The European Union - Council of Europe Joint Programme ROMACTED II held its final Advisory Group meeting on 28 November 2024 in Skopje, where the achieved results for the period 2021-2024 were presented for the implementation in North Macedonia. During this important event, certificates of appreciation were awarded to municipalities, facilitators, and the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth as key partners of the ROMACTED Programme in North Macedonia.

The speakers emphasized the significance of the results achieved and their impact on the Roma community, as well as the importance of continuing activities that promote the further integration of Roma in all areas of society.

Mabera Kamberi from the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, highlighted that the results achieved by the Programme are crucial for the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia. Kamberi expressed expectations that the Council of Europe would continue to provide support for these activities both at the national and local levels.

Mauro Mascioli, representative of the European Union Delegation to North Macedonia, emphasized the importance of raising awareness within institutions when making decisions that affect the Roma community, as well as creating conditions for equal access to all areas of society, including education, healthcare, employment, and more. According to Mascioli, the implementation of local action plans for Roma at the local level remains an essential task, which must continue even after the Programme ends, and all local authorities should continue to invest efforts and resources into this area.

Greater synergy and cross-sectoral cooperation are needed to ensure long-term results, and ROMACTED is a good example of such cooperation, was highlighted by Oleg Soldatov, head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje. Soldatov stated that the Programme has developed a good practice for synergies that promote Roma inclusion as a cross cutting issue, which should continue to be followed as an example of cooperation even after ROMACTED ends. The speech focused on the need to continue this synergy at both the national and local levels for sustainable results.

ROMACTED Programme manager, Ana Oprisan, presented ROMACTED evaluation results, which confirmed that municipalities not only provided political will but also actively participated with financial resources from their local budgets, further increasing the Programme’s success. Over 1 million euros were allocated from local budgets in the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey, where the Programme was implemented over the past few years. This financial commitment from municipalities was crucial to the successful implementation of various projects and actions.

Project Officer, Gjulten Mustafaova, moderated the first part of the event and presented the results achieved through small grants awarded to municipalities, as well as the local actions of facilitators who worked on the ground directly with Roma communities. During the period from 2021 to 2024, a total of 20 infrastructure projects were implemented in 15 municipalities, including the reconstruction of primary and secondary schools, the construction of sewage systems in schools and Roma settlements, the reconstruction of playgrounds, the establishment of an electronic library for children, and the construction and reconstruction of streets in Roma settlements.

548 Roma children participated in the Tutoring Programme for primary education, of which 272 were girls, marking significant progress in increasing education for Roma children. At the same time, 29 Roma completed primary education, and 20 Roma completed secondary education, confirming the success of the educational activities of the Programme.

3,644 Roma were trained at local level, of whom 49% were Roma women, which is a significant achievement in advancing gender equality. These trainings, as well as local actions, resulted in the employment of 94 Roma in local companies, significantly improving the economic status of the Roma community.

This event was an important moment to recap the progress made over the past three years and to support future activities that will continue to promote an inclusive society for Roma in North Macedonia and the region.

 More information on the achieved results can be found in the video.