13-12-2019 10:56
On the 10th of December a round table was held with participants from Bulgarian Ministries, Municipalities, NGOs and other Bulgarian and international organisation working in the field of Roma integration. The Donor States were represented by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bucarest covering Bulgaria and the Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels (FMO).
The event provided a platform for discussion of the measures targeting the Roma under the current financing period of the EEA and Norway Grants in Bulgaria. Experts from the programmes for local development, culture, home affairs, justice and the "Active Citizens Fund" shared information about the upcoming initiatives. Following a discussion, all participants were split into groups to discuss specific topics including how to maximize the effect of the measures targeting Roma. It was a joint conclusion that the Roma participation in all stages of implementation is crucial for reaching the highest effect. Good practices under various funding schemes were shared, including the Bulgarian-Swiss Cooperation Programme and the EU Funds.
Ms. Sheena Elaine Keller - Senior Sector Officer - Horizontal Concerns and International Partner Organisations from the FMO stated the high importance the topic has for the Donors. She noted that the FMO will recommend to the other beneficiary states with Roma focus to conduct similar round tables. One of the Bulgarian projects in the sector of Home Affairs will be part of a list with good practices to be developed an disseminated by the FMO.
All presentations from the event are available HERE.