EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 27.6.2016 SWD(2016) 209 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Assessing the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and the Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States - 2016



{COM(2016) 424 final}



Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION 2 EXAMPLES OF APPROACHES 2.1 Horizontal measures — discrimination, Roma women, Roma children, empowerment, and poverty reduction 2.2 Education 2.3 Employment 2.4 Healthcare 2.5 Housing 2.6 Structural measures — cooperation and coordination, monitoring, and funding 2.7 Culture (additional area not covered under the EU framework or the Recommendation) 3 ROMA INTEGRATION IN ENLARGEMENT COUNTRIES 4 FINDINGS FROM THE COMMISSION’S ASSESSMENT IN MEMBER STATES AUSTRIA BELGIUM BULGARIA CYPRUS CROATIA CZECH REPUBLIC

ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREECE HUNGARY IRELAND ITALY LATVIA LITHUANIA POLAND PORTUGAL ROMANIA SLOVAK REPUBLIC SLOVENIA SPAIN SWEDEN UNITED KINGDOM 5 ENLARGEMENT: COUNTRY FICHES ALBANIA

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA KOSOVO MONTENEGRO FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA SERBIA TURKEY



1INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Staff Working Document is to accompany the Commission’s 2016 Communication on assessing the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (‘the EU Framework’) and the Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States (‘the Recommendation’). Since 2012, the Commission has been annually monitoring progress made by Member States in implementing the National Roma Integration Strategies and the set of integrated policy measures. This year for the first time, the Commission has reviewed the measures taken by Member States in accordance with the Recommendation. The measures listed in the Recommendation, if implemented properly should enhance the effectiveness of the Roma integration process and bring tangible results in improving the situation of Roma. The structure of this year’s Staff Working Document differs from that of previous years as it includes reporting on both instruments. This year’s report is also more comprehensive as it covers new elements that reflect the additional provisions included in the Recommendation. A reporting template was designed and shared with Member States to facilitate the reporting process. However, Member States found reporting on the two instruments challenging with some opting to use alternative reporting (Germany, France, and Slovenia). There were also variations in the level of detail provided by Member States which is reflected in the country fiches. Furthermore, three Member States (Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) did not report on their meusures. The Commission for the first time included the chapter on ‘Examples of approaches’ coveringthe thematic areas of the Recommendation. This is followed by the chapter on enlargement and the chapter presenting the country-specific summaries reflecting the key elements, and the Commission’s assessment on the steps taken by Member States, not only in the four key areas as they are defined in the EU Framework, but also on structural and horizontal issues as referred to in the Recommendation. In the next chapter, the Commission also presents for the first time country fiches on the enlargement countries. Indeed, the part referring to the process of Roma integration in enlargement countries was always included in the political narrative of previous Communications, since the EU Roma integration goals are equally relevant to these countries. However, this year, the Commission went further and included in the Staff Working Document country fiches on enlargement countries. The format and content of these country fiches differ from those of Member States for obvious reasons (the policies and funding applied to enlargement countries differ from the ones applied to Member States).

Regarding funding, data referred to in the country fiches are based on the financial allocations under the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds. Marginalised Roma communities are expected to benefit from measures funded mainly under the objectives of promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and combating discrimination targeted to the socially disadvantaged people (including but not limited to Roma ). It is important to note this in order to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion. Nevertheless, for the first time (during the programming period 2014-2020) a European Social Fund investment priority on the ‘socio-economic integration of marginalised communities, such as Roma’ has been selected by 12 Member States. This enables explicit but not exclusive targeting of Roma. For these Member States, the specific amounts allocated to this priority are also highlighted under the funding section of the country fiches. Apart from social inclusion, investments under employment and education can also contribute to the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies or integrated sets of policy measures. No adequate information has been provided by Member States on the use of national budgets. As was the case in previous years, assessment for this year’s Communication also takes into consideration contributions from organisations representing civil society and other stakeholders. Those who have provided a contribution are listed below. Organisation Geographical scope ERGO Network General contribution and BG, CZ, FR, HU, RO, SK, ES EUROCITIES and members from Ghent, Berlin, Grenoble, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Norway, Romania General contribution and BE, DE, FR, SV, UK, RO European Roma Information Office — ERIO BG, HR, FR, IT, NL, PL, SK, SL European Roma Rights Centre — ERRC General contribution and BG, CZ, FR, HU, IT, RO, SK Habitat for Humanity and members from BG, HU, RO BG, HU, RO Open Society Foundation and member from Prague General contribution and HR, SK, CZ Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (Equality Body ) BE AMALIPE Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance BG National Network of Health Mediators BG Integro Association BG RomaVersitas Association & Interethnic Initiative for Human Rights Foundation, members of NC Intellect BG The Health of Roma Foundation BG Platform for Social Housing CZ IQ Roma servis CZ The Public Defender of Rights (Equality Body) CZ Central Council of German Sinti and Roma DE Hildegard Lagrenne Foundation DE Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) Equality Body DE Kirkens Korshær DK Roma Association UNGA ES Fundación Secretariado Gitano ES Helsinki Deaconess Institute FI Human Rights Institute from FR, NL and SK FR, NL, SK Reformed Church in Hungary (separate contributons from Krisztina Nagy, Szabina Sztojka) HU Autonomia Foundation HU Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre IE Associazione 21 luglio ONLUS IT Roma Center for Health Policies — SASTIPEN RO O Del Amenca RO Asociatia OvidiuRo RO Nevo Parudioms Association RO ETP Slovakia — Center for Sustainable Development SK Church of Sweden SV Roma Support Group UK National Federation of Gypsy Liaison groups UK The following abbreviations are used in the text and country summaries. For ease of reference they are listed below: CoE Council of Europe EAFRD European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ERDF European Regional Development Fund ESIF European Structural and Investment Funds IPA Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance NGO Non-governmental organisation NRCP National Roma Contact Point NRIS National Roma Integration Strategy OP Operational Programme The term ‘Roma’ is used, in line with other documents of the European Commission and various international organisations, as an umbrella term, to refer to a number of different groups (such as Roma, Sinti, Kale, Gypsies, Romanichels, Boyash, Ashkali, Egyptians, Yenish, Dom, Lom) and also includes Travellers, without denying the specificities and varieties of lifestyles and situations of these groups.



2EXAMPLES OF APPROACHES The Commission identified a wide range of approaches covering the areas of the EU Framework and the Recommedation. This section highlights a series of examples on the approaches implemented in Member States mainly by public and civil actors. In some cases, the approaches highlighted cover more than one thematic area. In such cases, the approach has been included under the most relevant thematic heading. The approaches presented below do not necessarily constitute a good practice. The selected initiatives have been chosen because of specific elements identified as success pre-conditions. 2.1Horizontal measures — discrimination, Roma women, Roma children, empowerment, and poverty reduction Fighting anti-Roma rhetoric and protests

The 2015 ‘Together we are better’ campaign was initiated by the Amalipe Center and includes several schools, community centres and youth groups as a peaceful response to the growing anti-Roma rhetoric and protests in Bulgaria. It aimed to involve both Roma and non-Roma people in joint activities to support local schools and prevent ethnic tensions, strengthen dialogue, and encourage tolerance and solidarity to avoid future conflicts. The campaign included over 80 public events in more than 40 municipalities and brought together around 3600 people. It was supported by national and international political figures and diplomats. The campaign was supported by many non-Roma Bulgarians, teachers, head teachers, artists and many others who spoke out publicly to promote tolerance and solidarity among ethnic groups. (Bulgaria) Fighting stereotypes and discrimination in the public sector

The SKUPA-J project (‘Raising awareness of public employees, the Roma and the general public with a view to overcome social barriers and improve co-existence’) supports national activities combating discrimination and promoting equality. The training sessions on identifying and overcoming stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination — initially targeting police officers — were successfully extended to public servants employed in primary schools, social work centres, employment offices, and municipalities. In order to effectively prevent discrimination and improve the quality of the services delivered to Roma, the project includes awareness-raising activities for public servants and the Roma community on fundamental rights, acquiring intercultural communication skills and knowledge of the multiple challenges faced by Roma, putting in place partnerships with representatives of the Roma community, mediation and education activities targeting locations with the most acute challenges. (Slovenia) Increasing awareness of equality in schools

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission launched a campaign to increase awareness of equality issues in schools, for example concerning gender equality, disability or cultural diversity. The main tool is a training manual designed to provide teachers with equality-based teaching resources for use across the curriculum to encourage pupils to take action on equality, human rights and social justice issues in the classroom, at school or within their wider community. The inclusion of pupils was an important aspect in developing the training materials, which also involved the support of the Irish traveller movement. (Ireland) Fighting racism in the media

The High Commission for Migration’s measures to fight discrimination include ‘a trainer’s team’ of 30 people to undertake awareness-raising campaigns and actions around the country, a website ‘Racism on Internet’ that allows citizens to file complaints on racial discrimination, and measures targeting media, such as training sessions for media professionals on addressing migration and ethnic minority issues and a recommendation on references to nationality, ethnicity and religion in the news. (Portugal) Fighting anti-Gypsyism from local to national level

