04/12/2023
FSG Internacional
The 'European Network for Roma Equality through European Funds' (EURoma Network), which the FSG coordinates as Technical Secretariat, organised its last meeting on 1 December in Madrid. This was a special meeting as it was organised in conjunction with the second 2023 meeting of the public authorities in charge of coordinating Roma policies (known as National Contact Points for National Roma Strategies) of the 27 EU Member States (including, in the case of Spain, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030).
Thus, the meeting brought together representatives of ESF+ and ERDF authorities and National Contact Points from the 15 EURoma Network partner countries as well as National Contact Points from the other EU Member States.
The meeting focused on promoting equal access to adequate and non-segregated housing for Roma people, analysing approaches and strategies as well as the role of European Cohesion Policy Funds (in particular ESF+ and ERDF) to this end.
The experience in addressing the situation of Roma people in settlements and their relocation in the Community of Madrid served as a starting point for this reflection. Specifically, Eusebio González, from the Social Housing Agency of the Community of Madrid, presented the experience of this entity, paying special attention to the lessons learned from these decades of intervention and the elements that have been seen as key to success. As a complement, Rocío García, regional director of the FSG in the Community of Madrid, focused on the importance of social accompaniment and the key elements to take into account. Finally, there was the valuable testimony of two people who have been rehoused in recent years and who demonstrated how these interventions can make a change in people's lives, not only in terms of housing but in all areas. In addition, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences in terms of coordination between National Contact Points and authorities in charge of ESF+ and ERDF in the field of housing.
The meeting coincided with, and was intended to complement, the 16th European Platform for Roma Inclusion, which was organised the day before under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission. The Platform brought together a wide range of actors to discuss how to ensure equal access to adequate and non-segregated housing for Roma and how to improve the use of EU and national funding to enable effective and equal access to housing for Roma.
