The EURoma Network works as platform for exchanging information and experiences, sharing strategies and approaches and generation of knowledge. Education / Social Inclusion / Employment Working Groups allow to focus on specific topics and to open activities to other stakeholders beyond Network members.

Italian EURoma partners offered to host the next meeting which will be a transnational seminar on "Structural Funds: Investing in Roma inclusion at the local and regional level" in Rome, 25-26 February 2010, with the aim to encourage and promote a wider and more efficient use of Structural Funds for the social inclusion of Roma at local and regional levels.

The specific objectives pursued are as follows:

1.To raise the awareness of local and regional administrations regarding their key role in tackling the social inclusion of the Roma.

2.To encourage the use of Structural Funds for the social inclusion of the Roma.

3.To identify existing experiences at local and regional level as potential solutions to the challenges faced by local and regional administrations in the decision-making and implementation of effective policies for the social inclusion of the Roma.

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It is widely agreed that the main obstacles preventing local and regional action are related to a lack of political will and to the persistent inexistence in some cases of a wider national plan that would imply some sort of obligation by localities to develop actions aimed at the Roma, as the most socially excluded group. Furthermore, in some cases local and regional authorities may encounter certain constraints when trying to access Structural Funds (SF), which are related to complex administrative procedures, co-financing requirements, lack of information, etc.

Despite the existence in some MS of incipient initiatives to share and, in the best of cases, to coordinate actions run by municipalities regarding the social inclusion of Roma, these do not seem to be working very efficiently, or not as well as they could. Although it was acknowledged that the situation varies greatly from MS to MS, the Working Group recognised the potential added value and the role of EURoma in facing this situation and promoting a framework for learning, exchanging ideas and promoting reflection and knowledge on the concrete practices taking place in different localities within MS.

Therefore, the WG decided in its Managing Committee meeting in Budapest (6-7 May 2009) to organise a transnational seminar aimed at sensitising and informing localities and regional authorities from different MS on the need, strategies and means to tackle social inclusion of Roma. Bringing administrations from different MS together, in some cases to present positive experiences and in other cases to facilitate learning from others, is expected to have a positive impact on the fostering of more and better interventions for the Roma at the local level. Moreover, the European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authorities could use this opportunity to reflect on the potential improvement for their own functioning, in order to promote more and better implemented interventions towards the Roma.

For more information please see the leaflet attached at right.