Ms Garcia Fidalgo had the opportunity to meet relevant BiH authorities, members of the Roma community, representatives of civil society organisations and international organisations engaged in supporting Roma integration in BiH. She also visited Roma housing units rehabilitated through the EU’s Instrument For Pre-accession funds. Finally, the visit was the opportunity to congratulate the NGO OTAHARIN on winning the award for Roma Integration, established by the European Commission.
Ms Fidalgo commended the progress made by BiH in terms of providing housing and increasing the rate of civil registration of the Roma population. It was acknowledged that crucial improvements need to be achieved on employment, access to education, and availability of health services. The European Commission underlined its full support to dealt with the important challenges ahead and invited the Bosnian authorities, at all levels, to identify the needs in terms of Roma inclusion that could be supported under ‘IPA 2’ funds.
(Source: europa)