Government of the Republic of Serbia
State Secretary of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Miodrag Poledica, stated on 9 June in Brussels that significant results have been achieved during the preceding period regarding Roma integration in Serbia. Poledica, presenting our country at the official opening of the “Roma Integration 2020” project, noted that members of the Roma national minority face significant problems in the fields of healthcare, education, housing and employment.
He specified that, according to 2011 records, there are approximately 148,000 Roma persons living in Serbia, not enjoying the same quality of life as average citizens. A lot has been done for Roma inclusion during the previous period, he recalled, noting that our country is actively engaged with this issue, both at the international, as well as regional level. He said that the Roma Inclusion Strategy 2016-2025 was adopted in March, with further progress regarding housing and the issue of resettling Roma persons from informal settlements.
Source: www.srbija.gov.rs
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The Regional Cooperation Council, the Fund for Open Society and the European Commission in Brussels jointly initiated the “Roma Integration 2020” initiative. The event gathered policy makers targeting the Roma population in the Western Balkans and Turkey, regional civil society organizations and representatives of the Regional Cooperation Council, the Fund for Open Society and the European Commission.
At the opening of the project the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations stated: “Roma integration is an important element of the enlargement process. Prior to accession, countries will have to produce tangible results in the field of education, employment, healthcare, housing and acquisition of personal documents. The ‘Decade of Roma Inclusion’ placed the integration of this minority within a political programme: ‘Roma Integration 2020’ is the follow-up to the ‘Decade’ in enlargement countries where this programme is endeavouring to achieve sustainable results in the field.”
The initiative follows the achievements and spirit of the “Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015”. The main goal of the project is to help reduce the socio-economic gap between the Roma and the remaining population in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The project also aims to incorporate specific Roma integration objectives into regular policy development.
Source: europa.rs
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