Roma is the principal minority which is pan-European but does not have a home country. Hence the culture is a unifying force. DG16 has the Regions of the EU within its remit. DG22 Education and Training. Funding for EC programmes is at set times against set criteria.
All applications are competitive.
The Central Bureau of Visits and Exchanges in the UK as part of the British Council is the contact point for nearly all the EC educational programmes. The Bureau acts as a conduit between the UK Government and the EC for the management of the EC programmes. The CoE based in Strasbourg is active in Roma activities. A Roma Specialists Group is formally constituted and has a small secretariat and budget for Roma activities. The group meet at least twice year and individuals are invited to attend many other Roma focused meetings throughout Europe.