Support manual for the actors involved in employment activities addressing Roma workforce
by Grebeldinger Daniel
This manual has been created with the aim of providing information to actors involved in Roma employment at local level, but also centrally, and to map the challenges and situations which they may face along the employment process and legislation work.
Research regarding the implementation of the Objective 5: The needs of Roma communities versus institutional gaps Support manual for the actors involved in employment activities addressing Roma workforce
by REDI NGO by Grebeldinger Daniel
This report demonstrates how the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gap between Roma and non-Roma. Including employment and entrepreneurship. Even if the European Union has a Roma dedicated framework through which it promotes equality and inclusion until 2030, the situation on the ground shows that this objective is not being met.
Final Report Institutional Capacity Building for REDI NGO
by REDI NGO
Narrative Report COVID-19 Response Pooled Fund
by REDI NGO
The COVID Pooled fund enabled us to build a much more intimate and constructive relationship between REDI and the grassroots movements in Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Italy. We started exploring opening operations in countries like Bulgaria, Italy, Albania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary because of the opportunities presented.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMA ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SERBIA
By: Jasna Zarkovic, Dragisa Mijacic & Blagoje Paunovic.
This paper presents key findings of the research on Roma entrepreneurship in the context of the overall entrepreneurial population in Serbia, and general characteristics of ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the world. The paper’s objective is to show the importance of the development of Roma entrepreneurship for the solutions to economic and social problems of this ethnic group. The survey of 45 registered Roma entrepreneurs on the territory of the Republic of Serbia revealed that the majority are engaged in service provision, agriculture, manufacturing industry and waste recycling.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: STATE OF PLAY
By Joshua Phillips, Luisa De Amicis, Fiorenza Lipparini
This paper seeks to outline the SE landscape in the Western Balkans i.e. the state of play, addressing a lack of consolidated and up-to-date empirical information on the SE sector in the region. It is not within the scope of this paper to focus on the theoretical or socio-political dimensions of SE in the Western Balkans. Instead, the aim is to contribute state-of-the-art empirical data and analysis that can be used by all stakeholders – including entrepreneurs, financial intermediaries, support organizations, policymakers, and researchers – to help advance our understanding of the SE sector in the Western Balkans, with the long-term goal of achieving positive societal impacts for people and their environments through social entrepreneurship.
Breaking the Cycle of Roma Exclusion in the Western Balkans
World Bank report, 12 March 2019
This report aims to fill this knowledge gap and inform policy making by relying on data from the 2011 and 2017 rounds of the Regional Roma Survey (RRS), the most comprehensive survey to date on living conditions and human development outcomes among marginalized Roma households in the Western Balkans, as well as non-Roma households in the vicinity of Roma.
Regional Roma Survey Briefs (English)
By World Bank, published on 01.02.2019, disclosed on 04.04.2019
Regional Roma Survey Briefs estimates based on the 2017 UNDP-World Bank-EC Regional Roma Survey. The survey was administered in all six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo. The survey – which is a repeater of the 2011 Regional Roma Survey- examines living conditions and key human development outcomes within Roma households and non-Roma living in close vicinity. The sample size consists of around 750 Roma and 350 non-Roma households in each country.
Regional Roma Survey 2017: Country fact sheets
By UNDP, published on 09.04.2018
Download the Research Paper for Albania
Download the Research Paper for Bosnia and Hertzegovina
Download the Research Paper for Kosovo
Download the Research Paper for Montenegro
Download the Research Paper for Serbia
Download the Research Paper for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
The Regional Roma Survey is the first major collection of data on marginalised Roma in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo*, since 2011.
The survey on the socio-economic position of marginalised Roma and their non-Roma neighbours in Western Balkans shows varied picture in terms of progress achieved and in terms of reducing the gaps between the two groups.
These country fact sheets present an overview of statistics for each of the six countries and territories involved in the study.
The Regional Roma Survey is the first major collection of data on marginalised Roma in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo*, since 2011.
The survey on the socio-economic position of marginalised Roma and their non-Roma neighbours in Western Balkans shows varied picture in terms of progress achieved and in terms of reducing the gaps between the two groups.
These country fact sheets present an overview of statistics for each of the six countries and territories involved in the study.
