Senior figures from the 47-nation Council of Europe (CoE) and the 28-member European Union (EU) are among those taking part in a conference in Brussels on 28 March looking at joint efforts to promote Roma participation and empowerment across Europe.
Participants including EU First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for Roma Issues, Valeriu Nicolae, are discussing the outcomes and future prospects of the “ROMED” Roma participation programme as well as other joint CoE/EU initiatives.
The ROMED1 training programme was launched in 2011 to help improve the work of mediators between Roma communities and local authorities, and to improve Roma access to local services.
So far, over 1,500 mediators from 500 municipalities in 22 different countries have received training as part of the programme. Approximately 90% of the trained mediators are Roma, and more than 50% are women.
The ROMED2 programme aims to boost the participation of Roma in local decision-making. The project has led to the creation of Roma community action groups in over 50 municipalities, working with local authorities in many areas to help shape municipal plans and the distribution of resources.
Other examples of CoE/EU cooperation in this area include implementing a range of different community-level projects under the ROMACT programme, a separate pilot programme promoting access to justice for Roma and Traveller women and a joint project on inclusive schools.
