Aitos, BulgariaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 AitosThe municipality of Aitos is situated in the Burgas province of Bulgaria about 30 kilometers from the Black Sea. The town has a population of 26,008, 3,000 of whom are thought to be Roma.Main challengesThe majority of the Roma population in this municipality have poor Bulgarian language skills and therefore the level of education and employment is low. There is a trend of early school-leaving and early marriages within the community.The Roma people in Aitos have limited access to healthcare, and the municipality are working to improve the most vulnerable citizens' access to healthcare through Roma health mediators.Aitos wants to use the twinning partnership within the for Roma, with Roma programme to focus on innovative ways to improve Bulgarian language skills and to increase the level of education of the Roma population.Anderlecht, BelgiumTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 AnderlechtThe Anderlecht municipality has a population of 118,412 and is one of the most populated areas in Belgium. There is no official data, but according to reliable estimates more than 10,000 Roma live in the Brussels Capital Region, about 4,000 are Romanian and 3,500 are Bulgarian, and most live in Anderlecht.Main challengesThe most pressing challenges for the Roma community in Anderlecht are: educationexclusion from social support and healthcareworking in the informal economyexploitationRoma action planIn 2014-2015 the municipality created an action plan for social inclusion of Roma families in Anderlecht with the objectives of improving knowledge and decreasing stereotypes of social workers and creating a better ethnic mix and stronger connections between all children in the municipality.The action plan has been successful in putting the Roma issues on the agenda of social workers, and in mixing children from different communities in different projects for improving interactions between the social workers and the Roma families.As a partner in the for Roma, with Roma initiative the municipality hopes to get a better insight into the life in the regions of origin and to better understand why some of the actions did not bring the expected results.Berlin, GermanyTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 BerlinThe city of Berlin has a population of 3.4 million. By 2014, the number of Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants in Berlin increased to 21,393 Bulgarians and 13,695 Romanians. Many of these new arrivals are believed to be Roma.Main challengesMost Roma in Berlin come from very poor backgrounds with insufficient health care as well as little education or training. Many were excluded and discriminated against in their countries of origin.The Berlin senate adopted the Berlin strategy for integrating foreign Roma in June 2012. An action plan for integrating foreign Roma was created in 2013, aiming at improving the education, health care, housing and integration prospects of Roma.Bistrita County, RomaniaChallenges for Roma integrationBistrita-Nasaud county in Romania counts a population of 328,000 inhabitants, out of which 11,937 people declared themselves as Roma.The Roma living in Bistrita-Nasaud County have: a low educational attainment and literacy rateslimited access to healthcarehigh unemployment rates poor housing conditions with limited access to basic utilitiesSince 2010, Bistrita-Nasaud County has put in place both national and local strategies for Roma inclusion in the areas of:education employment healthcare housingThe county wants to use the for Roma, with Roma programme to learn about good practices and to develop an action plan to support Roma integration locally. It wants to focus in particular on education for Roma and training of community leaders.Bléré, FranceTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 BléréBléré is a town in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France with a population of 5,300. This wine-growing town is home to many farm workers who come from Central and Eastern Europe to work in the vineyards, among them members of the Roma community.Main challengesThe Roma population find it difficult accessing services such aseducationcommunicationemployment and social benefitsThey also experience discrimination and stigmatisation from some of the non-Roma population.The municipality of Bléré is working todefend the rights of Romaencourage their social inclusionfacilitate access to education for childrenWith for Roma, with Roma Bléré wants to learn from good practices and successful initiatives in other towns and cities to integrate the Roma population into the local community.Bologna, ItalyTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 BolognaBologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. The population of Bologna is 384,202 and has both settled Roma and Sinti populations and a recent influx of migrant Roma from other EU countries.Main challengesThere are three Roma and Sinti settlements of approximately 250 people and the municipality of Bologna is currently closing down these camps and rehousing the Roma and Sinti elsewhere in the city.The main challenges for the Roma and Sinti communities are:poor housing conditionslow educational attainmenthigh unemploymentdiscrimination from the majority populationFor the municipality, ensuring decent housing is a priority and they have started a housing transition project as part of their local action plan for the social inclusion of Roma and Sinti people.Bologna will use the for Roma, with Roma programme to support the housing transition project.Cluj County, RomaniaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 Cluj CountyCluj County in Romania is on the Western border of Transylvania close to the Hungarian border. Of a population of 691,106, 22,525 people declare themselves as Roma.There are four major Roma communities in Cluj county: Cluj Napoca-Pata Rat (2,000 people), Turda (over 2,600), Huedin (about 1,000) and Gherla (735).Main challengesThe main difficulties facing the Roma population in Cluj County arevery low levels of educationhigh unemployment rate poor housing conditionslack