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THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA
Ministry of Public Information
STRATEGY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA FOR IMPROVING
THE CONDITION OF THE ROMA - Bucharest, 2001 -
I. General Considerations
The Government of Romania,
Taking into consideration the Romanian government's will to improve the national minorities' condition, proved by the voluntary adhesion to the international instruments of the Council of Europe, such as the Framework Convention for National Minorities' Care, Resolution ECRI no.3, Recommendation 1203 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the UN Convention regarding the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as other international documents;
Considering the provisions of the 2001-2004 governmental program, regarding the prevention of discrimination and the elaboration of a strategy for considerably improving the condition of the Roma;
Reaffirming the right of any minority, implicitly the Roma, to actively participate in the elaboration, implementation and evaluation of public policies on this minority, and the fact that the minorities' problem has to be taken into consideration as a national problem;
Considering the fact that, in the course of history, Roma were an object of slavery and discrimination, phenomena that have left deep marks on the collective memory and which have led to the social limitation of the Roma;
Considering the difficulties which the Romanian citizens that are Roma ethnics have to cope with, as well as the wish to identify optimal solutions for their resolution,
Adopts this Strategy for improving the condition of the Roma.
II. Guiding Principles
The Romanian Government,
Adopts the following guiding principles to apply the Strategy for improving the condition of the Roma.
1. The consensus principle - The Strategy for improving the condition of Roma is the result of a joint effort of the Government and the representative organizations of the Roma community. The application of the programs and projects laid down in the plan for the implementation of the strategy will be achieved in consultion with the Roma organizations' representatives.
2. The social utility principle - The strategy corresponds to the specific needs, which the Roma ethnic group is confronted with and achieves the social framework in which the Roma can functionally integrate in the community and society.
3. The principle of sectorial distribution - The strategy is conceived and applicable by areas of sectorial responsibility.
4. The decentralization principle - The application of the strategy will be achieved based on specific responsibilities of the institutions and public authorities through the involvement of the NGOs in the implemention of local programs deriving from the Plan of measures to apply the strategy.
5. The legal compatibility principle - The stipulations of the strategy are in consonance with the Constitution and the Romanian laws and also with relevant international law and practice.
6. The identity differentiation principle - the strategy is aimed to help create an institutional system of community development, fight against discriminations towards the Roma, promote intercultural education, raise elite from among the Roma, achieve social solidarity and reconstruct the identity of the Roma community.
7. The equality principle - The protection of Romanian citizen that are Roma ethnics should not affect the rights and freedom of the other Romanian citizens.
III. The goal and general objectives of the strategy
THE GOAL: Improving the condition of the Roma people in Romania
OBJECTIVES:
1. Institutionalizing the political objectives assumed by the government, concerning the Roma issue and the transfer of the responsibilities to the central and local public authorities in the application of concrete measures to improve the condition of the Romanian citizens who are Roma ethnics.
2. Supporting the formation and promotion of an intellectual and economic elite, within the Roma communities, that should facilitate application of the social integration and modernization policies.
3. Removing the stereotypes, prejudices and practices of certain civil servants of the central and local public institutions who are encouraging the discrimination of the Romanian citizens of Roma ethnic origin compared with other citizens.
4. Determining a positive change in public opinion concerning the Roma ethnics, on the basis of tolerance and social solidarity principles.
5. Stimulating Roma participation in the economic, social, educational, cultural and political life of the society, based on involvement in sectorial assistance and community development projects.
6. Preventing institutional and social discrimination of Romanian citizen of Roma ethnic origin in their access to the services provided by society.
7. Ensuring conditions for the Roma to have equal opportunities to attain a decent standard of life.
IV. Target groups
1. Romanian citizens of Roma ethnic origin
2. Political leaders
3. The managers of central and local public authorities
4. Civil servants
5. Mass media
6. Public opinion
V. Time
10 years (2001- 2010), with a 4-year medium term plan of action (2001 - 2004).
VI. Sectorial Fields
A. Community development and administration
B. Housing
C. Social security
D. Health care
E. Economic
F. Justice and public order
G. Child welfare
H. Education
I. Culture and denominations
J. Communication and civic involvement
VII. Lines of action
A. Community development and administration
1. Organizing, at local/county levels, mixed working groups, made up of elected representatives of that community, of decentralized structures of the central administration, of NGOs of the Roma and the Roma minority, in order to evaluate the main needs of the Roma community and to apply the programs for their support.
