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1. About the EURoma Network
The ‘European Network on Social Inclusion and Roma under the Structural Funds’
(EURoma Network) is an initiative
launched in 2007 by the Spanish Government
(Spanish
ESF Managing Authority)
in cooperation with the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG),
building upon the Spanish experience in the management of Structural Funds for Roma
inclusion, notably within the Operational Programme ‘Fight against Discrimination’.
The Network aims to
promote the use of Structural Funds for the inclusion of the Roma
population and as a result enhancing the effectiveness of policies targeting the Roma
community.
To this end, it gathers, under the leadership of the Spanish ESF Managing
Authority, public bodies from fifteen Member States:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain,
Slovakia and Sweden.
The Network initially brought together twelve Member States and
other three (Austria, Belgium and Croatia) joined it at a later stage.
Representatives of the Network in each country belong to two different categories:
Î
Î
European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authorities or delegated Intermediate Bodies/
Implementing Authorities.
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Bodies responsible for the policies targeting the Roma population
, including the
National Roma Contact Points.
The Network also counts on the
participation of the European Commission
. The Fundación
Secretariado Gitano holds the Technical Secretariat of the Network.
In addition, a number of
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Managing
Authorities
from participating countries are also involved in Network activities.