Action summary

The European Union/Council of Europe ROMACTED II Programme is a natural follow-up to the implementation of Phase I of the ROMACTED Programme in the Western Balkans and Turkey (2017-2020), which will serve to consolidate and expand efforts to improve the integration of Roma populations in local communities through enhanced participation in local policymaking and implementation of local actions. ROMACTED II will continue to assist the local authorities to integrate Roma specific dimensions/measures into the mainstream local policies, action plans related to these policies, budgets and public service delivery, thereby enhancing democratic participation and empowerment of local Roma communities.

The project pursues the following objectives: improving local democracy, accountability, inclusiveness and responsiveness towards Roma citizens and thereby improved delivery of services.

The Programme is designed to build up political will and sustained policy engagement of local authorities, to enhance democratic local governance and to build up capacity and stimulate the empowerment of local Roma communities to contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of plans and projects concerning them through the following outcomes:

1. empowering Roma community - on the individual level (assisting people to practice their basic rights and to expand their capacity and skills), as well as on the community level (assisting people to get organised to voice out their interests around community problem solving, and;
2. improving and expanding the institutions’ commitment, capacities, knowledge and skills in working for Roma inclusion, putting in practice the concepts of good governance;
3. contributing to preparation of the local development actions that aim to improve the quality of life for Roma and to reduce the gap between Roma and non-Roma, including in relation to mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Estimated results

The key assumptions for this support are based on the theory of change and are as follows:

• Support Local authorities to increase their institutional commitment to inclusion of Roma concerns in local plans and budgets; 
• Support actions for Roma populations in local municipalities covered by the programme have enhanced their participation in local policy and decision making;
• Successful local development actions to contribute to improve the quality of life for Roma and to reduce the gap between Roma and non-Roma;
• Concrete measures and plans established to reduce the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the Roma communities.

Main activities

All Programme activities and incentives are meant to support strategic interventions (training, coaching, the implementation of participatory working cycles, advocacy actions, etc. during key moments of the municipal cycles: planning, budgeting, local decisions, projects, etc.) which influence the attitudes, behaviour and actions of the local actors, mainly local administration and targeted Roma communities.

The Programme will adapt its actions and activities to each Beneficiary and to each selected location from these Beneficiaries, in order to fit in the policy cycle and to the dynamics and reality of each municipality, thus bringing an additional input to existing policies and practices for an effective and more inclusive functioning.

One of the leading guidelines in the methodology of the Programme is that participation in local governance can only be effective if it is context appropriate. Thus, preliminary and regular mapping, an assessment, a baseline survey and research are done in each selected municipality to facilitate the adaptation of the Programme and its support and monitoring of the process.

Phase II of the ROMACTED Programme will also participate in the efforts relating to the integration of Roma returnees coming back to the region from the EU in particular and will develop support actions and measures to build the structural capacity of the local communities and authorities to mitigate the impact of the crisis and foster the post COVID-19 recovery.

This webpage has been produced using funds of a joint project between the European Union and the Council of Europe.  The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.