2. Creating the legal frame by which the ministries and central/local agencies, their decentralized structures are able to finance projects and sectorial programs to improve the situation of the Roma.
3. Setting up the National Council Against Discrimination and including Roma representatives in this structure.
4. Setting up structures for implementing the strategy at the level of ministries, prefectures and town halls.
5. Initiating and developing some educational actions regarding the fight against discrimination targeted at civil servants in the central and local public administration.
6. Monitoring the application of Emergency Ordinance No. 137/2000 and punishing the civil servants who have committed discriminative actions against citizens.
7. Conditioning the civil servants recruitment and promotion of civil servants on the "non-discrimination" criterion in dealing with other people.
8. Developing collaboration between public administration structures and Roma NGOs on a partnership basis; including the Roma community leaders in the local administrative decision-making which affects the Roma.
9. Implementing positive discrimination programs for Roma regarding employment in the structures of central/local public administration.
B. Housing
1. Solving the issues relating to the right of ownership on the Roma dwellings and lands, the issues related to application of laws and regulations concerning the constitution and reconstitution of the land ownership right, including promotion of legislative initiative in this area.
2. Conceiving and implementing programs to rehabilitate housing and the environment in inhabited by Roma.
3. Developing certain financing programs, ensured by the government or in partnership, in order to ensure the minimum conditions of housing in the areas inhabited by Roma (power, drinking water, sewerage, gas and sanitation services).
4. Developing the welfare housing program for the families with many members and without any living support.
5. The direct involvement of the Roma in the government programs for building and restoration of dwellings.
C. Social security
1. Improving Roma access to public services.
2. Conceiving and implementing specific programs for the professional training and reorientation of the Roma.
3. Training the personnel of professional formation and occupation services regarding the employment in the labor market for the Roma minority.
4. Supporting the young Roma graduates in order to get jobs and monitoring the professional evolution of the university-educated young Roma, according to the legislation in force.
5. Providing subsidies to the non-governmental organizations of the Roma that function and manage certain units of social assistance.
6. Increasing the fiscal incentives for enterprises that hire persons from the families with many children and without any living support.
7. Increasing the welfare allowances for families with many members and without any living support.
D. Health care
1. Improving Roma access to the public medical services, preventive and curative, by creating a system of health visitors, conceiving and implementing specific prophylactic and treatment programs.
2. Training Roma health visitors, nurses and physicians, within the Roma communities.
3. Identifying solutions for including the Roma in the Health Insurance system, registering with the family doctor, compensation for prescription charges etc.
4. Conceiving and implementing health care information programs, medical consulting and family planning for Roma women, emphasizing the protection of mother and child.
5. Organizing vaccination campaigns in the communities of Roma through some joint commissions formed of the local and DSP (Epidemiological and Communicable Diseases Department) medical staff and the Roma representatives.
6. Organizing campaigns in order to trace the TB, HIV/AIDS, dermatological affections, sexually communicable diseases etc.
7. Accomplishing certain epidemiological studies regarding the general state of health.
8. Increasing the number of medical staff originating in the Roma community by setting aside special openings for the Roma students in the state medical universities.
E. Economic steps
1. Starting and carrying out projects of training and profesional reorientation for the Roma.
2. Ensuring incentives for the practice and revival of traditional handicrafts with demand in the market.
3. Devising and implementing specific financing programs for lucrative activities and small businesses for the Roma families and communities, including Roma women.
4. Curbing the unemployment rate of the Roma by creating certain incentives for the entrepreneurs that hire persons from the Roma minority and fighting against any forms of discrimination in hiring the Roma.
5. Drafting programs for getting land ownership and stimulating the agricultural activities for the Roma communities.
6. Supporting under the legislation in force the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) owned by persons from the Roma community through the soft credit system.
7. Including the disadvantaged Rom communities in the selection criteria for the disadvantaged regions; devising and implementing programs for their rehabilitation.
