Tag Archives: Integration

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Integration

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Roma Integration

Progress in Roma Integration, Establishment of a Regional Health Center, Further Development of the Economy, and Solving the Housing Problem are the Four Key Tasks Set by Kočevje Mayor Gregor Košir for 2025. He also expressed satisfaction that the municipality is not among the most indebted, which allows it greater flexibility in planning projects.

As Košir emphasizes, one of the key problems in Roma integration is their low employment rate. Of the approximately 800 Roma living in the municipality, only a few individuals are regularly employed. Therefore, one of his priorities will be to increase employment among the Roma population. In cooperation with the Employment Service, they are planning to launch the Romano program, which will be aimed at solving this problem.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Romani Policewoman

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Romani Policewoman

Among Slovenian police officers, there also are several Roma who are trying to build a bridge between the Roma and the majority population. One of them, a policewoman from the Murska Sobota Police Station, works in the field of Roma issues and multiculturalism.

As she told STA, her goal is not only to provide advice when working with the Roma, but also to participate in various events. “Above all, I am a bridge of communication between the Roma and the rest,” she said.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Klenovec, Slovakia

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Klenovec, Slovakia

A small town in the centre of Slovakia has a few prominent Roma. Ian Cibula, a doctor, was born there and then moved to Switzerland, where he was instrumental in the creation of the International Romani Union.

Ján Déme is a successful eye surgeon today, but the path to his dream as a Roma boy was not always easy. Some people still don’t want to believe that their top surgeon is a Roma man.

Other famous native from this town are for example the “Klenovský Oskar Schindler” Karol Paje who joined the French resistance during World War Two. He built a centre for the rescue of women and children from several countries with Czech professor Josef Fischer in the town of Vence. Helping rescue over five hundred children, and finally tragically died at the age of 25 in the fight against the fascists.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Sport, and Roma

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Slovakia, Sport, and Roma

When eighth grader Sebastián Žiga traveled to Indonesia in December for the MMA World Championships, it was an extraordinary event for the Ľ. Podjavorinská Elementary School in the Luník IX housing estate in Košice.

The fourteen-year-old Roma boy was the first student in the school’s history to reach the world championship in any sport. He finished 8th in the under 16 category.

Italy News Western Europe

Bari, Italy: Integration

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Bari, Italy: Integration

The Municipality of Bari has published the call for proposals to implement an Inclusion and integration project for Roma, Sinti and Caminanti children and adolescents, funded under the National Inclusion and Fight against Poverty Program 2021-2027 with over 457 thousand euros. The specific objective is the.

Inclusion of Roma children and young people at school in Bari.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Restauration

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Slovakia: Restauration

Tuňa Castle in Slovakia is being saved after centuries of neglect. Lots of manual work, not least be cause the castle ruins cannot be accessed by vehicles. The project lead says they did a lot of work in 2024. “It helped a lot that we currently have 12 employees, ten workers, a coordinator and a foreman. It helped with carrying out the material that we need to get to the castle. At the same time, it also helped with the work on the castle, where we gradually created three Roma masonry teams and therefore work was done in two or three places at the same time.”

Well done to employ Roma here.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Integration Projects

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Slovakia: Integration Projects

The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Roma Communities (ÚSVRK) wants to launch three national projects to support Roma communities in the first half of 2025. They will focus on helping municipalities draw on subsidy resources or supporting young Roma students. This was stated by the Director General of the European Programs Section of the ÚSVRK Ingrid Zúbková when reviewing the office’s activities over the past months.

On the other hand, they are also supporting segregating schools …

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland: Podcast

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Poland: Podcast

A podcast on the future of Roma in Poland, told by Joanna Talewicz, co-founder and president of the “Towards Dialogue” foundation and the Roma Community Centre in Warsaw, member of the Polish delegation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Role Models

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Slovenia and Role Models

Sandi Horvat, editor, journalist and host of Roma radio and television programs on the national RTV speaks very openly about the problems and challenges of the Roma community, without shame, and at the same time proudly says that he is Rom. He gave a talk in the Fran Metelko Škocjan Elementary School.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Žilina, Slovakia

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Žilina, Slovakia

The city of Žilina completed of its ongoing projects before the year end, entitled Everyone Different, All Equal. Its goal was to expand the Community Centre on Bratislavská Street, which was created to help the marginalized Roma community. The city hall is trying to integrate Roma into society through various inclusive activities.

