REDI International is registered as an international organisation under Belgian law, with its secretariat based in Brussels. The network is composed of 28 Roma and pro-Roma civil society organisations in 19 European countries out of which 16 are in the EU , Our members work in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. REDI Network engages with over 400 communities and nearly 47,000 EU citizens, collaborating to advance equality for Roma and other disadvantaged groups through inclusive employment and entrepreneurial initiatives.
The Network is governed by a board of 4 executives who take the overall responsibility for the network’s finances and functioning. The board composition respects the gender balance approach (two female and two male professionals). The day-to-day management is done by REDI’s team in Brussels – composed of six staff members, – under the leadership of the Director. During the Annual Members’ Meeting, usually taking place one day before the flagship event (REDI Summit) all member organisations come together to discuss past, ongoing and planned activities and further develop the network.
Activities
To achieve our vision and mission, REDI Network’s activities target four (4) different groups:
- Policy-makers on the EU, national and local levels in order to influence decisions affecting the Roma
- Roma civil society, which will be empowered to work for equality, on employment and entrepreneurial activities, at national and local level
- Institutions and civil society organizations in the majority society in order to address racial biases against Roma, seek solidarity and mainstream Roma and disadvantaged communities’ perspectives throughout other issues.
- Private sector, investors, and employers promoting inclusive employment, supporting Roma entrepreneurship, and creating tailored training and mentorship programs that connect Roma talent with evolving market demands.
At the European level, REDI Network expresses its members’ concerns and aims to bridge the gap between the day-to-day reality of Roma communities and EU policy-making. It provides expertise to policy-makers to design and implement more effective approaches to secure the “Union of Equality.” REDI Network provides and introduces models that balance competitive and inclusive aspects and are in line with the strategic documents, such as the European Pillar for Social Rights, EU Roma Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation, European Skills Agenda, Gender Equality Strategy and Roadmap for Women’s Rights, and other relevant mainstream social policies.
In parallel, it empowers local Roma and non-Roma civil society to influence decisions affecting them on a local and national level, to monitor the effective implementation of Roma policies and to hold their governments accountable.
REDI Network also works in partnership with other civil society organisations to promote an intersectional approach to equality and inclusion, mainstream a Roma perspective throughout a multitude of policy areas and address employment and social policies of the majority society.
We do this work through the following types of activities:
- Advocacy and Policy development (input and engagement with EU institutions and processes, publication of policy positions, bilateral and multilateral meetings with policy-makers, organisation of conferences)
- Monitoring and data collection (publication of case studies and research conducted on grassroots level, monitoring the implementation of Roma and social inclusion strategies)
- Empowerment and capacity building (of REDI members as well as providing training for relevant stakeholders)
- Awareness raising and communication (towards a variety of audiences in order to inform about policies and issues relevant for Roma, as well as campaign activities to change the narrative about Roma)
The REDI Network envisions Roma communities and their inclusion as Europe’s untapped potential—an opportunity for resilience, innovation, and growth in times of turbulence. Rather than portraying Roma solely as disadvantaged, REDI highlights their role as entrepreneurs, workers, and changemakers. Through education, economic empowerment, policy advocacy, and access to capital, REDI builds pathways that link inclusion with competitiveness, proving that investing in Roma communities strengthens the whole continent.
The mission of the REDI Network is to promote Roma social and economic inclusion by supporting entrepreneurship, advancing inclusive employment practices, promoting education and skills, and ensuring meaningful participation in public policy. Our vision aligns with the EU’s “Union of Equality”, where Roma are empowered, economically independent, and fully represented in society. REDI operates in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU Roma Strategic Framework 2021-2030, and other major EU initiatives, contributing directly to shared goals of digital inclusion, poverty reduction, and fair labour markets.
By breaking down systemic barriers and everyday discrimination, REDI strengthens Europe’s social model—showing that inclusion and competitiveness are not opposing forces, but complementary drivers of a resilient, future-proof Europe.
The REDI Network pursues a general EU interest to advance key objectives aligned with the European Pillar of Social Rights (hereinafter “EPSR”), particularly:
- Chapter I: Equal opportunities and access to the labour market
- Education, training and life-long learning
- Gender equality
- Equal opportunities
- Active support to employment
- Chapter III: Social protection and inclusion
- Access to essential services,
in the same time with the EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2021–2030, particularly:
- 2. Horizontal objective – Reduction of poverty and social exclusion to close the socio-economic gap between Roma and the general population
- 5. Sectoral objective – Increase effective equal access to quality and sustainable employment.