The two-year project implemented by a partnership of NGOs led by Integro addressed hate speech in electronic media. Activities focused on training and mobilisation of Roma youth, Roma women and community activists to recognise hate speech and react against it by legal means. Systematic media monitoring was conducted and 135 cases of hate speech against Roma were reported to the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, the Council of electronic media and the Committee on media ethics. This resulted in more than 70 proceedings and 31 decisions and prescriptions to journalists and the media. In addition, a number of campaigns, petitions, open letters and round tables were held with representatives from the Roma community, NGOs, institutions and the media to discuss the influence of hate speech on the implementation of integration policies and societal relationships. (Bulgaria) Transnational cooperation for Roma inclusion

The French authorities are active in transnational cooperation, more particularly decentralised cooperation with Romania. Social inclusion projects within the framework of decentralised cooperation covers a wide variety of actions. Some aim at supporting inclusion of Roma. (Paris: regeneration of a disadvantaged district of Bucharest; Nantes: supporting several villages in association with ‘Families, a roof’; Grand Lyon: building a multifunctional centre in the village of Tinca (France, Romania) Federal programme against racism and right-wing extremism

Funding provided for nine pilot projects fighting anti-Gypsism under the new federal programme against racism and right-wing extremism. This funding is provided to the documentation centre of German Sinti and Roma. The projects take an educational approach in particular towards young people, and are based mainly at local and regional level in various parts of the country. (Germany) Training of Roma foster parents

Targeted training of Roma foster parents to improve placement of Roma children in need of care. In foster parent training sessions, applicants of Roma origin must be given priority and their participation in training and enrolment in foster parent networks should be encouraged. (Hungary) Promoting public participation of Roma youth

The ‘Au Mensa’ project on Roma youth participation used participatory methods to collect young Roma aspirations and develop ways of participating in society. Young Roma acting as researchers collected information using various methods including social media, interviews and questionnaires. Based on the results, a young Roma club was founded providing leisure activities and support in education and employment. A Roma Youth Council aiming to get their voices heard in public decision-making processes was launched. The aim was also to transfer the model of the Roma Youth Council to other cities. The council has its own web page and Facebook profile. (Finland) Culturally sensitive service-package, resettlement support for Roma women

The ‘Womens’s turn’ project developed a culturally sensitive service-package with practices that have been incorporated into the mainstream prison services. Roma women have been hired to work as mentors in prisons to support female Roma prisoners. The follow-up ‘Time for change’ post-release resettlement project supported the resettlement of Roma women. Targeted stakeholders include Roma and non-Roma NGOs and public authorities dealing with crime. (Finland) Roma integration project of the Traveller and Roma Mediation Centre

To reinforce the positive integration dynamic, the pilot Roma integration project of the Traveller and Roma Mediation Centre focuses on developing the skills of Roma families (language, social skills, knowledge of institutions, familiarity with cultural traditions etc.), and on better access to primary services in the employment, housing and social services sectors. (Belgium) Targeted assistance through an integrated and comprehensive approach

‘Takeaway packages’ will be provided in 150 of the most deprived villages and towns. A comprehensive approach will involve outreach activities, early childhood education and care, financial literacy and health awareness initiatives, social housing, pre-school facilities, community centres and social enterprises. Implementation is to be guaranteed by national authorities throughlarge scale long-term interventions and complemented by smaller-scale projects run by municipalities or NGOs. (Slovak Republic) Sure Start children’s homes to fight poverty in disadvantaged regions

Development and expansion of Sure Start’s children’s homes, focusing on settlements with a population of over 1000 disadvantaged people with a non-decreasing child birth rate to support disadvantaged children (including Roma) in cooperation with their parents. Developing appropriate infrastructure so that Sure Start can provide their services (by transforming, renewing, modernising and changing the functions of existing buildings, indoor and outdoor spaces). (Hungary) Access to basic integrated services for the most vulnerable

Hirundo is a day centre maintained by the Helsinki Deaconess Institute in cooperation with the City of Helsinki for Roma travelling within the EU. It provides services such as shower, meals, internet and corresponding low-threshold services. The centre also provides guidance in acute medical problems and appropriate information on Finland. https://www.hdl.fi/en/ajankohtaista-in-english/1296-diakonissalaitos-jatkaa-romanikerjalaisten-auttamista-3 (Finland)

2.2Education Legislative reform The new School Act provides for an extension of all-day schooling, creates state standards for civic and intercultural education and bans segregated classes. (Bulgaria) The adoption of pro-inclusive legislation aims at:fostering equal access for Roma children to mainstream education by providing support to children with educational needsin mainstream settings; introducing compulsory final pre-school year to ease the transition into primary education; and improving diagnosis and planned investments for expanding kindergarten infrastructure and increasing participation of Roma children in quality pre-school education. (Czech Republic) Amendment of the School Act, prohibiting the placement of children in special schools on the basis of their social backgrounds. Planned investments into expanding kindergarten infrastructure .(Slovak Republic) Compulsory final year kindergarten introduced from the academic year 2015-2016. (Finland) Compulsory kindergarten from the age of three was introduced from the academic year 2015-2016, and accompanied by investments into expanding kindergarten infrastructure. (Hungary) Focal point schools: A social project that became policy

Focal point schools educate pupils from more than one locality (in rural areas). Full-day schooling for grades 1 to 8, free transportation and free school meals were ensured. In addition, teacher training and school materials for full-day schools were provided. The project was implemented in 794 schools where increased attendance and attainment were reported. The project initially funded by the European Social Fund has been sustained with national funding. (Bulgaria) Zones of educational priority

The mainstream programme ‘School and Social Inclusion Actions’, starting from the academic year 2015-2016, aims to expand and improve the initiative of zones of educational priority. Schools in these zones have contributed to reducing school dropout rates and improving basic skills. This initiative is not specifically directed at Roma, but rather the general population; however, most Cypriot Roma live in the zones of educational priority. (Cyprus) School mediation

School mediators of Roma origin act as a link between the school and the families with Roma children in schools. (Belgium) Support for integration of Roma children and youth

The project funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism is implemented by the NGO ‘Center for Education Initiatives’ in cooperation with municipalities of Daugavpils City, Jelgava city, Valmiera city, Valdermarpils city and Ventspils city. The main activities of these projects are: 1) training of Roma mediators and supporting their work in schools and educational centres; 2) establishing resource centres for Roma children; 3) organising intercultural events; 4) providing informative materials; and 5) training teachers on diversity management and non-discrimination in education. (Latvia) Free after-school tuition

The mainstream project (which covers Roma in addition to other groups) funded by the city of Vienna during the 2014-2015 academic year started to offer free after-school tuition at primary schools in Vienna in autumn 2014. The aim was to provide high quality support to children in need of assistance. Since February 2015, this assistance was further rolled out to new middle schools [Neue Mittelschulen] and secondary academic schools [Allgemeinbildende höhere Schulen]. The latter have been working in close cooperation with primary schools. The project reached 15 000 primary school pupils in Vienna and around 10 800 new middle school pupils. After-school tuition in primary schools is provided on-site. Additional classes are provided at the schools based on an analysis of needs. Following an evaluation, the idea is for the schools to have more autonomy in setting the focal points for courses in the future. This tuition is being provided at all 220 public primary schools. Key areas also include homework assistance and language development for children whose first language is not German. (Austria) National project for the inclusion and integration of Roma children

This national project focuses explicitly, but not exclusively on Roma, Sinti and Caminanti children. The two areas of focus refer to family involvement and school reception/inclusion. The aim is to facilitate access to local social services for the whole family in order to also promote adequate health protection pathways. The programme initially involved 23 schools, of which 18 primary schools and five lower secondary schools, with a total of 42 classes and over 900 students, of whom about 156 were Roma, Sinti and Caminanti students. (Italy) 2.3Employment ‘Fit to job’ approach

Various Länder (Land of Rheinland-Pfalz, Berlin, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württenberg etc.) implement projects aimed at improving employment prospects for Roma, and in particular Roma youth. The ‘Fit to job’ approach is carried out through intensive one-to-one work with the applicant, starting already at school, through school career guidance, vocational training, language support, work with families, and employment services. (Germany) Adult education to improve Roma labour market entry

Funded by the European Social Fund, the Rainer project ‘Roma energy through education’ (2015-2018) is a Roma-targeted measure aiming to facilitate labour market entry by improving the level of education, supporting jobseekers and succeeding at work through coaching among the Roma population in Central Finland. The project — sometimes covering all the target population — demonstrates that targeted approaches can also work in municipalities with a small Roma population and underlines the importance of cooperation among multiple actors such as social, employment, housing offices and educational centres. The long-term aim is to create a framework for sharing and promoting good practice in targeted Roma services by making use of the existing professional networks at local, regional and national level. (Finland) Civil-corporate cooperation to promote Roma employment in the private sector The INTEGROM project coordinated by the Boston Consulting Group and Autonómia Foundation mobilised a voluntary coalition of diverse stakeholders (companies, civil and professional organisations). The aim of the programme was to help educated young Roma find employment in the private sector, at major companies, primarily in administrative positions. The partners are various large firms open to hiring more Roma employees. Roma participants are supported with training and personal coaching to be successful in the recruitment process, while the partner companies pay special attention to recruitment and provide on-the-job mentoring. ( http://inclusive.growthlab.cid.harvard.edu/laszlo-juhasz ; http:// www.integrom.hu ) (Hungary) Targeted employment services to improve Roma labour market access