Click here for the survey methodology and data
Financial Inclusion for the Roma: Banking As a Key to Social Progress
By OPEN SOCIETY ROMA INITIATIVES POLICY BRIEF
For many people across the world, using financial services is a simple part of their daily routine. Depositing salary checks, paying bills, withdrawing cash from ATMs, using credit and debit cards, and applying for consumer loans are banking activities that have become basic and essential features of life in contemporary society.
Yet despite the crucial role that financial services and banks play in our daily lives, there are large numbers of people in the world who have no access to banking services. In Central and Eastern Europe, a significant number of those who make up this “unbanked” population are from marginalized Roma communities. The lack of access to financial services further exacerbates the already dire economic conditions found in many Roma communities. A number of related factors—low levels of savings, limited understanding of household finance, exposure to the predatory financial practices of loan sharks or subprime lenders—indicate that efforts to promote Roma inclusion without ensuring access to financial services will overlook a major barrier that can be addressed relatively easily and effectively.
POTENTIALS FOR ROMA EMPLOYMENT IN THE ENLARGEMENT REGION
By Regional Cooperation Council Roma Integration 2020 Action Team (Belgrade, Serbia)
Employment policy is a vision and a practical plan for achieving certain employment goals. It is not just a job creation programme, but should consider a whole range of social and economic issues. The governments from the EU enlargement region offer a range of standard active labour market measures and monetary support in case of unemployment.
Microfinance and Roma empowerment in the EU: a mission impossible?
By European-Microfinance.org
Within the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU promotes positive actions to improve the situation of Roma population, particularly women. Despite the success of some measures, no impact in terms of employment has yet been achieved on the ground as described by the 2014 assessment report (Steps forward in implementing National Roma Integration Strategies ). At the same time, the low employment rate of Roma population is a serious social problem which affects not only the economic growth but also their integration. This research explores if the practices of microfinance (not only provision of small scale loan, but also non-financial services) can improve the employment status and, empowerment of Roma, particularly, women. The basic idea is that microfinance can enable Roma people to become self-employed, through the provision of social support, financial services and information.
Financial literacy for the Roma
By Ana Popovic & Elena Stankovic, Faculty of economics of Nis (Belgrade, Serbia, 2013)
Serbia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual country where many nationalities live differentiated by demographic, educational, cultural and economic characteristics, religion and language, territorial deployment, the political organization and national emancipation. Considering the number and proportion of the total population of Serbia, Roma people are the relevant national minority, and ethno-demographic changes in their population growth and socio-economic and cultural characteristics indicate a specific demographic development and the social position of this ethnic group.
MICROFINANCE AND FINANCIAL DECISIONS IN THE POVERTY (in Macedonian)
By CENTER FOR ECONOMIC ANALYSES (CEA – Skopje, North Macedonia)
Download the Research Paper (in Macedonian)
This book is the result of a study prepared by Ms Sabina Idrizi under the mentorship of the Center for Economic Analysis-CEA. Microfinance can be used as a tool for combating poverty through facilitating access to financial resources for the poor and also facilitating the choice and choice of self-employment with improved living conditions.In this way, social and financial inclusion and, ultimately, facilitating the attainment of Euro-poverty and poverty reduction policies are made possible, which should be a priority of economic policies and programs in the Republic of Macedonia.
Employment and Social Entrepreneurship Support Policies for Roma and Refugees in Bulgaria
By Stana Iliev – New Bulgarian University
As this century begins, the EU, Eastern Europe and Bulgaria are facing a unique set of challenges concerning the social and economic integration of Roma people and Refugees.
Both Roma and Refugee communities are suffering from similar discrimination and social exclusion, which also results in their massive exclusion from employment, an undisputed reality in the Balkans. The social and economic integration of those people sets great challenges but also high potentials.
Supporting Social Inclusion of Roma and Egyptian communities
By IPA National Programme 2011 for Albania – Project Fiche no 6
The project responds to the imperative, as expressed in Article 2 of the EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Agreement1, concluded in 2005, that “respect for democratic principles and human rights” as proclaimed in a number of key instruments, including instruments relating to minority rights, “shall form the basis of the domestic and external policies of the Parties”. As such, the project will contribute to fulfilling Albania’s commitment under section 1.2.2 of the National Plan for the Approximation of the Legislation and SAA Implementation to fulfil Article 2 of the SAA through improvement of the legislative framework on minorities in compliance with the standards included in the international documents on protection of minorities and through implementation of the strategy on Roma minority, including improvement of living conditions.