A ‘Roundtable on Municipal guideline and matrix on COVID-19 recovery measures’ was organised on 31 March in Pristina, within the framework of the joint CoE/EU Programme ROMACTED II on “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level” and in co-operation with the Support Organisation, Forum for Development and Multi-ethnic Collaboration (FDMC).

The Roundtable was organised to provide space for reflection on the consequences resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, and with the objective on empowering the communities and municipalities to improve the governance and the quality of responses of the local authorities to the needs of the Roma communities and other vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly and disabled. Furthermore, the event was an opportunity to present and discuss the Municipal Guideline and matrix on COVID-19 recovery measures, which was supported through by the Council of Europe/ Roma and Travellers Team.

The Guideline and matrix were coordinated with Ministry of Local Governance Administration and prepared by the local thematic consultant. The roundtable gathered municipal representatives from 10 beneficiary municipalities representing health, public services, and emergency departments.

This milestone has set the discussion and consideration among partner municipalities on the need to have working plans that will complement the matrix in identification of the problems, finding solutions, setting verifiable indicators, and having means of verification. All municipalities expressed the need for the support on increasing capacities regarding the working plans on socio-economic recovery measures at the local level.

In line with the matrix and the Guideline on post-COVID 19 recovery measures, in March ROMACTED II launched grants on post-COVID recovery measures for each municipality, which will serve as hands- on method on creating knowledge and experience in projects related socio-economic recovery at the local level.

ROMACTED II follow up activities will be based on the assessed needs of the local authorities emerged from the roundtable.

ROMACTED Programme is implemented in 10 partner municipalities: Ferizaj/Urosevac; Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje; Gjakova/Djakovica, Gracanica/Gracanice; Istog/Istok, Kamenice/Kamenica, Lipjan/Lipljane, Mitrovice/South Mitrovica, Obiliq/Obilic, and Prizren.