The transfer of the Spanish Acceder programme to Italy, which will be supported by the European structural and investment funds, is a programme to promote the social inclusion of Roma through access to the labour market. For the moment, however, the project is in its early phase. (Italy) Social considerations in public procurement

The Slovak Republic piloted social considerations in public procurement. Contract performance clauses set out how contracts should be performed and require the contractor to hire a set number of workers from the Roma minority or long-term unemployed. To bring tangible results, it should be well promoted. (Slovak Republic)





Roma labour mediators Since 2008, mediators have been hired under the national programme "Activate the Inactive" targeting the inclusion of discouraged and inactive people in the labour market, including through trainings and registration at the labour offices. The Roma mediators work mostly in predominantly Roma districts. As a first step, they hold formal and informal meetings with people from the Roma target group in order to assess their personal capacity to take up work, provide practical guidance to search for jobs and inform them of work opportunities. In 2015, youth mediators started supporting young NEETs by acting as intermediaries between the inactive young people and the institutions that provide social, health, educational and other services (Bulgaria). Improving Roma employment through services and fighting stereotypes

The project financed by the European Social Fund and implemented by five Roma organisations will run until 2020. The project aims at developing a positive attitude towards Roma and eradicating stereotypes, and changing employer/employee relations in recruiting Roma. Plans exist to finance activities such as individual or group motivation, assessment of personal needs, development of social and professional skills, sociocultural activities, vocational guidance, providing information, consultation, development of general skills (e.g. digital literacy, languages, and entrepreneurship), vocational training, mediation and other assistance for jobseekers. (Lithuania) Roma restaurant ‘Romani kafenava’

This project promotes the development of social entrepreneurship and, having received funding under a public tender, has proved sustainable. The project aims at providing job creation opportunities, cultural preservation and fighting stereotypes. The restaurant is decorated in a traditional Roma style and offers traditional dishes. (Slovenia) Romano Cher — Casa Romilor

The project, co-financed by the European Social Fund, aimed at socioeconomic integration and restoration of Roma craftsmanship in the Romanian labour market. The initiative involved various categories of Roma craftsmen. The social and economic activities run by the project and those carried out in the Romano ButiQ workshops were supported by a national TV and local radio communication campaign through posters and flyers, website design (www.mestesukar.ro), Facebook page, dedicated YouTube channel, online flash banners, mock release etc. Another important objective of the project was to create associations that protect the interests of those who practise the craft. The project laid the foundation for 30 organisations in the social economy locally. (Romania) Assessment of 2007-2013 experience leads to complex targeted project to boost Roma employment

The 2014-2020 European Social Fund Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development includes a comprehensive range of Roma-specific measures to improve the educational and employment situation, as well as to eliminate barriers to Roma employment and social integration. The assessment of Roma-specific projects carried out in the previous programming period under Operational Programme Human Capital revealed that the employment project should be: local-based, targeted to a limited group of people (20-60); andimplemented in close cooperation with local actors active in and respected by the community (Roma associations, traditional leaders, elders, Roma assistants). Attention should be paid to existing individual skills and the needs of participants in order to guide them to the most suitable profession in the local labour market. Traineeships in particular proved to be effective in increasing the chances for future employment/self-employment and also for addressing employers and co-workers negative stereotypes of Roma. Projects will therefore ensure that all identified success factors are fully incorporated. It is expected that during the 2014-20 programming period in total 3 086 Roma (approximately 18 % of the total Roma population) will be covered by this project and 28 % of participants will be employed within 6 months after completing the programme (including self-employment). Projects selected in 2016 should ensure support to 1545 Roma and 28 % employment rate should be reached. (Poland) 2.4Healthcare ‘Healthy communities’ programme

The national project co-run by the Ministry of Health and the programme’s original creators (an NGO platform of stakeholders and various interested professions), funded by the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds. The project was based on past experience that proved positive. While in 2003 it was implemented in 11 Roma settlements, in 2015 it was already implemented in 254. It aims at promoting access to healthcare through participatory, community-based health mediation. (Slovak Republic) Improving access to healthcare services in disadvantaged regions

Efforts were made to improve equal access to healthcare services by incentivising general practitioners to fill vacancies in disadvantaged areas. The programme targets municipalities, which have districts with long-term vacancies and doctors not holding the qualification for practising as a general practitioner. Targeted training for healthcare professionals on handling cultural differences in treatment and a 40-hour transcultural bioethics training module has been incorporated in healthcare vocational and professional training. (Hungary) Health mediation

The project ‘Together for a better health, for us, by us’ aims to improve the health status of Roma by directly supporting Roma health mediators and by establishing and supporting a network of non-governmental organisations to integrate, improve and extend the role of Roma health mediators in the respective countries. (Transnational: Bulgaria — Hungary — Romania — Slovakia) The national network of health mediators in Bulgaria provides : assistance to residents of socially excluded Roma communities, support for preventive healthcare (regular check-ups, vaccination), and family planning, help to eliminate and reduce the spread of communicable diseases. Since 2007, the profession of ‘Health mediator’ has been included in the Bulgarian National Classification of Professions. Some 170 health mediators are currently working in more than 90 municipalities in Bulgaria and are financed through the state budget. Bulgaria plans to increase the number of health mediators supported by the state by transferring funds to the municipalities. At the end of 2015, the Ministry of Health declared its intention to establish a working group on adopting standards for the work of the health mediators. Meetings of the working group are planned for 2016. A pilot project of health mediation in three hospitals (Yambol, Samokov and Lom) was also launched. (Bulgaria) Improving access to vaccination

The Flemish government organises a system of mobile vaccination vehicles to explain the benefits of vaccination. (Belgium) Supporting access for Roma students to medical studies

Grants schemes supporting medical scholarships for Roma students (Bulgaria, Poland) Improving hygiene and providing safe water for marginalized Roma communities The measures include rodent control, disinfection and de-infestation as well as promoting access to safe and potable water in marginalised Roma communities. (Slovak Republic) 2.5Housing Relocation and social integration programme in the region of Madrid

IRIS is a public institution funded by the region of Madrid that implements rehousing, relocation and social integration programmes for marginalised communities living in slums/illegal settlements. Since 2000, IRIS purchases and renovates houses in the region of Madrid and resettled families pay subsidised rents, significantly below market value. Desegregation and integrated approach are key aspects in the work of IRIS, as the flats purchased by IRIS are distributed across the entire region of Madrid in order to avoid the creation of ghettos, and social services are offered in parallel for a better integration of the families in their new environment. Therefore the structure of the IRIS programme is twofold: 1) Housing scheme: IRIS buys flats on the private market or from the regional social housing stock and rents them out at subsidised rates to marginalised families. 2) Social scheme: 3-5 years of social support consisting of three main phases: preparing the transition before moving, adapting to the new housing situation and integrating (support for access to education, health services, administrative support, neighbourhood conflict prevention, etc.) Over 2300 families have moved to standard housing through this programme, with an integration rate of the relocated families reaching 96 %. IRIS was funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2000-2006 and will again feature in the current programming period with some EUR 30 million in funding for the eradication of remaining slum settlements in the region of Madrid (Spain) Federal plan against homelessness

The mainstream plan applicable in the five biggest cities in Belgium — and more recently extended to three smaller cities — aimed at giving immediate accomodation to the most vulnerable homeless persons, including Roma. (Belgium) ‘Romcivic’

Romcivic is a project for the inclusion and citizenship of people living in slums and shanty towns, partly financed by the National Roma Contact Point. This project is run with the help of a team of 24 young volunteers, including 18 from Eastern Europe and living in settlements. (France)

Tackling the lack of registration among Roma

Romania issued a comprehensive anti-poverty package (included in the anti-poverty strategy), which which includes the provision of identity documents for Roma. This will generate a positive trend in enabling better access by Roma to other basic areas and services such as education, housing, labour market and healthcare services. (Romania) Statutory right to means-tested guaranteed minimum income

The means-tested guaranteed minimum income is a mainstream measure intended to support those who are no longer able to support themselves. Their monthly requirements in terms of food, clothing, hygiene products, heating and electricity, household goods, other personal needs such as adequate social and cultural participation, and housing is provided in a sum of money that is revised annually. The means-tested guaranteed minimum income ensures that all those entitled to it are afforded the same minimum living standards. The means-tested guaranteed minimum income is paid monthly, and for 2016 stands at EUR 837.76 for single people and EUR 1 256.64 for couples. These amounts include a 25 % share for housing costs. The housing cost component can be reduced if the individual pays little or no housing costs. The minimum standards for children vary across federal states, but remain high across the board. People without health insurance cover who are eligible for the means-tested guaranteed minimum income are registered for statutory health insurance by the federal states. This allows recipients of means-tested guaranteed minimum income to obtain an e-card. (Austria) 2.6Structural measures — cooperation and coordination, monitoring, and funding Improving cooperation and coordination

