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New OP " Human Resources Development " and OP "Science and Education for smart growth ' will support targeted efforts for Roma integration and in particular - to integrate young Roma living in rural areas. Problem at this stage remains the support by the Program for Rural Development .

This became clear at the conference " Promoting social inclusion of young people in vulnerable rural communities - Best Practices and Next Steps ', organized by CIEDT " Amalipe " on September 18 in Sofia. The first panel of the conference dedicated to the next programming period was attended by Mrs. Cornelia Andrey, representative of DG "Employment" of European Commission, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Mrs.Rossitsa Iankova, DeputyMinister of Education Mr. Ivan Krastev, Deyan Kolev and Julia Grigorova by Center "Amalipe". They discussed in the presence of over 70 guests, including the ambassadors of Britain, Norway and South Africa.

 Social inclusion of young people in rural areas should be encouraged in the new programming period 2014-2020, said Deputy Labour Minister Rossitsa Iankova . The new OP HRD has set priority "Integration of marginalized communities such as the Roma " with ntegrated measures in the fields of "Improving access to employment" and "Access to social and health services". Under this priority centers for community development may be supported.

Ivan Krastev said that inclusive education is a priority for the Ministry of Education and Science. So fully Priority axis "Educational Integration " will be embodied in OPNOIR which will include activities to reduce school drop-outs , integration of children and students from ethnic minorities , integration of SEN children, etc. For this priority will be allocated sufficient financial resources , which will be supplemented with funds from the state budget, the Bulgarian-Swiss program , the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism . We have been partners with Roma organizations for a long time and they will be involved in the development and implementation of OPNOIR, promised Deputy Minister Krastev.

 Deyan Kolev presented concrete proposals for programs funded by the European Social Fund in Bulgaria ( OPHRD OPNOIR and OP "Good Governance" ). Besides the inclusion of a priority or even a priority area "Integration of marginalized communities such as the Roma ," he insisted on the opportunity to invest in capacity building of NGOs and the possibility NGOs to be the direct beneficiaries of larger grants.

 Julia Grigorova submit proposals to the Programme for Rural Development. She pointed out that during this period RDP has not been committed to supporting Roma integration : only two of the strategies of Local Action Groups ( Strajitsa - Liaskovets and Knezha ) contain targeted activities towards the Roma community. Currently working group preparing the new RDP is inclined to include activities to ensure the centers for community development and other priorities related to theintegration of Roma, but at that time it was not done. Active advocacy in this area is necessary, said Ms. Grigorova.