'Integratie van Roma is in ieders belang' (en)

We are interested in the integration of Roma and most Hungarian citizens support the peaceful integration of Roma, said Minister of State Zoltán Balog, on 24 May 2011 in Brussels. The politician held a press conference together with MEP Lívia Járóka and President of the National Roma Council, Flórián Farkas.

The press conference was held a few days after the European Union adopted the EU’s Roma Framework Strategy, and the day after the Hungarian Government signed a framework agreement with the Hungarian National Roma Council, on supporting the Roma job creation and education.

Political commitment

Zoltán Balog praised that, “By adopting the framework strategy, 27 Member States made political commitments”. He stressed that “the framework strategy determines joint indicators for Member States which makes their activities comparable”. The Minister of State underlined that “this strong monitoring system will guarantee the motivation of Member States”. Answering a question concerning the amount of money to be provided for implementing the Roma Framework Strategy, Mr Balog said: „enough”. He added that both EU and Member State resources will be made available and said that “concrete figures will be published in the future”.

Territory-based approach

ívia Járóka, the only Roma Member of the European Parliament, one of the authors of the position on the EP’s Roma framework strategy, highlighted on the press conference that aiding Roma should be based on a territory and micro region based oriented approach, rather than an ethnic one. Several EU Member States have particularly disadvantageous areas, where the major part of the Roma population live, but Roma and non-Roma are both extremely poor in these regions. “The economic advancement and the social integration of Roma have economic importance. Roma integration would raise the GDP of certain countries by 4-6 percent,” said Mrs Járóka.

According to the MEP, it is very important that each Member State develops its own action plan under the Roma framework strategy and these action plans will be monitored by the Commission. Mrs Járóka expressed hopes that the Roma Framework Strategy will make significant changes to peoples’ living conditions within 2-3 years.

Framework Agreement in Hungary

Flórián Farkas said that „the Roma issue will be the biggest matter of the next 5-10 years.” Mr Farkas praised the Framework Agreement which had been concluded between the Hungarian Government and the National Roma Council (NRC), on 20 July 2011.

Under the agreement, a joint decision-making system will be created with the participation of the Government and the NRC. Mr Farkas stressed that the NRC will participate in every Government Decrees, which is related to the improvement of job creation and education for the Roma.

Mr Farkas outlined the most important objectives of the agreement, which are the following: the involvement of 100,000 unemployed Roma in the labour market; 20,000 young Roma earning vocation as a result of a comprehensive education reform; supporting high schools education of 10,000 young Roma; facilitation of preparing 5000 Roma individuals to take part in higher education. 50,000 Roma adults will receive vocational training, and an additional 80,000 Roma adults will be involved in programs to improve their basic skills, while preventive public health screening will be organised for 150,000 Roma.

Mr Farkas said that, “If we cannot achieve some results” by the end of the Hungarian Parliament’s current cycle in 2014, then, “There will be major problems.” The leader of the Roma Council called the agreement, “Completely unique and unprecedented,” and said that “no such agreement has ever been concluded between the Government and an organisation represting the interest of Roma.”