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ROMA EMPOWERMENT IS A KEY AREA IN DEVELOPMENT PLANS FINANCED BY THE EEA AND NORWAY GRANTS

A wide-ranging public consultation on the details of the use of the EEA and Norway Grants has been launched with the involvement of Hungarian NGOs. The professional direction of the planned programmes in the fields of education, energy efficiency and climate protection, culture, local development and social inclusion were agreed at an online Roma Roundtable conference organized on 23 February 2021, by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Interior.

The EEA and Norway Grants is a contribution of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to reduce economic and social disparities and strengthen bilateral relations in the Member States of the European Union. In case of Hungary, in addition to the programme specifically targeting the Roma and disadvantaged population, most other programmes are also expected to have social inclusion aspects in the developments planned until 2024.

The conference was attended by Trine Skymoen, Ambassador of Norway to Hungary, who emphasized on behalf of the donor countries that the basic goal of the Round Table is a wide-ranging professional dialogue with Roma population and their organizations which will be a priority in the planning and implementation of the programmes at municipal and regional level, as well as in the local communities affected by the developments.

In the afternoon consultation following the programme introductions, an active professional dialogue was developed between the representatives of more than 30 invited organizations and the Representatives responsible for the programmes as well as the international partners on the challenges, development needs and opportunities affecting the Roma community. The invited organizations enriched the presented programme plans with many suggestions and new aspects.

Emphasis was placed on the development of coherence between the domestic human service systems and the domestic, EU and international development goals and resources, as well as on the better utilization of the mutually reinforcing effects of regulations and developments. Representatives responsible for the programmes as well as the participating organizations also expressed their intention to further cooperate in the elaboration and implementation of the programmes.