Tag Archives: Integration

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.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Plenipotentiary

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Slovakia: Plenipotentiary

According to Romano Forum, the current Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities, Alexander Daško,  is failing to prevent discrimination in the policies of other ministries.

The fourth government of Robert Fico is marked by a frontal attack on civil society and the weakening of non-governmental organizations. This political trend is also being copied by the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Roma Communities under the leadership of Alexander Daško, who is the nominee of the Smer-SD party.

After the elections, the Office suspended the organization of the Congress of Young Roma, which was founded by Daško’s predecessor Ján Hero. It was a format that allowed young university students from excluded communities to collaborate on proposals for inclusive policies and the fight against poverty.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Kyiv: National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy

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Kyiv: National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy

The event brought together Roma activists, representatives of civil society organizations, government representatives and international partners to discuss the involvement of Roma communities in public life and the development of an inclusive and diverse society in times of war.

The forum discussed the issues of discrimination against Roma, access to education, medical care and passporting of citizens, as well as ways to build a joint system of work, response and informing communities for the further implementation of programs and initiatives of various organizations.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Monika Vontszemüová

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Monika Vontszemüová

She is a fashion designer, runs a fashion shop in Bratislava, and is a Romni.

Monika grew up in Bratislava in the middle of the majority. Her parent had a boutique on Obchodná Street and as a child she played near the Medical Garden. She went through her own path of acceptance and learning about Roma. “Until the beginning of elementary school, I had no idea that such a thing existed. Only then did a classmate scold me for being a gypsy. I came home and asked my mother what it was.”

Monika Vontszemüová received the Roma Spirit award for innovative contribution in fashion and fine arts.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine and Roma

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Ukraine and Roma

On January 30, the “National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy. Valuing Diversity” was held in Kyiv. The event was initiated by the public organization Association of Roma Women “Voice of Romnja”.

Activists of Roma communities, representatives of the UN, the Council of Europe and the Ukrainian authorities gathered for the forum in the capital of Ukraine.

The discussions at the Forum focused on the implementation of regional action plans of the Roma Strategy until 2030 and monitoring their effectiveness.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine Roma Strategy 2030

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Ukraine Roma Strategy 2030

The UN takes on the responsibility to support the Roma community, to make efforts to include representatives of Roma communities in the decision-making process and to rebuild communities. This was stated by the UN System Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, during the “National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy. Valuing Diversity” on January 30, 2025 in Kyiv.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine, Roma, and EU

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Ukraine, Roma, and EU

Providing equal opportunities for Romnja, including their participation in decision-making and involvement in all processes, contributes to Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership. This was stated by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine, Natalka Tsmots.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Support for Roma Communities

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Slovakia: Support for Roma Communities

The current system of support for marginalized Roma communities has serious shortcomings, auditors propose fundamental measures. According to the auditors, unclear competencies, excessive bureaucracy in approving subsidies, lack of transparency in the area of ​​human resources and a lack of internal control mean that the funds spent do not bring the expected results.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

uthern Slovenia and Roma

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uthern Slovenia and Roma

Representatives of the Association of Municipalities of Slovenia (SOS) met today in Ribnica at a regional meeting of municipalities of southeastern Slovenia. In the discussion, they highlighted primarily the social challenges in the region (read Roma integration) and the need for additional financing of municipalities from the aforementioned topic due to regional characteristics.

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