of identification cards and/or birth certificates, which excludes them from social services and benefitslack of family doctor; this affects more than 80% of the Roma and diseases often go untreatedlack of access to basic utilities such as water and electricityCluj County wants to use its for Roma, with Roma twinning partnership to develop and implement an effective local action plan.East Gothenburg, SwedenTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings are developed with local and regional authorities in order to lead concrete measures in Roma integration locally and encourage the development of a EU wider network.Roma in GothenburgGothenburg is Sweden’s second largest city with 500,000 inhabitants, while East Gothenburg has 46,000 inhabitants. Approximately 5000-7000 Roma live in Gothenburg.The Roma community consists of different groups (Lovara, Kelderara, Romungri, Travellers) ranging from various countries in central and eastern Europe to the Balkans.Main challengesRoma in East Gothenburglive in sub-standard housing generally have a low education levelhave limited access to healthcare and social servicesface high unemployment ratesThe City of Gothenburg is one of five Swedish municipalities that are participating in a pilot scheme for Roma inclusion. The scheme is focused on Roma rights, with a particular emphasis on Roma participation in the implementation of an action plan at local level.East Gothenburg are looking to exchange practices with twinning partners to combat discrimination and improve Roma access toeducationemploymenthousing health care social servicesHamm, GermanyTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 HammHamm, a former mining city under regeneration, has about 180,000 inhabitants with more than 130 nationalities. Among the migrant population, education levels tend to be low while unemployment is high.Over the past decade, more than 2,500 migrants from southeast Europe have settled in Hamm, most of them Roma. Many live in the poorer parts of the city.Main challengesThe city takes action to improve the living conditions of the Roma, focusing on the fields ofhealth housing child careeducationemploymentHamm also hopes to cooperate more closely with the Roma‘s regions and cities of origin and their target regions and cities in Germany.Harghita County, RomaniaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 CountyHarghita 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 challengesThe Roma in Harghita Countyexperience poor living conditionshave limited access to healthcarehave low levels of educationface a high unemployment rateoften do not have identification cardsAt 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.Karviná, Czech RepublicTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 KarvináThe Czech mining town of Karviná is situated East of Ostrava, near the Polish border. Karviná has a population of 62,000, with an estimated 2,500-3,000 Roma. Most of the Roma live in the Nové Město district, a neighbourhood with poor quality housing as well as social and public order problems.Main challengesThe town of Karviná has some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the country and with the ongoing decline of traditional industries, these are set to rise.Roma unemployment in the town is estimated at 80%, while the education level among Roma is low. Other social problems that are faced by the Roma community includeheavy dependence on social benefits and growing indebtedness (linked to private loans)increasing drug abusetensions with the majority populationKarviná has expressed an interest in looking at public order issues, housing and education within the for Roma with Roma programme.Kisvárda, HungaryTwinning for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 KisvárdaKisvárda is a town in north-eastern Hungary with a population of 17,421, including approximately 1,500 Roma. The majority of Roma people live in two segregated areas of the town.Main challengesIn both of these areas the Roma live in poor housing conditions. 70% of the houses lack basic facilities such as water or electricity. The Roma in Kisvárda have a low educational level, unemployment is high, while Roma and non-Roma hardly interact with each other.The municipality started an urban social regeneration project in 2014 with the aim to improve the living conditions of Roma families. As part of the regeneration programme, the municipality hasrenovated social housingrgeneratedpublic spacesstarted a family mentoring programmecreated meeting places for Roma and non-RomaKisvárda wants to use the twinning opportunities of the for Roma, with Roma programme to boost the urban social regeneration project. The municipality aims to focus on activities to bring Roma and non-Roma children and young people together, as well as a media campaign against discrimination.Košice-Šaca, SlovakiaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 Košice-ŠacaKošice-Šaca is Slovakia's second city, in the eastern part of the country close to the Hungarian border. Košice-Šaca is a district of Košice city. It has about 5,300 inhabitants, of which 1,200 residents are Roma. The Roma live in a block of flats in the city centre.Main challengesKošice-Šaca is home to US Steel and many Roma work or have worked there in the past. However, even those who have work still live in poverty with a low level of education and employment, poor housing conditions, and limited access to healthcare.In 2011, the municipality joined with the US Steel company to create the local Community Education Centre, with support from the Roma Education Fund and the European Social Fund (ESF).The municipality is keen to work with twinning partners to help to integrate, activate and mobilise residents of the Roma community.Nagykálló, HungaryTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 Nagykálló Nagykálló is a small town in the North-Eastern corner of Hungary, not far from the Romanian and Ukrainian borders. It has a population of slightly more than 10,000 people, out of which between 1,300 and 1,500 are Roma.Main challengesThe majority of Roma people in Nagykálló live in segregated areas with poor living