Finland considers that the involvement of Roma together with the authorities and other stakeholders is vital in developing their social status and living conditions. The advisory board on Romani affairs and the four regional advisory boards on Romani affairs serve as cooperation bodies between relevant authorities and the Roma population. Their task is to promote the status, social inclusion and living conditions of Roma. Furthermore, there are a growing number of municipal Roma action groups. (Finland) Various German states (Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Bavaria) concluded contractual agreements or state contracts (in Bavaria a ‘Joint Declaration’) with the respective regional associations of the central council of German Sinti and Roma, which must implement minority protection. These agreements define the cooperation of the state governments with the central council regarding all issues concerning Sinti and Roma such as promoting cultural identity, fighting against anti-Gypsism, preserving the graves of Sinti and Roma who were persecuted under national socialism, etc. (Germany) The Ministry of EU Funds, in its capacity as National Roma Contact Point, initiated the creation of the interministerial committee to facilitate dialogue and cooperation among relevant national authorities. This is an important first step to ensure optimal cooperation of the ministerial lines. The interministerial committee aims at interinstitutional coordination to implement the National Roma Integration Strategy, with the support of other ministries and local and central public administrations. It also ensures coherence during the implementation of measures through other national programmes or strategies. (Romania) Integrated local action plan for the inclusion of marginalised residents

EU funding allowed Glasgow to develop an integrated local action plan covering all key areas (education, employment, health and housing) to support integration of marginalised residents, including Roma, in the Govanhill neighbourhood. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Glasgow city council and its partners, the lives of Roma have been steadily improved (United Kingdom, Scotland) Local cooperation for Roma integration

Gothenburg was selected through a competitive process by the national government to be one of the five pilot municipalities for Roma inclusion 2012-2015 as part of the Swedish 20-year strategy (until 2032). The pilot project has been raising awareness among municipal institutions about the national strategy as well as creating support structures for its implementation. Close links have been forged between local and national services and civil society in the areas of education, housing and the national job centre. (Sweden) Local action/funding

During the 2007-2013 programming period, the Hungarian rural development programme dedicated EUR 260 million to local development in rural areas under the LEADER initiative, and provided support to some 13000 projects. An equal opportunities programme office was established to organise training to help Roma present project proposals under LEADER. Similar support during the 2014-2020 programming period would be welcome. (Hungary) Promotion of an integrated approach at local level

Spain has organised various seminars with national, regional and local authorities to exchange knowledge and experience and to encourage regions to make use of the European Structural and Investment Funds, especially with regards to complementing the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). As a result, two regions (Madrid and Murcia) have incorporated activities specifically targeting marginalised communities including Roma in their recently adopted operational programmes under the ERDF by way of Investment Priority 9.2 (Madrid and Murcia), including a specific programme to eradicate shanty towns. (Spain) Empowerment and cooperation through Local Action Groups The municipality of Tundzha (in South-Eastern Bulgaria, 24000 inhabitants, 3,881 identifying as Roma) sets a positive example of the benefits of empowerment through Local Action Groups (LAG) for the design of the municipality’s integration policies. The LAG (created with the help of the local facilitator under ROMACT and using the network of labour/health mediators) identified and prioritised the necessary actions to address the problems of the vulnerable groups in the fields of education, employment, health and housing. As a result, Tundzha municipality and the LAG jointly developed a Municipal Plan for Roma Integration (2015-2020). This is part of a long-term investment programme that contains previously implemented measures (e.g. cancellation fees in kindergartens, new kindergartens/facilities for children, vocational training, improved street network and infrastructure) and future projects (e.g. social housing, equal access to quality health services). (Bulgaria) Mapping of Roma communities

Mapping Roma communities facilitates comprehensive and targeted support provided through ‘Takeaway packages’ to 150 of the most deprived Roma communities. (Slovak Republic) Mapping Roma settlements in municipalities with over 15 000 inhabitants is useful to have a more accurate picture of the scale of existing problems. (Italy) In November 2014, the Romanian institute for research on national minorities started implementating a two-year project on mapping of Roma communities for community-level monitoring. The EUR 1 million project funded by the European Economic Areas and Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2009-2014 targeted local Roma communities, local level administration and civil society. Participation by the communities was an important element. Based on data collected, a set of indicators for monitoring progress of Roma inclusion at the local level will be developed and applied to results-based monitoring. (Romania) Improving data collection to feed monitoring

In its efforts to meet the National Roma Contact Point’s information needs to monitor progress in social inclusion, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office included questions on ethnicity in major sample surveys (Labour Force Survey, Survey on EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions). The method was tested during the 2011 population census. The data collected made it possible to calculate the core outcome indicators for monitoring the implementation of the national social inclusion strategy on Roma inclusion. (Hungary) Qualitative research for policy review and Roma empowerment

The qualitative research project ‘Educational pathways for Roma in Austria’ by the Ministry for Education and Women — financed under the European Social Fund — was based on 125 interviews carried out by a research team of 15 interviewers, 14 of whom were of Roma origin. Besides contributing to evaluation and policy review, the project proved to have an empowerment role, ensuring Roma participation. (Austria) Review of National Roma Integration Strategy, including baseline data and outcome indicators

Poland conducted a comprehensive study in order to improve the quality and functioning of the National Roma Integration Strategy before its adoption covering the period 2014-2020. Specific objectives, measures and actions have been defined in four key thematic areas. Indicators have been established as well as a monitoring and evaluation structure, including the creation of an electronic database. (Poland) 2.7Culture (additional area not covered under the EU framework or the Recommendation) Estonian Roma community through the eyes of Roma children

In order to fight discrimination and increase public understanding of young Roma and the Roma community, a targeted photo project was initiated by the civil society organisation ‘MTÜ Ambulartoorium’ in 2015. During the project, Roma children and young people were given cameras and took pictures of what they considered important or interesting and wrote a story to accompany their photos. A dedicated website will be created in 2016 to exhibit the photos and the best photos will also be published in a book. (Estonia)

Early marriage: culture or abuse?

The project implemented by civil society, and supported by the Commission under the Daphne programme, aimed at raising awareness on how to act as a mediator at the onset of early/forced marriage. The target groups are Roma, teachers, Roma representatives, and experts in the field of social work, counselling and healthcare, NGOs and the police. Activities included training on mediation, door-to-door visits and the creation of a prevention programme for schoolchildren on topics like reproductive health, cultural diversity, violence, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and a sociological study on early marriage practices in some Roma communities. (Transnational: Slovenia, Bulgaria and Italy) ‘The Roma Spirit Awards’

A project initiated by the Slovak Republic, replicated by the Czech Republic and brought to the European level, aims to promote the efforts by individuals and organisations in improving the situation of Roma. The project also promotes a positive image of Roma, Roma culture and contributes to the elimination of stereotypes and prejudices against Roma. The Roma Spirit Awards are given in categories such as non-profit/non-state organisations, company/employer/firm, city/municipality, individual, media and good deed of the year. (Slovakia) ‘Khamoro’ (in Roma language ‘sun’)

The largest and most famous professional Roma festival in the world has been held in Prague by the NGO Slovo 21 since 1999. The festival promotes diverse Roma culture, offers unique concerts by Roma bands from all over the world, exhibitions, film projections, dance workshops, as well as specialised seminars and conferences. http://www.khamoro.cz/ (Czech Republic) Museum of Roma culture