8. Encouraging projects for creating jobs for the women of Roma origin.
F. Justice and public order
1. Analyzing and estimating the discriminating effects of the regulations in force and improving the current legal system.
2. Observing the basic human rights, the political and social civil rights and also the ethnic minorities' rights according to the international norms and obligations assumed by Romania.
3. Solving the cases of the stateless Roma in Romania.
4. Developing local programs with the help of the Roma organizations in order to get identification cards for the Roma with no living support.
5. Developing information programs for the Roma leaders, the executive board of the public institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in order to trace and correctly solve the discrimination cases.
6. Identifying, preventing and operative solving of conflicts likely to generate family, community or interethnic violence.
7. Initiating programs of legal education and delinquency prevention together with the members of the Roma communities.
8. Hiring citizens of Roma origin in the public order services and the police force.
G. Child Welfare
1. Securing a non-discriminative participation of the Roma women in programs of child care and education.
2. Starting programs meant to prevent and fight discrimination of the institutionalized Roma children and the other groups of children in need.
3. Achieving a partnership between the Roma NGOs and the local public institutions for child care.
4. Hiring personnel of Roma origin at the institutions for minors' care where the majority of the institutionalized children are of Roma origin.
5. Rising the living standards of the children from families on low incomes and ensuring observance of their rights.
6. Devising and implementing programs for the training of young Roma as social mediators and trainers for the Roma communities.
7. Increasing the quality of child care in residential institutions, including in those for the children with deficiencies or disabilities, by imposing some minimal standards in organizing and running these institutions.
8. Promoting the alternatives of a family type for institutionalized children.
9. Preventing the abandon, abuse or negligence of the child as well as all phenomena that may put a child in difficult situations.
10. Analyzing the "homeless children" phenomenon and the national and local projects for social action.
11. Rendering public opinion sensitive about the child's rights, the problem of the child and of the family being in a risky or difficult situation.
H. Education
1. Drafting a program for encouraging school attendance and cutting down dropping out, particulary with the poor segments of the Roma population.
2. Analyzing the possibility of organizing secondary and vocational school institution for the Roma (arts and trades, vocational education, formation and professional reorientation).
3. Drafting and implementing programs for school mediators' training, as well as improvement programs for teachers within the intercultural educational system.
4. Introducing the themes for preventing and fighting discrimination within the general school programs.
5. Introducing teaching modules for the Roma social and economical problems into the training programs of the specialists in public administration, social assistance, health, police and education.
6. Drafting and implementing programs for encouraging Roma parents to participate in school and extra curricular educational process.
7. Adopting legislative measures for Roma support, in order to provide them with incentives as far as education is concerned and in order to promote the Roma for jobs within schools administration (principals and school inspectors).
8. Further granting incentives and subsidized places especially for young Roma who wish to attend universities or colleges.
9. Obligation of the school units and county school-inspectorates to organize permanent catch-up courses for Roma, throughout all the approved forms of education, upon individual or Roma organizations' request.
10. Drawing the attention of the young Roma towards institutions that form civil servants and the staff for public institutions (faculties of social assistance, public administration, medicine, military academies and schools for officers and non-commissioned officers for Police Departments, Ministry of National Defense, RSS etc.).
11. Stimulating the access to education by offering a free lunch to all the pupils in primary and secondary schools.
I. Culture and denominations
1. Organizing and developing networks for capitalization of the Roma cultural heritage, by readapting the traditional jobs to the modern market and developing retail networks markets.
2. Devising cultural programs for Roma identity assertion and for increasing their self-respect.
3. Drafting and implementing support programs for the political, cultural and artistic Roma elite, in order to strengthen and assert the Roma ethnic identity.
4. Supporting cultural events inspired from the Roma folklore and traditional culture.
5. Supporting the development of cultural and information channels for Roma at a national level (TV shows, broadcasts, publications).
6. Founding a musical artistic assembly and a theatre for Roma with performances of translated plays from the world culture, as well as performances of the Roma plays.
7. Establishing a museum for Roma culture and civilization.
8. Financing the projects for multicultural research.
9. Drafting and implementing intercultural educational programs for children and young people.
10. Financing annual awards for artistic creation within the Roma culture.
J. Communication and civic involvement
1. Drawing up a national program for public information and fighting interethnic prejudices in public institutions.
2. Starting a program for fighting discrimination in mass media.
3. Drafting informative programs regarding the fight against discrimination in affording jobs.
4. Starting national programs for informing and educating the Roma, in point of health, education, family, child care, access to the labor market, civil rights, social care etc.