Well…

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Inclusion

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Slovakia and Inclusion

The deaf Pavel Šarina (32) employs more than a hundred people, seventy percent of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Among them are dozens of Roma who do not let the young boss down. In Veľký Krtíš and the surrounding area, he has a total of five establishments, from which they serve thousands of portions of food daily. He was recently awarded the Roma Spirit award, which he sees mainly as an appreciation of the work of his employees.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Anti-Roma Racism

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Czechia and Anti-Roma Racism

The Czech parliament adopted the IHRA non-binding definition of antigyspyism. Now, a charter against Antigypsyism is being created in the Czech Republic. Those who can sign up include firms, local governments, nonprofit organizations, public authorities and schools. This proposal is pushed by the Czech Govt Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Fuková, but the Czech official Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček, not all negative behaviour toward Roman can be considered antigypsyism. As an example, he mentioned the case of the doctor in Aš who refused to register Romani patients. Well that one was definitely racist …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Municipal Funding

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Slovenia: Municipal Funding

Currently, funds for the integration of Roma are allocated according to the size of the municipality, not aligned to the number of Roma who live there. This may be changing, if the current discussions come to an agreement.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Integration

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Slovakia and Integration

A few new articles about the 200 mio Euroos that Slovakia di spend in 2024 on Roma integration …

Not all positive.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma Projects

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Slovakia and Roma Projects

The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Roma Communities (ÚSVRK) has contracted approximately 480 projects worth almost 200 million euros over the past year, within which it provided over 95 million euros for the support of Roma and the development of infrastructure. This was stated by the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities Alexander Daško at a press conference in Šumiac, Horehronie, on Thursday as part of the annual activity report of the office.

Frankly, the results are not yet visible…

Latvia News Eastern Europe

Latvia Roma Platform

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Latvia Roma Platform

Thanks to European funding, the Ministry of Culture will be able to continue implementing the project “Latvian Roma Platform VIII”. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the report on the project’s progress and the allocation of the necessary funds the day before, the ministry reported in a press release.

The funds are to be spent between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2027. The funds were allocated from the pan-European program “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values” following a competition for projects designed to promote equality, inclusiveness and participation of the Roma minority in society. The total funding for the project is 221,657 euros, of which 199,491 euros (90%) are funds provided by the European Commission.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

The final conference of the international ACE project, led by the Roma Association of Slovenia took place in Murska Sobota. The project, done in cooperation with partners from Italy and Spain, lasted two years and had a clear goal: to empower young and older Roma and political stakeholders for better cooperation and inclusion. According to the project team, the project has positioned Slovenia as an example of good practice, as it is the only one of the participating countries with an adopted law on Roma and a national program for Roma. “Slovenia is a bright spot of the project, because with legislation and experience we can contribute a lot to other countries,” emphasized Škerlak.

Well, judging by the Slovene press, this seems highly doubtful…

Europe

Council of Europe Strategy

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Council of Europe Strategy

Latest developments on the strategy for integration of the council of Europe. Let’s hope this time, we will see progress.

Europe

EU: Call for Tenders

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EU: Call for Tenders

The Council of Europe is implementing the Joint Programme Roma Integration III in partnership with the European Union to strengthen the capacities of governments in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to address the challenges faced by Roma communities. This initiative includes the development and implementation of public policies in various sectors, such as housing, employment, education, and the fight against anti-Gypsyism.

Italy News Western Europe

Italy: School Controversy

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Italy: School Controversy

A controversy started in Reggio Emilia where the Municipality has budgeted for the next three years a figure of one million euros dedicated to the school integration of Roma, Sinti and Caminanti students.

Opposition (mostly the Lega) are criticising this subsidy saying that other students should also benefit and decrying the “waste of money”.

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