Press Release: Social inclusion: Council of Europe and European Commission to support local authorities’ Roma inclusion actions

On 25 February 2014, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor announced plans to reinforce local authorities' efforts to overcome inequalities between Roma and non-Roma citizens in their municipalities.

A new Council of Europe/European Commission programme (ROMACT) was launched in the countries of Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Romania.

Presenting its programme on Roma inclusion, Hungary asked the European Commission to be more responsive to national circumstances regarding minorities, while EU officials called for legally-binding integration measures.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Roma: Commission calls on Member States to step up efforts on integration http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-roma-commission-calls-on-member-states-to-step-up-efforts-on-integration/

Website: ROMACT http://www.roma-alliance.org/en/page/95-romact.html

EurActiv, 07.03.14: Hungary criticises EU Commission’s 'lack of flexibility' on Roma policies http://www.euractiv.com/socialeurope/hungary-criticises-eu-commission-news-533952

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