5. Developing programs for civic education and information of the Roma.
6. Bringing into the public attention through mass media of the Roma discrimination cases made by juristic or natural persons, of public or private right.
7. Encouraging mass media to present the situation and the needs of the Roma in the following fields: education, medical-health care, legal status, culture, dwelling in a realistic and unprejudiced manner.
8. Developing and implementing programs for supporting the Roma civic society development, in order to prevent and fight discrimination of the Roma.
9. Organizing and developing programs for inter-cultural education and information of the majority, with the participation of the Roma.
10. Participation of the Roma leaders in the political decision-making process, with impact on the economic and social life of the Roma communities.
11. Popularizing the successful examples in solving the problems within the Roma communities.
12. Periodical evaluation and media presentation of the social status of the Roma communities in Romania.
VIII. Structures
The following structures are established for the purpose of a proper organization and coordination of the Master Plan of measures for the application of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition:
1. The Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring
2. Inter-ministerial commissions on Roma
3. County offices on Roma
4. Local experts on Roma affairs
1. The Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring
The Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring is in charge of The organization, planning, coordination and control of the carrying through of the activities stipulated in the master plan of measures for the application of the strategy of improvement of the Roma condition and it will include the state secretaries in the ministries responsible for the application of the strategy, as well as leaders of Roma organizations.
The Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring will meet once a month to analyze the progress of the activities envisaged in montly meetings.
The Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring will be made up of:
- President, the State Secretary for Inter-ethnic Relations
- Members: state secretaries, Roma leaders
- Executive Secretary, the State Undersecretary for Roma
The executive body of the Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring is the National Office on Roma under the Inter-Ethnic Relations Department of the Ministry of Public Information.
2. The Ministerial Commissions on Roma
The Ministerial Commissions on Roma are subordinated to the Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring and are in charge of the organi\zation, coordination, planning and control of implementation of the activities in the Plan for the application of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition related to the relevant ministry's field of responsibility.
The President of the Ministerial Commission will be represented by the secretary of state in the ministry, who is also a member of the Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring.
The Commission will also include 4-5 members (who will be heads of departments and experts), whose responsibility is the fulfilment of the tasks devolving upon them from the implementation of the Plan for the application of the Strategy in the ministry's field of activity.
3. County Offices on Roma
The county offices on Roma are structures organized at a county level, within the prefect's offices and they are subordinated to the Ministerial Commission on Roma under the Ministry of Local Public Administration.
The offices' main responsibilities are the organization, planning and coordination of the activities conducted at a county level for the implementation of the targets and tasks in the Master Plan of measures for the implementation of the Strategy.
The county offices on Roma are subordinated to the Joint Committee of Implementation and Monitoring of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition. The county offices on Roma will include 3-4 experts, one of whom must be a member of the Roma community.
4. Local experts on Roma affairs
The local experts on Roma affairs operate under the mayoralties and are responsible for the unfoling at as local level of the actions for the improvement of the Roma condition. They are subordinated both to the county offices on Roma and to the mayor. The local experts are the chief mediators between the public authorities and the Roma communities.
At the communes' level, the office of expert on Roma affairs is performed by a mayoralty official, as a cumulated function.
To the end of concerting the efforts toward the implementation of the targets of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition, under the partnership between the public administration and the civil society, a foundation of public interest on Roma affairs will be established.
Its purpose will be to attract and administrate extra-budgetary funds from the country and abroad, in view of financing programs and projects seeking the implementation of the targets of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition.
With a view to evaluating and selecting the projects of implementation of the Stategy, a Comission of Project Evaluation will be set up, consisting of representatives of the public administration, leaders of the Roma community and representatives of the foundation of public interest on Roma affairs.
The setting up of the structures for the implementation and monitoring of the strategy of improvement of the Roma condition will proceed consistent with the schedule of activities included in the Master Plan of measures for the application of the Strategy of improvement of the Roma condition.
Published on 2002-01-01
