The first Advisory Group Meeting of the ROMACTED Programme took place in the premises of the EU Info Centre in Skopje on 5 February 2019, bringing together the main relevant stakeholders at central level and the local teams of the twelve partner municipalities. The aim of the meeting was to take stock on the advancement of the Programme in the country and provide recommendations for the upcoming implementation during 2019.

Head of the Cooperation section of the EU Delegation in Skopje, Mr Nicola Bertolini, announced the continuation of the EU support through launching of the new call for proposals for actions targeting Roma. Furthermore, it is foreseen that the grants are given to three municipalities, which will be selected through the call. Mr Bertolini emphasized that 2019 will be the year of concrete actions, which should bring closer the joint cooperation of the civil society organisations and municipalities. Moreover, the activities are meant to target housing, infrastructure, employment and education.

Assistant to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy and the National Roma Contact Point, Ms Mabera Kamberi, shared the good practice of cooperation between the Ministry and the ROMACTED Support team. Ms Kamberi also emphasized the coordination with the partner municipalities in the framework of the programme, as well as other relevant stakeholders.

The Advisory Group Meeting was also an opportunity to address an official welcome to the new Head of Operations in the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, Ms Ana Zec, who has briefly shared her impressions of the programme and current progress.

The representatives from the 12 partner municipalities had an opportunity to share the progress of the implementation at the local level and underline potential challenges. The local teams were comprised of delegated contact points and Community Action Group representatives.