Twinning activities for Roma integration
Twinnings are developed with local and regional authorities in order to lead concrete measures in Roma integration locally and encouraging the development of a EU wider network.
Roma in Harghita County
Harghita is a county in the centre of Romania, in eastern Transylvania with a population of 332,432. Based on the last census in 2011, 5,326 Roma live in Harghita county.
However, 92,6% of the people who have been identified by the interviewers as ethnic Roma have identified themselves as Hungarian rather than Romani.
Main challenges
The Roma in Harghita County
- experience poor living conditions
- have limited access to healthcare
- have low levels of education
- face a high unemployment rate
- often do not have identification cards
At country level (Study 2011, SOROS) 52% of the Roma population has never worked, 32% only for short periods of time, 10% constantly and 6% periodically for a longer time.
The county council works in partnership with local civil society organisations on education, employability and statelessness issues.
The county wants to use its twinning partnership to bring together different local initiatives and to develop an integrated social inclusion plan.