The first museum dedicated to Roma culture was established in Bucharest, Romania in 2013. It aimed at objectively presenting and promoting Roma culture. Civil associations, academic institutions and local authorities worked together to create the museum. The need for the museum was rooted in the deeply prejudiced public discussions about Roma and their culture, often confronted with stereotyping. The museum has not only a series of artefacts related to Roma culture, but a dynamic conglomerate of ideas and stories, illustrated through objects, installations and people, so as to generate debate on all levels of society. The Museum accommodates periodic exhibitions, crafts and dance workshops, debates and cultural events. (Romania) 3ROMA INTEGRATION IN ENLARGEMENT COUNTRIES The Roma communities in the Western Balkans and Turkey continue to suffer from discrimination, and little progress has been made on the ground throughout the last year. Large gaps persist between Roma and non-Roma in access to education, employment, healthcare and housing. Furthermore, limited progress was achieved in 2015 as regards citizens registration. The end of the Roma Decade in 2015 brought the conclusion of an important cycle of Roma integration activities by Decade members from the Western Balkans . Most Western Balkans countries concluded the implementation phase of their Roma Decade integration Strategies and related Action Plans, and have adopted new ones. Turkey drafted its first Roma integration strategy and action plan, following a consultation process. These were adopted in April 2016. The European Commission has continued to develop its tools to monitor Roma integration more efficiently . Roma integration work within Chapter 23 negotiations on "Judicial and Fundamental rights’ for Montenegro and Serbia has been of particular significance. The third round of Roma inclusion seminars is nearly completed in the Western Balkans countries, with seminars held in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* and Serbia in 2015. The implementation of the conclusions of the Roma seminars continued to be monitored in the annual Stabilisation and Association Agreement Subcommittees. Finally, the visa liberalisation process allowed for a close assessment of the evolution on the ground, especially for Kosovo and Turkey that have Roma related benchmarks in their visa liberalisation action plans. The results of the independent thematic evaluation of IPA I (2007-2013) projects for Roma communities in Western Balkans and Turkey, were presented in 2015. These include the following recommendations for improving the efficiency of the use of IPA II (2014-2020) funds: greater political commitment and financial allocations to implement Roma integration priorities both from the Commission and the enlargement countries; enhanced monitoring; inclusion of the gender dimension and closer involvement of civil society. Publication of the list of measures that will be taken to implement the 11 evaluation recommendations is foreseen in 2016. This Staff Working Document includes for the first time country fiches identifying for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey the main data available on: Estimated size of Roma populations, Main policy documents and bodies responsible for their implementation, Fora for civil society participation in the definition and implementation of Roma policies, State of play in priority areas (education, employment, health and housing), Frameworks for dialogue/work on Roma integration at EU level, Amount of IPA funds invested in Roma integration projects (2007-2015). 4FINDINGS FROM THE COMMISSION’S ASSESSMENT IN MEMBER STATES AUSTRIA HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women. Strong non-discrimination measures in place, complemented by targeted measures to prevent Roma discrimination particularly. Measures aiming at raising awareness about the Roma Holocaust. Modules on the subject of ‘human rights’ in basic training. Projects on Roma women on career and educational guidance and mandatory in-service training for police officers. Documenting race-motivated incidents against Roma in the 2013-2015 Anti-Gypsyism Report; Romane Thana exhibition in the Vienna City Museum etc. Consider up scaling the targeted measures at national level and put in place effective measures for their sustainability. It should be clear to what extent Roma women benefit from the mainstream policies and measures. Results of projects specifically addressed to Roma women and benefits of mainstreaming for Roma women should be monitored and clearly presented. Poverty reduction ESF — Roma-specific measures under investment priority —measures to ensure discrimination — free access to the labour market through empowerment and training of the Roma communities. Evidence gathering should be developed to assess the impact of these measures on Roma.

POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education Mainstream and targeted measures meant to support access to school. Measures including free after-school tuition at schools. Measures on mandatory early language development support in public childcare facilities. Strategy to combat early school leaving; expansion of full-day schooling; supplementary native language tuition, individual learning assistance for Roma children, supplementary native language tuition etc. Evidence gathering on educational outcomes and the impact of these measures on Roma children should be developed. Employment Measures supporting career and educational guidance. Information and awareness raising meant to reduce barriers in accessing labour market. Measures to ensure transitions in between school and labour market, Language courses at various levels, vocational trainings etc. Consider monitoring the impact of the mainstream measures on Roma.



Healthcare Support is provided through mainstream policy measures. The measures include Health Pilots -MiMi, Migrants care services, mammography screening for socially disadvantaged women and female migrants, Parent-teacher dialogue platform — project. The impact of the mainstream measures on Roma should be assessed and monitored. Targeted measures to address the specific needs of the Roma people, in particular those of vulnerable women and children should be considered. Cultural awareness-raising of healthcare professionals and health-related awareness-raising of the Roma community should be considered. Housing Mainstream measures such as statutory right to means-tested guaranteed minimum income, equal access to housing (council and emergency housing) or Vienna Housing Hub etc. Consider targeted measures to support the specific needs of Roma in access to housing through an integrated approach. Put in place effective monitoring mechanism to assess the extent of the impact the mainstream measures on housing have on Roma.



STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) The National Roma Contact Point coordinates the design, development and implementation of policy measures in support of Roma integration. The involvement of various stakeholders in the process is ensured through the Roma Dialogue Platform which is organised frequently over the year. The Ombudsman for Equal Treatment is also represented at the Roma Platforms. The Commission will financially support AT to continue organising National Roma Platforms. The NRCP is efficiently performing its overall responsibilities yet further empowering through strengthening the administrative capacity of the National Roma Contact Point should be considered. Consider training for Roma Civil Society to effectively contribute to the monitoring and implementation of the policy measures on Roma. Monitoring Monitoring and evaluating is performed through the collection of relevant qualitative data on the social and economic impact of these measures. The surveys are conducted in line with the applicable national and EU legislation and international obligations, in particular with regards to personal data protection. Having a robust monitoring framework in place to evaluate the impact of Roma integration actions is a requirement under the 2014-2020 ESIF. Ensure that the results of the surveys performed are followed up and translated into efficient policy measures to address the specificities of the challenges identified. Measuring the impact of the mainstream measures on Roma should be considered. Better involvement of the Civil Society Organisations in the monitoring of the policy measures on Roma should be better addressed. Funding In the 2014-20 period a total of €553 mio (€11 mio ERDF, €138 mio ESF and €404 mio EAFRD). has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). Under this amount Austria also selected a new Roma-specific investment priority (explicitly targeting Roma) with a total allocation of €4 mio. Apart from social inclusion, investments under employment and education can also contribute to NRIS-implementation. National funding is provided through mainstream programs.. Progress has been made in terms of targeted funding under ESF –Roma specific measures. Further use of existing possibilities under the EU Funds to support Roma inclusion should be considered. Summary of key findings Progress has been made in terms of developing the mechanism of coordination and cooperation of relevant stakeholders in the Roma inclusion process by enabling an effective communication platform, as well as in terms of targeted funding under ESF –Roma specific measures. The NRCP is efficiently and actively performing its responsibilities in line with the EU Framework for NRIS.The impact of the mainstream measures on Roma should be assessed and monitored. Consider targeted measures to address the specific needs of the Roma people, in particular those of vulnerable women and children. Cultural awareness-raising of healthcare professionals and health-related awareness-raising of the Roma community should be considered. Better involvement of the civil cociety in the monitoring of the policy measures should be ensured.. Consider training for Roma civil society to effectively contribute to the monitoring and implementation of the policy measures on Roma.



BELGIUM (Gens du voyage are included under umbrella term Roma) HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women Flanders launched a plan against discrimination in housing (which is prohibited by the Flemish housing code). No specific antidiscrimination measures targeting non-Roma are reported. Awareness measures aimed at the general public should be further exploited. A correct criminalisation of anti-Roma rhetoric and hate speech should be ensured. It also should be clear to what extent Roma women benefit from the mainstream policies and measures. Measures addressed specifically to Roma women and children should be put in place. Given that a mainstream welfare system is functioning in Belgium, focus on facilitating access to it through mediation is given. However, the impact of mainstream policy measures should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma are met. Poverty reduction Programme funded by city of Ghent and regional government to reduce risk of poverty among children (not aimed at Roma but rather at any population considered at risk including Roma). Pilot project specifically targeting Roma (developing the skills of Roma families (language, social skills, knowledge of institutions) and better access to primary services) The impact of mainstream policy measures should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma are met. POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education Specific plan to tackle early school leaving in Flanders. Local parental involvement projects in the Flemish community, to increase parental involvement through school mediators of Roma origin who act as a link between the school and families with Roma children in schools in the French Community. The Brussels Capital Region supports a mediation programme for Roma families in schools in the Brussels area that have a large number of children from ethnic backgrounds. There are still many Roma children not able to go to school and overrepresentation of the Roma in special education system. More targeted support should be followed when addressing the low attendance and poor attainment of Roma pupils. As a general guideline, developing a good cooperation with the families is important to address early school leaving. However, to deliver the expected results, it needs to be part of a comprehensive approach. Although BE is one of the 6 EU countries where participation in early childhood education is almost universal for children from 3 years old, lower participation rates and less regular attendance of specific groups such as Roma are noted. There is also variation in the quality of provision. The communities are taking new measures to address those challenges . In order to encourage pre-school attendance, there is currently a debate on the possibility of reducing the age at which schooling is compulsory. Employment Roma are mainly targeted within the mainstream measures for the unemployed people. Project launched with the support of ESF, specifically targeting the Roma families. A more targeted approach to ensure access to and increase participation of Roma to employment mainstream measures should be considered Healthcare 24 experts (some of whom are of Roma origin) have been selected and will work in Ghent, Brussels and Charleroi as intercultural mediators. The Flemish government organised a system of mobile vaccination vehicles, touring to explain the benefits of vaccination. Many Roma are unaware of the existence or are unfamiliar with the provisions of healthcare services. Awareness raising campaigns should be considered. Promoting access to health through health mediators (also of Roma origin) will help this process.



