Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Pursuant to Article 45, paragraph 1 of the Law on Government, the Government of the Republic of Serbia initiated the process of adopting a new Roma Inclusion Strategy in the Republic of Serbia for a 10 year period (2015-2025). The new strategy, to be adopted by the end of the year, will replace the previous document “Strategy for Improving the Status of Roma 2009-2015”.

Certain results were achieved in improving the status of Roma in Serbia during the 2009-2015 period:

• The Law on Extra-Judicial Proceedings was amended, providing for the subsequent entry of the fact of birth into the birth registry, representing the first step for many Roma people in making use of their rights in the domain of social and healthcare protection.
• The number of Roma enrolled in secondary schools and faculties was increased by affirmative measures.
• Roma persons were introduced into the process of implementing public policies (pedagogic assistants, healthcare mediators, Roma coordinators in local self-government units), thereby facilitating their use of certain rights.

Despite these positive results, experts believe that the Strategy for 2009-2015 did not fully meet the envisaged goals. Namely, the main obstacles for the socio-economic integration of the Roma community are not considered to be removed. Some of the improvements the new Strategy should bring include:

• Establishing a mechanism for the implementation, planning, monitoring and improvement of adopted measures and activities;
• Developing capacities and responsibilities in public and local administration bodies to efficiently take care of making use and the protection of the rights of persons of Roma nationality;
• Securing funds in the Budget of the Republic of Serbia and the budgets of the local self-government units for financing strategic measures;
• Inclusion of representatives of the Roma community in the procedures of designing and implementing strategic measures.

In 2014 the Government of the Republic of Serbia prepared the Initial Study for Drafting the Roma Inclusion Strategy harmonized with the Europe 2020 strategy. The initial study was, after a discussion attended by numerous representatives of the Roma community, the National Council of the Roma National Minority and civil society organizations, adopted by the Council for the Integration of Roma and Implementation of the Decade of Roma of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. This document indicates that the economic, political and social conditions wherein in 2009 the first Strategy was adopted have changed considerably, and that therefore a new strategic document needs to be prepared.