Tag Archives: Integration

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Project

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Roma Project

A warranted critique of a planned project in Slovakia which plans to invest 20 million euros in the Roma Media House in Banská Bystrica.

However, it is a project that has more of a marketing character than a real impact. It lacks professional anchoring, transparency, and connection to the needs of the community itself. The chosen location – Banská Bystrica – is not the natural centre of the Roma population. This choice raises legitimate doubts about whether the project serves the community or the interests of the Slovak government’s representative for Roma communities, Alexander Dašek, whose office is based in this city.

However, the fundamental problem is not only geography, but also the lack of expertise. How many Roma journalists with experience in professional editorial offices do we have in Slovakia? Who will provide direction, camera, dramaturgy, sound, editing? Who will write in such a way as to create content that has the ambition to compete with non-Roma media – strong content, factually accurate, editorially polished? Without experts, this project will be just a laugh!

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Housing for Roma

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North Macedonia and Housing for Roma

President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said at the “Conversations for Equality” event, on the theme “Roma Right to Housing,” organized by the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, that despite the continued work of non-governmental and international organizations, the lives of Roma have not improved significantly.

Well, it will not unless the majority population changes their minds…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Some Help

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Some Help

For a change, a positive article in the Slovene press about Roma. Long-time volunteer Boris Muhič described the meeting on his Facebook profile, which gives hope and sends the message: Let’s not throw all Roma into the same basket.”I would like to have a cup of tea with you”. “In the morning, I met Roma from the Pušča Roma settlement at a gas station. One of them approached me and said: ‘I would like a cup of tea with you’,” wrote Boris Muhič. At first, he thought he needed help, but the person he met explained that it was the other way around – they wanted to help him.

Roma pensioners who have worked in Austria for several years have expressed their desire to join voluntary and charitable campaigns. They said that they can do all kinds of work – from masonry and roofing to electrical and facade work, but they don’t do ceramics.

News Eastern Europe Romania

Romania: Minister

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Romania: Minister

The appointment of Florin Manole as Minister of Labour is not just a first. It is a fracture in the status quo of a Romania accustomed to keeping the Roma in the invisible corner of democracy, writes human rights activist Ciprian Necula, in an opinion piece hosted by HotNews. It is no coincidence, he says, that the first Rom becomes a minister under duress, in a government bound by an imperative reform agenda.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma Minority

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Slovenia and Roma Minority

The Government Office for Nationalities of the Republic of Slovenia, which operates under Luka Mesec’s Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, sent a proposal for an amendment to the Roma Community Act for public discussion. The purpose of the amendment is said to be to upgrade the legal framework for a more effective integration of the Roma community into Slovenian society.

The new law brings four key changes: it introduces municipal coordinators as a bridge between the state and local levels, changes the composition of the Council of the Roma Community of the Republic of Slovenia (the Council), regulates the basis for co-financing associations, and speeds up procedures for spatial planning of Roma settlements.

Jožek Horvat Muc, a Roma activist, warns that the proposed changes mean a break in continuity in solving Roma issues and a devaluation of the long-standing work of institutions operating in Murska Sobota.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Inclusion in Slovakia

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Inclusion in Slovakia

At a working meeting in Valaská, representatives of community centers or social enterprises, the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities Alexander Daško, and the Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in the Slovak Republic discussed effective and sustainable support for Roma inclusion in Slovakia. The aim was, among other things, to summarise experiences and good practice examples in the context of the creation of the new EU programming period.

Well, let’s hope that they come up with better ways than planting trees – which is currently part of the program …

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

The usual French things. First, an “explanation” of the French confusion between Roma, Tsiganes, Manouches, and Gitans. Well, the explanation is worthless. In Strasbourg, they are trying to integrate Roma, lodging them in better housing and making sure the children are educated. Finally, one large Roma camp in Toulouse, in the South of France will be closed. Of course, without any planned relocation.

News Western Europe Sweden

Roma and Reisende Students in Sweden

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Roma and Reisende Students in Sweden

A new project is furthering the interactions between Vlach Roma and local Reisende students in Sweden. Reisende are the descendants of Roma deported from nowadays UK but also of Sinti, and are closely related also to the Finnish and Baltic Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Industry in Slovakia

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Industry in Slovakia

A new industrial park is being prepared in the Stará Ľubovňa district. The project aims to improve the future of the Roma in the district.

