Promoting the usa of ESI Funds for Roma inclusion

A combination of approaches, thematic objectives

and investment priorities to address Roma inclusion

The

Greek

Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning OP

also

includes under TO 10 an explicit area of support: ‘Providing specialised services by Roma

mediators for the integration of students with cultural and religious differences’.

In the

Bulgarian

Human Resources Development OP

, under the Priority Axis ‘Improving the

access to employment and quality of jobs’, related to TO 8 and TO 10, although there are

no specific measures targeting Roma, there are specific indicators.

Although not all countries have identified information on the specific IPs selected

within TO 8 and 10 in each OP, it seems that the

most common IPs

are as follows:

›

In Thematic Objective 8

, Investment Priority 8.1. (Access to employment for job-

seekers and inactive people, including the long-term unemployed and people far

from the labour market, also through local employment initiatives and support for

labour mobility).

›

In Thematic Objective 10

, Investment Priority 10.1. (Reducing and preventing

early school-leaving and promoting equal access to good quality early-childhood,

primary and secondary education including formal, non-formal and informal learning

pathways for reintegrating into education and training) and 10.3. (Enhancing equal

access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal

settings, upgrading the knowledge, skills and competences of the workforce,

and promoting flexible learning pathways including through career guidance and

validation of acquired competences).

It should be noted that the fact that Thematic Objectives 8 and 10 are not selected

to address Roma inclusion in the areas of employment and education does not

necessarily mean that interventions in these areas are not planned; in many cases

they are foreseen in the context of other thematic objectives, notably TO 9, addressing

them from the perspective of the promotion of social inclusion and the fight against

poverty and any discrimination.

Other Thematic Objectives

It seems that other thematic objectives that could be also relevant to reach Roma, such

as Thematic Objective 2 (Access to, and use and quality of, ICT), Thematic Objective 5

(Climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management) or Thematic Objective

6 (Preserving and protecting the environment, and promoting resource efficiency) are

not largely used. While some of the OPs identified include other TOs, this is merely

anecdotal and it cannot be confirmed whether investments under these TOs will be

used for interventions related to Roma inclusion.