Final conference of the project - Creating conditions for Roma inclusion

One of the priorities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia is to create conditions for full social inclusion of Roma, reduce poverty and combat discrimination. Roma housing problems throughout Serbia are most often manifested through life in Roma substandard settlements without adequate housing and necessary infrastructure. Deficiencies in Roma settlements are numerous, and what most often prevented local governments from initiating work to improve housing conditions in substandard Roma settlements was the lack of necessary urban and technical documentation as basis for any sustainable spatial interventions.

"The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, as one of the beneficiaries of the project, can proudly say that the goals of the project have been achieved. The project directly contributes to the improvement of the position of members of the Roma population in our country through the improvement of social inclusion of the Roma population. The activities of the Ministry were focused primarily on the preparation of planning and technical documentation for the construction of social housing for over 300 Roma families, as well as road and communal infrastructure in 35 local governments in which over 100 Roma settlements have been identified. By realizing such projects, we are creating a society in which all our fellow citizens have equal access to social assistance, health care, employment and adequate housing. The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure will continue to work dedicatedly on providing a roof over our heads for our neighbors, "said the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirović.

Development of technical documentation for improving housing conditions is only one of the components of this project, and activities planned and undertaken within this component are designed to have a complementary effect with measures and results of other components of the project (focusing on creating new and capacity building existing local mechanisms for Roma inclusion and strengthening the capacity of local governments and relevant representatives of national institutions for the successful use of EU funds).

By adopting a ten-year Roma support plan in October last year, the European Commission has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting Roma, focusing on seven key areas: equality, inclusion, participation, education, employment, health and housing. The Delegation of the European Union to Serbia is a long-term partner of the Republic of Serbia in improving the living conditions of Roma in our country.

"Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, but they are still the most discriminated and marginalized. Therefore, their inclusion is of great importance and the EU is very committed to that goal. The focus is primarily on the EU's 2030 national Roma integration strategies. We have already invested heavily in IPA funds and are currently implementing around € 30 million in support for Roma inclusion in the EU Member States. Providing a broader engagement with Serbian communities and institutions is a fantastic achievement, but our ultimate goal should be to include these people in everyday life in Serbia and ensure a sustainable and secure future as equals. and precious members of society, which they certainly are.Let this be the message we are sending on the occasion of today's International on human rights and our joint mission towards which we direct our further efforts ", said Nikola Bertolini, Head of Cooperation in the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia.

The project was also aimed at providing support in the preparation of project proposals. Ten cities and municipalities were provided with mentoring support to prepare project proposals for funding. A total of six projects were approved for funding and support was provided in the processes of local inclusion and housing construction for about 120 Roma families.

"For future similar programs, the further work of local self-governments on the preparation of project proposals and on ensuring the sustainability of the results of this and all previous projects is extremely important. The project proved that the preparation of proposals is a long process that must be carried out long before the  public calls. What emerges as a conclusion is that such initiatives require a continuous work, during which local governments first identify challenges in their environment and then respond to them in an adequate way. The availability of adequate land and prepared technical documentation is of special importance for housing and infrastructure projects, which is why project intervention such as this one are very important, "said Marko Jovanovic, Assistant Minister of Finance – Department for Contracting and Financing European Union Funded Programs, Ministry of Finance.

The director of the project, Aleksandar Bućić, KPMG, said that the key to the success of the project was the cooperation between the national and local levels of government in Serbia, which has been promoted over the past three years. "Within this project, our experts prepared 24 urban and planning-technical documents, as well as 82 sets of technical documentation for the social and communal infrastructure of local self-governments," Bućić specified. He added that seven new Mobile teams for Roma inclusion have been formed within the project. "Within the framework of mentoring support, a number of activities in the field of improving social protection, education, especially preschool children, as well as health care, were supported," Bucic said.