23.03.2015Ninth meeting of the European Roma Platform
"The way forward" was the theme of the ninth meeting of the European Roma Platform. It was held on 16 and 17 March in Brussels and was attended by an unprecedented large number of participants, over 200 representatives of the European Commission, national governments, international organizations, European and national NGOs. The meeting had two objectives: to provide space for practical discussions on two key topics related to Roma integration and to prove the political commitment of the new composition of the European Commission to continue the integration policy. The ultimate goal of the meeting was to identify ways for the future development of the European Roma Platform and similar national platforms.
The first day of the forum was devoted to discussions on two key issues: one was discrimination and the other - interinstitutional cooperation in policies for Roma integration. Divided into two working groups, participants held interactive discussions, where everyone had the opportunity to present views and experiences. Thus were formed positions represented in political sessions on the second day. Bulgarian participants were among the presenters in both small workgroups: Ivan Ivanov (European Roma Information Office) and Dimitrina Petrova (Equal Rights Trust) were among the speakers in the group, discussing inter-institutional relations and to Lili Makaveeva (Integro Association) - in the group on discrimination and anti-Gypsism.
The second day of the forum was devoted to the political reflections on the two topics discussed as well as on the future of the European Roma Platform. Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova addressed the participants with words, which combined political messages and purely human examples. "It is time to say NO to stereotypes!It is time to say No to intolerance! And it is time to do something about these problems!" the Commissioner said. She stressed that now - as never before - European structural and investment funds target Roma explicitely and no one can complain of lack of funds for integration policy. It is important to have the political will to support the integration policy at the local level - where people meet with the problems highlighted Commissioner Jourova. The full text of the statement, you can see наhttp://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/jourova/announcements/roma-integration-lets-make-it-work_en
The following two political panels presented reflectioons on the subjects of discrimination and inter-institutional relations.Speakers in each panel were three ministers from national governments, one MEP and one expert from the Roma organization. Bulgaria was represented on the panel for interinstitutional cooperation by the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Zornitsa Rusinova and Chairman of Center "Amalipe" Deyan Kolev. Deputy Minister Russinova talked about good interaction between MLSP as Managing Authority of OP "Human Resources Development" and Roma organizations: in the working group on preparation of the program and the Monitoring Committee during the previous and current programming period. She stressed that Roma organizations really participate in the process of decision-making in all its phases.
Deyan Kolev presented two bodies for multistakeholder participation: the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues, which is an example of inefficiency and was abandoned by Amalipe and many other organizations precisely because of this and the Monitoring Committee of the Operational Programme "Human Resources Development", in which Roma organizations participate actively. Multi-stakeholder cooperation is a matter of culture and structures, Kolev said. Three issues are important regarding the structures: they should have enough power to make decisions, participation in them should be structured (i.e. to follow certain criteria) and mandatory consultations with them before making any decision in the area should be introduced. The NCCEII is far from these three things and that is why we left it requiring reform. At the same time the Monitoring Committee has - at least partly - the features described and participate in it, said Kolev.Regarding the culture of multi-stakeholder cooperation: trust between partners is the most important, it is impossible to think NGOs are criminal structures and seek interaction with them. Making a bridge to the next session, the Chairman of Amalipe pointed out that national Roma platforms offered by the European Commission will make sense only if they cover the three described criteria. The whole discussion you can watch:http://ec.europa.eu/justice/events/roma-platform-2015/platformwebstream_en.htm
The last session discussed ways to the European Roma Platform, and the idea of a national Roma platforms. All interested participants shared their suggestions and questions. It became clear that the Commission will not propose a model for a national platform, but principles, specific models will be resolved in each of the Member States.
"The way forward" was the theme of the ninth meeting of the European Roma Platform. It was held on 16 and 17 March in Brussels and was attended by an unprecedented large number of participants, over 200 representatives of the European Commission, national governments, international organizations, European and national NGOs. The meeting had two objectives: to provide space for practical discussions on two key topics related to Roma integration and to prove the political commitment of the new composition of the European Commission to continue the integration policy. The ultimate goal of the meeting was to identify ways for the future development of the European Roma Platform and similar national platforms.
The first day of the forum was devoted to discussions on two key issues: one was discrimination and the other - interinstitutional cooperation in policies for Roma integration. Divided into two working groups, participants held interactive discussions, where everyone had the opportunity to present views and experiences. Thus were formed positions represented in political sessions on the second day. Bulgarian participants were among the presenters in both small workgroups: Ivan Ivanov (European Roma Information Office) and Dimitrina Petrova (Equal Rights Trust) were among the speakers in the group, discussing inter-institutional relations and to Lili Makaveeva (Integro Association) - in the group on discrimination and anti-Gypsism.
The second day of the forum was devoted to the political reflections on the two topics discussed as well as on the future of the European Roma Platform. Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova addressed the participants with words, which combined political messages and purely human examples. "It is time to say NO to stereotypes!It is time to say No to intolerance! And it is time to do something about these problems!" the Commissioner said. She stressed that now - as never before - European structural and investment funds target Roma explicitely and no one can complain of lack of funds for integration policy. It is important to have the political will to support the integration policy at the local level - where people meet with the problems highlighted Commissioner Jourova. The full text of the statement, you can see наhttp://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/jourova/announcements/roma-integration-lets-make-it-work_en
The following two political panels presented reflectioons on the subjects of discrimination and inter-institutional relations.Speakers in each panel were three ministers from national governments, one MEP and one expert from the Roma organization. Bulgaria was represented on the panel for interinstitutional cooperation by the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Zornitsa Rusinova and Chairman of Center "Amalipe" Deyan Kolev. Deputy Minister Russinova talked about good interaction between MLSP as Managing Authority of OP "Human Resources Development" and Roma organizations: in the working group on preparation of the program and the Monitoring Committee during the previous and current programming period. She stressed that Roma organizations really participate in the process of decision-making in all its phases.
Deyan Kolev presented two bodies for multistakeholder participation: the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues, which is an example of inefficiency and was abandoned by Amalipe and many other organizations precisely because of this and the Monitoring Committee of the Operational Programme "Human Resources Development", in which Roma organizations participate actively. Multi-stakeholder cooperation is a matter of culture and structures, Kolev said. Three issues are important regarding the structures: they should have enough power to make decisions, participation in them should be structured (i.e. to follow certain criteria) and mandatory consultations with them before making any decision in the area should be introduced. The NCCEII is far from these three things and that is why we left it requiring reform. At the same time the Monitoring Committee has - at least partly - the features described and participate in it, said Kolev.Regarding the culture of multi-stakeholder cooperation: trust between partners is the most important, it is impossible to think NGOs are criminal structures and seek interaction with them. Making a bridge to the next session, the Chairman of Amalipe pointed out that national Roma platforms offered by the European Commission will make sense only if they cover the three described criteria. The whole discussion you can watch:http://ec.europa.eu/justice/events/roma-platform-2015/platformwebstream_en.htm
The last session discussed ways to the European Roma Platform, and the idea of a national Roma platforms. All interested participants shared their suggestions and questions. It became clear that the Commission will not propose a model for a national platform, but principles, specific models will be resolved in each of the Member States.
