Macedoni. His ministry is coordinating the preparation of the legislative package to resolve Roma issues. They will try to complete the coordination on Thursday, he said in a press statement. They will then probably have another “intensive round of coordination” with mayors and others involved, and the package could go into public debate sometime by the end of March.

The package of laws is intended to encourage the inclusion of children in kindergartens and schools and improve living conditions.

Let’s see what comes out of it.

Europe Finland Ireland News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia

Council of Europe and Roma

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Council of Europe and Roma

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty released today three Memoranda examining the human rights situation of Roma and Traveller communities in Finland, Ireland and Slovakia. Each Memorandum presents country-specific findings and recommendations based on the Commissioner’s visits to these countries, addressing pressing human rights concerns faced by the communities.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Roma Action Plan

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Slovakia: Roma Action Plan

The discussion on the Action Plan for Roma communities is moving to parliament, where SaS is demanding a reassessment of its priorities. The Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) points to the government’s failure to address the Roma issue. On Wednesday, at a press conference in the village of Doľany in Spiš, a member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Vladimír Ledecký (SaS), pointed out that the government plans to invest 1.1 billion euros over the next three years as part of the Action Plan for the Strategy for Equality and Inclusion and Participation of Roma in projects that, according to him, will not help this population group in any way. He pointed out that these expenditures are not clearly explained or justified. He is therefore submitting a resolution to the National Assembly of the Slovak Republic, which responds to “the passivity of government officials and the inefficient use of resources intended to support the Roma community”.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: EU Funds

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Slovenia: EU Funds

The Slovenian Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved European funds for the Public Call for Co-financing of a network of multifunctional Roma centres. The total value of the project is 5.5 million euros, with the European Social Fund Plus contributing 4,427,500 euros. The project’s goal is to improve the socio-economic situation of the Roma community, strengthen their inclusion in society and provide better conditions for a quality life.

It needs more than centres like this to change the situation …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia: EU Funds

Roma in Southeastern Slovenia have a very bad reputation, and not a week goes by without some headlines in the Slovenian press about the Roma “problem”.

But not all Roma are like that. At the initiative of Silva Mesojedec from the Regional Civil Initiative (RCI) and Darko Rudaš, president of the Forum of Roma Councilors from the Roma settlement Pušča in Prekmurje, members of the RCI and also members of the People’s Initiative (LI) Šentjernej recently went to visit and see Pušča near Murska Sobota. There, they found a clean settlement, well ordered, with people working. The settlement has ca. 600 inhabitants.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Integration

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Slovakia and Integration

A critical review of the efficiency of the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities who is managing very large sums of EU money aimed at integrating Roma. This office has grown from an original a few dozen employees to over 290, larger that the Culture Ministry. The author states that the Plenipotentiary is nowadays a political appointee and that for all the money spent, very little results have been achieved.

And money they have: Currently 400 Million Euros of EU money are earmarked for Roma integration.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Challenges

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Slovenia: Challenges

The President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, Marko Lotrič, received in Ljubljana a representative of the Sprememba takoj association Murim Baftiaro, who heads the association established in December 2023 to help Roma youth.

The two spoke about the key challenges facing the Roma community, especially in the areas of education, employment and reducing peer violence.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Critique and Defence of the Plenipotentiary

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Critique and Defence of the Plenipotentiary

The Slovak opposition party SaS has been criticising the efficiency and use of the EU funds for Roma by Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities and its head, Alexander Daško. They said the funds are used inefficiently, criticised the creation of segregated schools, etc.

This article defends the record of the office, in spite of some of the real controversies that exist.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: An Opinion

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Slovakia: An Opinion

A Rom activist, Marian Gunar from Slovakia comments on the recent survey where 33% of Slovaks openly express negative attitudes towards Roma.

Gunar says that it is not all the fault of Slovaks, but that Roma need also to show they can work. He also criticises some of the elected Roma mayors (in places where Roma have a majority) for often not knowing the laws and not knowing how to make a town work.

He also criticises Roma for not pushing parents to educate their children, and feeding on a cycle of poverty and social care. Finally, he says that Roma leaders draw funds for festivals, music, and culture, but that these events are useless in bettering the fate of Roma overall.

Harsh, but with some truth to it.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma Funds

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Slovakia and Roma Funds

The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities is in charge of distributing on hundreds of millions from EU funds. However, according to the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic, it has not yet demonstrated how this money helps the Roma. SaS (a political opposition party) has also joined the criticism of the functioning of the Plenipotentiary. Alexander Daško, the Plenipotentiary rejects the accusations.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma

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Slovakia and Roma

The Slovak opposition SaS criticized the government for failures in the area of ​​marginalized Roma communities. According to the member of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic Vladimír Ledecký (SaS), the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities (ÚSVRK) has poor results and the action plans for the inclusion of Roma for the years 2025-2027 do not solve their real problems. The ÚSVRK rejects the criticism.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Integration or Emancipation

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Czechia: Integration or Emancipation

An interview with František Lacko, a Roma activist from Czechia. He says that Roma do not need to integrate, but to emancipate. Integration is just parasitism of non-profit organizations. Non-profit organizations only do what they can get in grants. They are interest groups and mainly family businesses. Integration costs millions a year.

He has a point, as NGOs do have a conflict of interest: If the problems they aim to tackle are solved, so is their “raison d’être”.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Interview

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Slovakia: Interview

An interview with a Romani university graduate. Katarína Pompová, who is a specialist in the implementation of social and legal protection measures and social guardianship says that if you believe in your abilities, you can do anything and that there are more and more Roma studying at universities.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia: Inclusion

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Serbia: Inclusion

The social inclusion of Roma is one of the key challenges and priorities in Belgrade, and institutional support plays a crucial role in achieving long-term changes. In an interview with our portal, the Deputy President of the Belgrade City Assembly Igor Jovanović emphasizes that the city authorities are facing an important period in which concrete measures will be adopted to improve the position of the Roma community.

Let’s see what comes out of it …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Roma Doctor

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Slovakia: Roma Doctor

Ján Deme (31) from Klenovec is one of the few Romani doctors in Slovakia. With perseverance, courage and ambition, he proves that even people from marginalized groups can make it really far.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia and Roma

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Serbia and Roma

In Serbia, the Roma minority occupies a special place. Recognized as one of the largest Roma communities in Europe, this population faces many challenges, but also unique opportunities in a society in constant transformation. Between traditions, integration and modernity, the Roma in Serbia illustrate both the difficulties and the potential of a minority that aspires to play an active role in the development of the country.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany: Social Innovation

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Germany: Social Innovation

For the first time, projects in the “Social Innovation” funding line are being supported in Baden-Württemberg through the European Social Fund (ESF) Plus. “Almost half of all 77 applications received in 22 urban and rural districts can be funded with European Union (EU) funds. This means that ‘Social Innovation’ is already a great success,” said Social Affairs Minister Manne Lucha in Stuttgart. In addition, due to the large number of applications, the funding has been increased from the original 1.5 million euros to over two million euros.

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