conditions. Unemployment is high in the Roma community of Nagykálló, a low educational attainment is common, as is discrimination on the labour market.The municipality has started to address these challenges through two social urban regeneration projects with EU co-financing. Nagykálló was an active partner in the ROMANET URBACT project, bringing together towns from across Europe facing similar problems.Building on the experience of these initiatives the municipality wants to use the for Roma, with Roma project to support local grassroots projects working to build relationships between Roma and non-Roma children and young people.Prešov, SlovakiaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 PrešovPrešov in Eastern Slovakia is the country's third largest city. It has a population of 92,000 including approximately 3,900 Roma.The Roma mainly live in two areas of the city – one is a partially integrated community in Taras Shevchenko and the other is a segregated area in the industrial Old Brickyard. Here approximately 1,200 Roma live in social housing, with considerable social and economic problems.Main challengesThe Roma living in Prešovhave a low level of educationhave a very high unemployment ratemostly depend on social benefitsare economically and socially excluded and discriminated against by the majority populationPrešov has a strategic plan in place for Roma inclusion and is keen to learn about ways to combat discrimination and prejudice.The city wants toimprove educationimprove employment prospectsresolvelong-term housing issuesempower the Roma communitySamokov, BulgariaTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 SamokhovThe municipality of Samokov has a population of 36,266 with 5,153 self-identified Roma. Local NGOs estimate the Roma population to be between 6,500 and 7,000.Samokov is in the Sofia Province in the South West of Bulgaria, located in the mountains 55 kilometers from Sofia. In the Roma neighbourhood there is a ‘ghetto within a ghetto’ where between 800 and 1,000 of the most marginalised Roma live.Main challengesThe challenges in this area are immense. They includepoor educationhigh unemploymentearly marriages and pregnanciesfamilies living in illegal housing in appalling conditions with limited access to public servicesThe municipality wants to use the for Roma, with Roma twinning partnership to find ways to further extend their work in education and healthcare for marginalised Roma, particularly for the young.Strasbourg, FranceTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 StrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (ACAL) region in eastern France and is the seat of the European Parliament.Since 1989, people from central and eastern Europe have come to live in Strasbourg, including Roma people.Main challengesThe key challenges for Roma integration in Strasbourg are:housing employmentsocial integrationThe city of Strasbourg has devised a strategy for Roma inclusion, including the creation of two new spaces – ‘Rempart’ and ‘Hoche’ – dedicated to social integration.As a partner in the for Roma, with Romainitiative, the municipality hopes to work on volunteering, vocational training and the empowerment of young Roma people.Torrent, SpainTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 TorrentTorrent is a city within the metropolitan area of Valencia and has a population of 85,000 with an estimated 5000 Roma. Of all the Roma living in Spain, 8% live in the Comunidad Valenciana.In the city’s Xenillet district, Roma account for 40% of the residents. About half of the Roma population in this neighbourhood have not completed their primary education, 25% are illiterate. One of the main challenges is to generate interest in new technologies in the Roma community.The social situation of the area is diverse and the community is in the process of transformation.The city of Torrent has been working to improve the integration, employment, and education of the Roma. Yet the quality of life of the Roma population has not improved significantly.Torrent wants to work with twinning partners to develop concrete plans to bring Roma and non-Roma together and to address discrimination.Trikala, GreeceTwinning activities for Roma integrationTwinnings 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 TrikalaThe Greek city of Trikala in north-western Thessaly has a population of 80,052. The 1,588 Roma live mainly in the neighbourhoods of Kipaki and Pirgos.Main challengesMany Roma in Trikala live in poor conditions. The key challenges for the Roma community areeducationaccess to healthcare services employment social integrationTrikala focuses on support services to achieve social inclusion and to promote employment.As a partner in the for Roma, with Roma initiative, the municipality hopes to find solutions by exchanging best practices with the twinning partners on effective local policies for Roma inclusion.Tundzha, BulgariaTwinning activities for Roman integrationTwinnings 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 TundzhaTundzha municipality in the Yambol Province in south east Bulgaria covers 44 rural settlements and a population of 24,155 inhabitants, 25% of them are Roma. More than 50% of the Roma are under the age of 20.Main challengesIn the municipality, with its 44 villages, the most significant challenge is access to public services for Roma. This is partly a result of the rural, remote location of Roma settlements, as well as poor living conditions, health issues, low education and high unemployment.One of the specific problems for Tundzha municipality is access to secondary schools for Roma students. There is no secondary school in the municipality and students have to go to school in the closest city in the region.Many Roma families cannot afford to pay for school transport for their children, which creates another obstacle to continuing their education beyond primary school level.In the Municipality of Tundzha, there is a strong political will to deliver change through Roma integration strategies. The for Roma, with Romatwinning partnership will help Tundzha to continue the development of public services in education, healthcare and employment.