“Together with partners, we are preparing the establishment of an industrial park near the village of Šarišské Jastrabie, which will be focused on social entrepreneurship and the employment of long-term unemployed residents from marginalized communities,” the office informed. One of the first projects will be the ecological production of briquettes, which has the ambition to significantly reduce the problem of illegal logging and the burning of unsuitable materials in households. This step will not only have a positive impact on the environment, but will also bring concrete work to people who need it most.

Let’s see …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: A Billion for Roma

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Slovakia: A Billion for Roma

The Government of the Slovak Republic has received approximately one billion euros from the European Union to support Roma communities. However, as reported by ta3, the distribution of these funds has caused a serious disagreement between the former and current government plenipotentiary for Roma communities.

Peter Pollák, a former plenipotentiary, claims that the entire billion euros is available, which can be used to solve social problems and improve the living conditions of Roma. On the contrary, the current plenipotentiary Alexander Daško opposes, saying that this money is distributed among various ministries and only a part of it is intended directly for Roma. According to Daško, this is misleading and deceiving the public.

Well, Daško also supports some projects of dubious nature… Planting trees is not  going to integrate Romani communities.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Integration

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Slovenia and Integration

A round table held in Slovenia on Roma integration stated that one of the key challenges is the legalisation of Roma settlements. Roma representatives, however, warn that solutions and legislation on them are often adopted without them.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Lublin on Roma Integration

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Lublin on Roma Integration

On May 5, 2025, the Municipality of Lublin concluded agreements with the Voivode of Lublin to implement tasks under the “Social and Civic Integration Program for Roma in Poland for the years 2021-2030.”

The projects plans to increase the social integration of Roma and non-Roma children through participation in a joint holiday trip to summer camps in 2025 and to purchase school materials, textbooks, and sports articles for Roma children.

Whether this is enough for integration remains to be seen…

News Eastern Europe Serbia

100 Years

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100 Years

Football in Leskovac, Serbia, among the Leskovac Roma, began to be played between the two world wars, and their first official match was recorded on July 26, 1926 in the then city weekly “Leskovački dnevnik”.

But the idea of ​​forming a Roma football club began a year earlier, on St. George’s Day in that distant year 1925, in a smoky tavern on the edge of this popular Roma neighbourhood.

Now the club apparently closed …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

The Roma Community Council of the Republic of Slovenia does not support the proposal to amend the Roma Community Act, they concluded at Friday’s extraordinary session. They believe that the proposal contains numerous shortcomings that must be eliminated in order to be in line with the constitution.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Football

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Football

The associations “Roma Cloud of Imagination” and “Ki Rota” organized a football tournament in Kikinda, Serbia , on the occasion of World Roma Day celebrated every year on April 8. This day aims to promote equality, human rights and social inclusion, as well as to highlight the importance of integrating the Roma into all spheres of society.

“The city administration has initiated several important measures to improve the living standards of the Roma. Among these measures is the provision of school supplies for every child from the first to the eighth grade, while last year high school graduates were allowed to use the restroom during the graduation ceremony, and this practice will continue this year. Although it is clear that the Roma face numerous challenges and that the process of their integration and inclusion requires time and effort, the goal of the city administration is to lay a solid foundation for future generations and to do everything in their power to improve the position of the Roma community,” said Željko Radu, member of the City Council responsible for social policy, demographic changes, vulnerable groups and human rights.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Spiš, Slovakia

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Spiš, Slovakia

Dennik N is making a series of reportages on the situation of Roma in the Spiš region of Slovakia, looking at how mayors cope with the issues of Roma settlements and at how EU funds, which provide the bulk of the help are being used.

Well, some improvements have bene done, but not much…

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Having a Dream

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Having a Dream

The second year of the Having a Dream project will take place on May 3, 2025 in Pardubice. Nine inspiring Roma personalities, including three ROMEA scholarship holders, will perform on stage. The aim of the event is to support education, personal development and intergenerational dialogue. The event is held under the auspices of the Deputy Governor of the Pardubice Region, Pavel Šotola, and the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs, Lucie Fuková. Visitors can look forward to panel discussions, workshops, cultural performances and a ceremonial procession through the city centre.

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