Housing In Wallonia, a decree is guaranteeing permanent settlements for the travellers in ten cities. Flanders launched a plan against discrimination in housing (prohibited by the Flemish housing code). Plan against homelessness applicable in the five biggest cities in Belgium and more recently extended to three smaller cities aimed at providing a home immediately to the most vulnerable homeless persons, include people of Roma origin. As regards the situation of travellers in particular, regional authorities have made genuine efforts to improve the quality of camping sites and at the same time they have adapted their housing codes in order to accommodate for permanent dwelling on existing camp sites. STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) The management of the Roma integration policy is the responsibility of three different actors who will establish a permanent dialogue between them: the Ministry for Social Integration (acting as NRCP), the interministerial conference and (from 2016) the new National Roma Platform. This new structure, coming after a period of uncertainty, will help the implementation of Roma integration policy. The participation of Roma and Roma organisations remains a challenge; for the moment it is weak but the situation should improve with the setting up of the national platform. Roma community should be encouraged to participate in the process, especially the Roma youth, who demand to be involved. Cooperation with the Equality Body is functioning. Monitoring Ethnicity is not a variable that is recorded (not legally authorised) and thus, there is currently no specific data on Roma population benefitting from social assistance. Having a robust monitoring framework in place to evaluate the impact of Roma integration actions is a requirement under the 2014-2020 ESIF. The impact of mainstream policy measures should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma are met. Funding For the period 2014-20 a total of €407 mio (€19 mio ERDF, €340 mio ESF and €48 mio EAFRD) has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). Under this amount, Belgium also selected a new Roma-specific investment priority (explicitly targeting Roma) with a total allocation of €10 mio. Apart from social inclusion, investments under employment and education can also contribute to NRIS-implementation. ESF Operational Programmes (OP) 2014-2020 have been devised at the level of the federated entities (no federal OP for the period). All OPs have a ‘social inclusion’ axis, but the ESF OP for Flanders is the only OP which integrates the priority ‘Socio-economic integration of marginalised communities such as the Roma’. It foresees to spend €10 mio ESF for this issue in 2014-2020. Existing possibilities under the ESIF funds for targeted measures to support inclusion Roma should be further exploited and effectively implemented. Summary of key findings The new structure of the NRCP and the national Roma platform are promising. Little progress is identified in the key areas. Given that the mainstream welfare system is in place and functioning in Belgium, focus is given to facilitating access to it through mediation. Meanwhile, the impact of mainstream policy measures should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma are met.Targeted measures should be further exploited by using the existing possibilities under the ESIF funds. The involvement of Roma in design and implementation of relevant measures should be reinforced.





BULGARIA HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women. Measures focused on police force training, prevention of juvenile delinquency, promotion of tolerant inter-ethnic relations through sport, prevention of trafficking in human beings. The mainstream program for reducing domestic and gender based violence pays attention to Roma women and girls. National Strategy ‘Vision for de-institutionalisation of children in Bulgaria’ is set as one of the national priorities (since 2010). Empowerment is covered under cultural initiatives for preservation of Roma heritage and support for young talented Roma artists. NGO projects aiming at promoting tolerance, community development in marginalised communities and fighting hate speech in media. Robust safeguards and legal measures should be introduced to guarantee the practical enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation as well as to ensure criminalisation of anti-Roma rhetoric, hate speech and hate crime . Preventive measures to combat domestic violence and to protect children’ rights are to be accompanied by effective support services for victims. Targets, funding and results of the projects should be provided. Targeted measures to combat forced or early marriages and adapted legal provisions are needed. The overrepresentation of Roma children in foster care should be tackled also by social assistance measures having a poverty reduction impact. Ensure better involvement of Roma representatives at the local level is necessary. Greater attention should be paid to the impact of political and media messages’ on inclusion policies; measures should be implemented (targeting society as a whole) to raise awareness of the benefits of Roma integration for everyone. Worrying increase in evictions of Roma in 2015 were identified, in particular before the municipal elections. Evictions should be avoided or executed on the basis of a judicial or administrative decision which would also include due guarantees for the evicted persons (proposal of an adequate alternative accommodation) Poverty reduction Mainstream measures under the National Social Inclusion policies and new investment priority ‘Socio-economic integration of marginalised communities such as the Roma’ under ESF. The impact of the future social assistance reform on Roma should be evaluated to ensure coherence between mainstream and targeted poverty reduction measures. POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education New Strategy for the Educational Integration of Children from Ethnic Minorities and Pre-school and School Education Act. Important provisions outlaw segregated classes and extend the focal school protection to kindergartens. Support measures include extending all day schooling, new teacher profile for support to students from ethnic minorities. NGOs initiatives from various funding sources. Measures to fight segregation and reduce early school leaving are financed through small grants of the Centre for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities. The Operational Program Science and Education for Smart Growth announced its first targeted calls for supporting educational integration at all levels. Educational infrastructure investments also aiming at increasing the access to quality and inclusive education are foreseen under the Operational Programme Regions in Growth. Institutional capacity, political support and appropriate funding, particularly at local level, have to be ensured for the new legislation and strategy to bring results. Targeted measures to increase the participation of Roma children in inclusive early childhood education are needed. Efforts should concentrate in removing the main barriers (poor infrastructure and kindergarten capacity, lack of trained staff, hidden educational costs, transportation and parents’ involvement) Existing NGO initiatives for inclusive education and fighting early school leaving need to be sustained and considered when reforming the mainstream system. Targeted and mainstream measures should aim at desegregation and at preventing the concentration of socio-economically disadvantaged students, including Roma, in low performing schools. Support measures for reintegrating children of seasonal migrants should be introduced.



Employment The program ‘Activation of the inactive people’ finances the Roma labour mediators posts. First steps to outreach to the non-registered young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) with the support of the youth mediators. Roma students explicitly mentioned under the graduated teachers’ support of the Youth Guarantee. Subsidised employment was provided by the National program ‘From Social Assistance to Employment’. Besides the health and employment mediators, Roma are insufficiently represented in the public services. More efforts are needed to outreach the Roma NEETs by Youth Roma mediators and effectively support their return to education or integration into the labour market. The lack of monitoring of discrimination in the labour market should be addressed. Opportunities for social enterprises, entrepreneurship, reaching out to private and public employers should be better exploited. Job creation opportunities in rural areas including those under the new Rural Development Program (RDP) should be considered by the authorities and civil representatives. The eligibility requirement for the Local Development Strategies should reflect the interests of vulnerable groups, including Roma. Healthcare One or several projects are reported under each Council Recommendation measure in the field of health. Mobile units for preventive care for mothers and children mainly in areas with compact Roma population. National Program for improving maternal and child health (2014-2020). Expansion of the health mediator network and support for Roma students’ enrolment in medical courses sustained. National Program for AIDS and TB Prevention. The biggest challenge remains in ensuring health insurance for all. The recent amendment of the Public Health Insurance Act does not address this situation. The transitional grace period for re-entering the insurance system should be extended. It is necessary to assess and tackle the multiple difficulties socially-disadvantaged Roma face in acquiring health insurance and access to primary care. The Health Strategy’s Action Plan for vulnerable groups has expired and the authorities have to ensure that the activities are sustained. The health needs of vulnerable (Roma) women and children should receive special attention. More efforts are needed regarding vaccination and medical check-ups. Filling healthcare vacancies in disadvantaged areas should be ensured. The awareness-raising activities targeting both the healthcare professionals and Roma communities could be strengthened. Housing Integrated social housing projects financed through two 2007-2013 Operational Programmes (Regional Development and Human Resources Development) were completed in Devnya, Vidin and Dupnitsa. 39 major municipalities are eligible beneficiaries for ‘Sustainable and integrated urban development’ activities funded by the ESIF 2014-2020 Operational Programme Regions in Growth. Integrated social housing projects for disadvantaged groups can be financed. Municipalities’ involvement in integrated housing projects remains to be ensured. Engagement with local actors, including the representatives of Roma communities, targeted work and specific campaigns are of crucial importance. Evictions should be accompanied by an offer of adequate alternative social housing (including through ESIF investments).Opportunities under the Operational Programme Regions in Growth (axis ‘Sustainable and integrated urban development’) should be fully used to help implementation of the National Strategy for Roma Integration within these 39 municipalities, as well as help with their Regional Strategies and Municipal Plans. Municipalities should be further guided and supported to initiate adequate housing measures aiming at social inclusion. The financing and development of detailed urban plans should be enhanced. The biggest challenge remains in defining a solution for the allegedly illegal dwellings in which many Roma live. Eviction should be avoided or orders accompanied by a clear proposal of alternative housing (including social housing through ESIF investment).







STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) The NRCP is in charge of the cross-sectoral coordination of the NRIS implementation and monitoring, and involved in sectoral coordination and funding decisions. 183 actualised local Roma integration plans. The ESF operation ‘Integration’ will invest 40 million EUR in projects for implementation of the soft measures of the Municipal Roma Integration Plans. NGO representatives participate in Monitoring Committees of the key EU funded programs for the period 2014 – 2020. Strengthening the role, human and financial resources of the NRCP and the Equality Body should be ensured. The Action Plan (2015-2020) for the implementation of NRIS should be adopted urgently. The national Roma platform, financed by the Commission, should contribute to better involvement with civil society and all pertinent stakeholders. The local plans should not be a formalistic exercise and contain specific targets and funds. The resistance or lack of capacity of local authorities to implement integrated sustainable measures need to be addressed. Monitoring EU grant for the development of a ‘SYSTEM for monitoring, evaluation and control of the implementation of the NRIS’. The National Statistical Office is partner of the project. Civil society is also involved. Having a robust monitoring framework in place to evaluate the impact of Roma integration actions is a requirement under the 2014-2020 ESIF. Monitoring and reporting should be improved. The new system should include outcome and impact indicators. It is also crucial that the deadline for the ex-ante conditionality is fully respected. Monitoring and evaluation of the impact of mainstream measures on Roma should be ensured. Funding In the 2014-20 period, a total of €1.2 billion (€233 mio ERDF, €401 mio ESF and €565 mio EAFRD) has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). Under this amount Bulgaria also selected a new Roma-specific investment priority (explicitly targeting Roma) with a total allocation of €143 mio. Apart from social inclusion, investments under employment and education can also contribute to NRIS implementation. Complementarity of the operations targeting or mainstreaming Roma inclusion is important to ensure an integrated approach tackling several areas where a sustainable solution is crucially needed. The local level implementation of the NRIS should be strengthened with better guidance and incentives for local authorities to take action. It has to be ensured that funds are used in line with the Commission guidance on desegregation and under no circumstances to contribute to (further) segregation of communities/educational facilities. Funding opportunities for Roma inclusion under EARDF and ERDF should be better exploited. The Interministerial Working Group on the Roma Integration Measures (financed by ESIF) should intensify its activities for ensuring coherence between the various ESIF programmes' calls supporting social inclusion. Summary of key findings Bulgaria successfully mobilised 2014-2020 ESI funding for targeted calls under the education and human ressources programs of the European Social Fund. This should allow them to advance with the implementation of the soft measures of the Municipal Roma Action Plans. Securing funding for the implementation of coherent integrated and sustainable projects addressing the housing situation remains a challenge. A better coordination mechanism among stakeholders is needed as well as an Action Plan for the implementation of the NRIS (2015-2020). The adopted legislation in education is a first step towards an inclusive reform of the educational system. However, - desegregation, early school leaving and providing effective access to quality education for Roma children needs to be enhanced and monitored. The inclusion of Roma in the labour market is still weak and health insurance remains an issue. It is important to ensure that mainstream reforms support the NRIS objectives. To this end a robust monitoring, coordination and reporting mechanism is crucially needed in order to steer progress from the national to the local level. Key priorities to be forcefully addressed are related to the housing, the access to basic utilities and services, the practical enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation, the provision of quality inclusive education, the local level actors’ capacity building and better coordination of all stakeholders and funding opportunities.



CYPRUS HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-Gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women No specific measures have been taken or reported by the Cypriot government. Activities aimed at fighting stereotyping and prejudices against Roma should be considered. Poverty reduction No specific measures have been taken or reported by the Cypriot government. The ROMA population is covered by the general measures. It should be mentioned that the project on the Zones of education priority (ZEP), under its new form will also be a tool for combatting social exclusion.

POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education A slightly larger number of Roma pupils attend pre-primary, primary and secondary education. The implementation of the programme ‘School and Social Inclusion Actions’ starting from the school year 2015-2016 aims to continue growing and improving the institution of Zones of Educational Priority (ZEP). Development of educational programmes for the intensive instruction of Greek as a second language. The institution of the Zones of Educational Priority schools has contributed to the reduction of dropout rates of concerned pupils. This initiative is not specifically directed towards Roma, but rather the general population. The main issue is the lack of reliable estimation of the Roma population and its educational needs. Employment Roma are targeted within the mainstream measures for the unemployed people. There is no formal or systematic assessment with regards Roma accessibility to employment services. The main issue is the lack of a reliable estimation of the Roma population as well as the linguistic competency of the Roma population for Greek (an issue on which no data is available) as a main obstacle to their integration in the labour market. Previous Commission reports identified as a gap that the impact of policies should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma people are met. However, this gap is not tackled yet. Healthcare Access to healthcare is offered to all Cypriots including Roma. Provision of free children vaccination. Social programmes run at local level contribute to the sensitisation and awareness raising for health issues among Roma population. The impact of health policy measures should be measured in order to ensure that the needs of the Roma are met. Housing Prefabricated houses have been built to accommodate Roma families. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the maintenance costs of housing units currently inhabited by the Roma population. These are 20 Turkish- Cypriot houses in Limassol and 25 in Paphos. The difficult housing situation of Roma continues to deserve further attention as the situation has not changed recently. There is also a problem of segregation as accommodations built for Roma are located in remote, isolated rural areas. STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) The NRCP is the Cyprus Social Welfare (Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance). The NRCP has not been informed or involved in any decision-making processes. There is no organised Roma civil society in Cyprus. The NRCP should be more involved in the decision making process regarding Roma issues. The resources (time, financial, human) to enable the NRCP to carry out its coordination and monitoring role should be reinforced. The NRCP should actively pursue cooperation with the Cypriot Equality Body.



Monitoring No information provided Monitoring the impact of mainstream measures and activities undertaken on Roma should be considered. Measures addressed specifically to Roma women would be welcome. Funding For the 2014-20 period a total of €56 mio (€15 mio ERDF, €27 mio ESF and €14 mio EAFRD) has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). Although there is no specific funding for Roma under the ESIF Operational Programmes, specific Investment Priorities (IP) for combatting discrimination which are part of the ESF Operational Programmes 2014-20 could cater for the needs that may arise regarding Roma. Main funding may come from schemes for the employment of marginalised groups, funding for social economy and also under schemes to promote social inclusion (mainly through the project on the Zones of education priority) Further use of existing possibilities under the EU funds to support Roma inclusion should be considered. Summary of key findings Cyprus has made slight progress in addressing the commitments taken through the European Framework and the 2013 Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures, in particular in the area of education. Meanwhile, the difficult housing situation of Roma continues to deserve further attention as the situation has not changed recently.The main issue is the lack of reliable estimation of the Roma population and of its needs. The impact of policy measures on the Roma should be measured in order to ensure that their needs are met.



CROATIA HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women. Free legal aid provided, awareness raising campaigns on human trafficking, training to civil servants police officers on anti-discrimination legislation, hate crime, promoting cultural and human rights of Roma, support for maintenance of the memorial Roma cemetery, support of memorial day for Roma victims of the Holocaust, round table on the status of Roma women in decision making processes with national and international networks, their protection as well as protection of Roma children are addressed under mainstream measures and projects. The effective practical enforcement of antidiscrimination legislation needs to be ensured as well as the correct criminalisation of anti-Roma rhetoric, hate speech and hate crime. Desegregation measures in the areas of education and housing should be properly implemented and accompanied by awareness-raising activities and appropriate training. Strengthened support for multiple disadvantaged Roma women through gender mainstreaming in education, employment and health policies should be considered as well as training and information on human rights protection. Preventive measures to combat domestic violence and protect children rights are to be accompanied by effective support services for victims. Poverty reduction Few regional and local action plans have been developed, research on widespread risk of poverty among children. Further work is needed to engage remaining regional and local authorities to develope their Action plans. It is important to ensure complementarity of interventions, monitoring their impact and ensure that the services reach the most vulnerable. To this end mapping and strengthening the territorial aspects of policy making should focus on the most deprived regions.



POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education Focus on pre-school education, providing special assistance in learning Croatian language, involvement of parents in the process, learning support provided through after-school programmes, Roma Schools Assistants and extracurricular activities, scholarships and dormitories and scholarships provided to support Roma participation in secondary education, planned investments in improving the infrastructure. Promoting participation of Roma children in pre-school education is seen as positive. It needs to be ensured that pre-school education as well as primary education is provided in quality and inclusive settings. This process should be reinforced through planned investments to expand the capacity of kindergartens and primary schools using national funding. Engagement of all actors including municipalities, teachers, and parents is needed. Further efforts are also needed to address the low attendance and poor attainment of Roma children in primary schools. Transition between elementary and upper secondary schools should be facilitated by providing career guidance and mentoring. Promoting vocational training should also be further prioritised. Employment Roma are targeted under the mainstream active labour market measures implemented by the public work scheme targeting the long-term unemployed and counselling services. Roma participation in the Croatian labour market remains very weak. Ongoing public employment service reform should deploy a more targeted approach. Innovative measures such as promoting social enterprises and Roma entrepreneurship, reaching out to private employers or promoting social consideration in public procurement could be exploited. Employment effects of mainstream measures should be closely monitored. Healthcare ESIF funded projects targeting the access to primary and emergency care, with focus on isolated and deprived areas, health national campaign on drug prevention. Greater focus on tackling the health inequalities of Roma, in particular in deprived areas, with a focus on vulnerable women and children is needed. The health mediators (also of Roma origin) would help in this process and therefore their role should be reinforced. Awareness-raising activities targeting both the healthcare professionals and the Roma community should be considered.



