Strasbourg, 20 August 2022 (TDI): Council of Europe and the European Union (EU) signed a new agreement on Friday to help marginalized Roma communities in Bulgaria and Romania and promote Roma inclusion under ROMACT.
Our new agreement with the EU will help local authorities improve life for Roma people in Bulgaria and Romania.
Nearly 150 towns and cities in 🇧🇬 and 🇷🇴 have already taken part in @ROMACT_EC_CoE, which will now run for a further 20 months.
🔗 https://t.co/JRS34gsP2c pic.twitter.com/RUNvMa2bVg
— Council of Europe (@coe) August 19, 2022
The agreement will help marginalized Roma communities in Bulgaria and Romania to access education, housing, and employment, and promote Roma inclusion.
The new agreement – known as “ROMACT 9” – has a budget of €1.7 million and will run for 20 months from January 2023. ROMACT is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the EU Commission for the inclusion of Roma at a local level.
The agreement extends the Council of Europe/EU joint programme that was launched in October 2013 and has involved almost 150 municipalities in the two countries
Under the ROMACT programme, “the Council of Europe and the EU have developed a specific approach that brings together local authorities and Roma community representatives to agree on priorities, prepare action plans, & secure funding for projects that help Roma people.”
To date, the ROMACT program has mobilized over €140 million to fund more than 120 different projects in the two countries.
Moreover, nearly 7,000 local officials have also taken part in training and coaching sessions as part of the joint program.
According to the Council of Europe, local authorities play a major role, “for example by providing running water and sanitation to Roma communities.”
Moreover, it can also develop infrastructure such as roads and children’s playgrounds, as well as help Roma people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#ROMACT will continue to support the capacity building of local authorities in order to improve life for marginalized Roma communities in Bulgaria and Romania. More about our work and achievements over the years: https://t.co/UDNq5NE4Tl#EU4Roma https://t.co/PhCST13hYt
— ROMACT (@ROMACT_EC_CoE) August 19, 2022
ROMACT Implementation in Velingrad, Bulgaria
Velingrad is a municipality located in southwestern Bulgaria, in Pazardzhik Province. Approximately 10% of the population is Roma.
With ROMACT’s support and joint efforts of the Community Action Group, half of the population of the neighborhoods of Asfaltova Baza and Anezitsa are now enjoying running water and sanitation services. For years, 80% of the inhabitants of these neighborhoods lacked these basic services.