Increase effective equal access to quality and sustainable employment), and broader EU priorities such as poverty reduction, inclusive employment, and social cohesion. By promoting Roma entrepreneurship and equitable access to economic opportunities, REDI directly contributes to the EU’s policy goals related to employment, training, and digital inclusion also in connection to the objectives set through the Union of skills, in aiming to empower people across Europe with the skills they need to thrive and work towards the portability of skills. Within the Skills Agenda,it is mainly the Flagship Action 1: A Pact for Skills; Action 3: EU Support for strategic national upskilling action; Action 4: Council Recommendation on VET; and Action 7: Increase STEM graduates and fostering entrepreneurial and transversal skills.
The REDI Network also adheres to the commitment Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and of Roadmap for Women’s Rights. In particular promoting Roma women and girls could elevate EU and national GDPs, address pressing challenges, including labour force shortages, inequalities and poverty. In REDI, we believe that focus on women is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic investment. Therefore, the REDI Network aligns with the following principles of the new Roadmap for Women’s Rights: Principle 3: Equal pay and economic empowerment, Principle 4: Work-life balance and care, Principle 5: Equal employment opportunities and adequate working conditions and Principle 6: Quality and inclusive education.
The work promoted by the REDI Network also aligns also with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically with goal No. 1. – No poverty, No.8 – Decent work and economic growth, No.10 – Reduced inequalities and No.11 – Sustainable sites and economies.
With a unique expertise in promoting employment policies and entrepreneurial opportunities among the Roma and wider disadvantaged communities, through its network, REDI brings hands-on experience on Roma and disadvantaged communities at the local, regional, national and European level and functions as a centre of expertise on EU policies – both those policies and initiatives directly targeted at Roma as well as mainstream policies.
3 pillars of success:
Our overall goal is to achieve de facto equality and inclusion of Roma and disadvantaged communities in Europe. The REDI Network’s aims to promote equality and economic empowerment for the 12 million Roma living in Europe, through active employment policies and initiatives to empower them as full European citizens. This aim fully corresponds to a number of principles of the EPSR, as well as to the EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation. REDI’s approach is structured on three pillars, each defining a set of strategic goals. These overarching goals are further translated into specific objectives linked to work packages that shape the implementation of 4-year strategic plan as outlined further below in this application.
- Reducing inequality and promotion of economic empowerment of Roma and other disadvantaged communities
– Tackling employment and Roma poverty are prioritised in European and national policies in line with EPSR;
– A better mainstreaming of Roma in wider national and European policies, strategies and funds. Roma communities are perceived as untapped potential, where policies that balance inclusion with competitiveness are in action. Specific attention is paid to general perspective.
– REDI Network and its members are acknowledged as credible interlocutors at European and national level;
– Regular monitoring and reporting on the impact of mainstream and Roma inclusion policies, strategies and funds at national and European level;
– Greater availability and take-up of national and European funding for Roma inclusion;
– Greater human rights protection and social inclusion of Roma.
- Empowered Roma civil society on national and local level
– Roma civil society has the skills and knowledge to actively participate in the development, implementation and monitoring of national Roma strategies and other relevant policy frameworks, standards and funds. Roma CSOs have adequate advocacy skills and are able to provide specific and adoptable solutions based on proven knowledge from practice.
– Roma civil society organisations are able to develop viable national coalitions and partnerships and engage in alliance building with broader stakeholders;
– REDI members and national Roma coalitions are perceived as reliable, legitimate partners in addressing Roma inequality;
– Increased knowledge and take-up of funding opportunities by civil society at national level.
- A strengthened REDI Network
– An enlarged network, better representing EU Member States, Enlargement and other European countries;
– An enlarged network through institutionalised partnerships based on REDI’s mission and values;
– REDI members engaged with designing membership, structures, and rules of organisation and have ownership over the network;
– Members interact horizontally and vertically in the network;
– Proactive, engaged, representative board members;
– Appropriate staffing and financial resources;
– Cohesive staff team, working in partnership with the membership;
– Planning, evaluation, learning and development supports for individuals, teams and organisation as a whole;
– Institutional strengthening and recognition through alliances and partnerships with other networks and platforms.