Housing ESIF funded projects targeting the support to physical, economic and social regeneration of deprived urban and rural areas. Housing interventions should be part of an integrated approach with the long-term objective of desegregation. Regularisation of land and houses as a legal precondition for access to EU funded infrastructure interventions is needed. STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) NRCP involved in design, implementation and monitoring of the policies. It provides building capacity support through various grants. It cooperates with Roma Councils of national minorities, Roma and pro-Roma organisations, and local authorities. Regular dialogues and exchanges established with 4 offices of Ombudsman (Equality body). An effective, transparent coordination mechanism among all stakeholders should be promoted. The NRCP should play a stronger role in this process. Its visibility towards regions as well as to civil society organisations is crucial. This process should be facilitated through the National Roma Platform. Significant barriers such as lack of capacity, sustainable funding of civil society and local authorities to implement integrated sustainable measures should be addressed. Monitoring Monitoring through working groups of the National Commission for the Monitoring of the implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy consisting of Roma and representatives of line ministries. Internal monitoring report also includes information received from aprox. 66 municipalities and Roma and pro-Roma organisations. Monitoring of the rights of ethnic minorities, including Roma, various studies, researches conducted. Efficiency and sustainability of measures should be closely monitored. Specific impact indicators should be developed. Mapping as a precondition for better targeting of interventions is needed.



Funding In the 2014-2020 a total of €971 mio (€357mio ERDF, €328mio ESF and €287mio EAFRD) has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). The Investment Priority on the socio-economic integration of marginalised communities, such as Roma was not selected. There is no Roma specific targeted funding under the ESIF funds in the current programming period. It is therefore essential that the Roma inclusion interventions mainstreamed into all relevant policy areas are closely monitored and their impact on the situation of Roma properly assessed and translated into policy design. All existing possibilities to support Roma inclusion under the ERDF and EAFRD should also be exploited and used effectively. Summary of key findings Positive steps have been taken in the area of education, in particular in promoting pre-school education. However, greater efforts are needed to ensure the effective implementation through more systematic measures in all key areas. Better coordination between national and local levels and among all stakeholders is needed. Available ESIF funds should be effectively used in order to reach Roma beneficiaries. A mechanism for monitoring and assessing the impact of mainstream and targeted measures should be put in place.





CZECH REPUBLIC HORIZONTAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Fighting discrimination and Anti-gypsyism, Protection of Roma children and women. Adoption of legislation fostering an equal access for Roma children to mainstream education. Anti-hate crime campaign, projects fighting extremism and ethnic intolerance, cultural events, promoting access to justice facilitated by the legislative proposal for free/affordable legal aid and by the reduction of court fees, trainings of judges, layers, mediators and local government officials on anti-discrimination law. Protection of Roma children and women is addressed under the mainstream measures. Roma participation in advisory bodies of the Government. The adoption of pro-inclusive legislation in education is seen as positive. Enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation needs to be continued to gain concrete improvement in practice. Effective measures should be taken to fight discriminatory practices in the areas of employment, healthcare and housing. Persisting key challenges to be addressed are the fight against stereotypes, prejudices as well as the criminalisation of anti-Roma rhetoric and hate speech. Sensitising measures on benefits of Roma inclusion towards general public should be further exploited. A constructive solution to ‘Lety’ case should be found. Strengthened support for multiple disadvantaged Roma women through gender mainstreaming in education, employment, health policies should be considered as well as trainings and information on human rights protection. Preventive measures to combat domestic violence and to protect children rights are to be accompanied by effective support services for victims. Poverty reduction Targeted interventions through a coordinated approach with the use of ESIF funds in 70 of the most deprived and most Roma populated socially excluded localities are planned within the 2014-2020 programming period. Strategic plans of social inclusion were developed in 5 regions. It is important to ensure that the services reach the most vulnerable. It is also important to ensure complementarity of interventions and monitoring of impact. Further work on engaging those regions which have not developed strategic approach to Roma integration is needed. POLICY AREAS Key elements Assessment Education Amendment of the School Act promoting inclusive education by providing supportive measures to children with educational needs in mainstream education. Introduction of compulsory last pre-school year. Improvement of diagnosis measures. Supporting participation of Roma children in pre-school education through planned investments to expand the capacity of kindergartens. Roma participation in the School Inspection control activities. Scholarships to socially disadvantaged Roma students at secondary/high schools. Free school lunches for disadvantaged children and parental support Promising pro-inclusive measures were adopted. Their implementation will need to be secured through proper monitoring, sustainable funding and by providing adequate teachers education in order for the new legislation to bring tangible change. Engagement with all actors, including municipalities, school headmasters, teachers, diagnostic centres, parents and general public in this process is essential. Ensuring access and promoting participation of Roma children in quality inclusive pre-school education needs to be reinforced, also through the planned investments in expanding kindergartens. Preventing early school leaving should be further addressed. Transition between elementary and upper secondary schools should be facilitated by providing career guidance and mentoring. Vocational education and training programmes should be more responsive to the labour market needs in order to ensure a smooth transition into employment.





Employment Roma are targeted under the standard active employment policy tools (counselling, activation and requalification measures, publicly beneficial jobs). Specific employment programme for Roma financed by ESF and implemented by the Labour Office in Ústí nad Labem region ‘Socially excluded localities in the Usti Region’. Roma remain one of the most underrepresented groups of the labour market. The capacity of public employment services should be further developed for individualised services for Roma job seekers. Effects of employment measures should be closely monitored. Innovative measures such as promoting social enterprises and Roma entrepreneurship, reaching out to private employers, use of social consideration in public procurement do not appear sufficiently exploited. Fighting and monitoring discrimination in the labour market needs to be ensured, also by working closely with Labour Inspection.



Healthcare Mainstream measures, included in the National Strategy for Health. Greater focus on tackling the health inequalities of Roma, in particular in socially excluded localities is needed. Specific attention needs to be paid to Roma women and children. Measures improving acces to vaccination programmes, medical checks up, prenatal and postnatal care, family planning, sexual and reproductive healthcare should be taken. Sustainability of activities and monitoring of outcomes should be ensured. Health mediators (also of Roma origin) should help this process and therefore their role should be reinforced.. Awareness-raising activities targeting both the healthcare professionals and the Roma community should be strengthened. The lack of GPs in disadvantaged regions should be addressed. Housing Adoption of the Strategy for Social Housing 2015-2025 which will be the basis for the Social Housing Law to be approved in 2017. Social housing construction to be supported by the ERDF in the framework of social inclusion programmes. Housing interventions should be part of an integrated approach. Discriminatory unlawful practices by some landlords towards Roma, in particular in socially excluded localities (renting low-quality, overpriced, residential hostels, abusing state housing benefits for the socially vulnerable Roma) which leads to residential segregation needs to be addressed. Desegregation measures should be reinforced. Evictions should be accompanied by an offer of adequate alternative social housing (including through ESIF investments). An adequate system of supervising and monitoring the construction, maintenance and upgrading of existing flats and control mechanism over the distribution of social housing should be put in place in order to ensure that Roma are not excluded but enjoy equal access to available quality social housing opportunities. STRUCTURAL MEASURES Key elements Assessment Cooperation and Coordination (NRCP, civil and local actors, equality bodies, transnational cooperation) NRCP involvement in coordination, design and monitoring of policies. Close cooperation with the Agency for Social Inclusion, methodological support given to regions, financial support provided to the Coordinators for Roma Affairs established by the regional authorities and to the field work. Increase of human resources capacity of the NRCP. Involvement of the NGOs in consultation process on policies such as the Action Plan for Inclusive Education. There is well established cooperation with Equality body. Effective, transparent coordination mechanism among all stakeholders should be promoted. This process should be facilitated through the National Roma Platform. Significant barriers such as lack of capacity, sustainable funding of the civil society as well as resistance of local authorities to implement integrated sustainable measures need to be further addressed.



Monitoring Internal evaluation of the Roma Integration Strategy by the NRCP in close cooperation with Committee for cooperation with local authorities, the Committee for monitoring, the Agency for Social inclusion, Working Groups for International Cooperation. Monitoring is also ensured through reports by Regional Coordinators for Roma Affairs. Having a robust monitoring framework in place to evaluate the impact of Roma integration actions is a requirement under the 2014-2020 ESIF. Monitoring and reporting of the impact of mainstream measures on Roma should also be ensured. Stronger involvement of the NGOs and other stakeholders is needed, as well as providing a dedicated budget for external evaluation.



Funding In the 2014-2020 a total of €1.9 bio (€1 bio ERDF, €825 mio ESF and €108 mio of EAFRD) has been allocated to promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination, targeting action to the socially disadvantaged (including, but not limited to Roma). Under this amount, the Czech Republic also selected a new Roma-specific investment priority (explicitly targeting Roma) with a total allocation of €200 mio. Apart from social inclusion, investments under employment and education can also contribute to NRIS-implementation. Complementarity of funds and introduction of specific investment priority for the integration of disadvantaged groups such as Roma is seen as positive. It allows for explicit but not exclusive targeting and better monitoring of results. It is important to ensure that the planned interventions under 2014-2020 programming period effectively reach the most vulnerable.To this end, the quality and result oriented projects need to be launched without any delay. It also has to be ensured that ESIF funds are used for desegregation and do not contribute to (further) segregation of communities/educational facilities (following the Commission guidance on desegregation). Existing possibilities to su