The objetive of this guide is to provide guidance and practical advice to local authorities on the use of Structural Funds and Investment for the inclusion of Roma people locally. This publication is complementary to the EURoma guide “How to address the needs of Roma in the 2014-2020 programming period of the Structural Funds – Guide to improve the planning process” shifting the focus of national planning processes and regional Association Agreements and Action Programs to local planning effective interventions for Roma by using the ESI Funds.
Briefly, this simple and practical guide:
- Describe the growing importance that has taken the integration of Roma in the EU agenda and explains the framework and the instruments that can be used locally.
- It highlights the problems and challenges of integration policies targeting the Roma population locally and explains how ESI Funds can be used to implement initiatives that promote the integration of this minority locally.
- It offers an overview of the benefits and added value of integration policies targeting the Roma population and provides examples of good practice locally.
- Analyzes existing barriers for municipalities when accessing the Structural Funds and Investment and gives practical advice on how to overcome them.
- Provides useful recommendations on how to learn, form partnerships and engage and influence the planning process of ESI Fund.
- Gives specific recommendations on successful approaches, good practices and lessons learned from experience locally.
- Presents ways to access structural funds from the local level.