Mr Orhan Usein, Team Leader, and Ms Aleksandra Bojadjieva, Policy Expert of the Regional Cooperation Council’s Roma Integration 2020 Action Team visited the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to meet the recently appointed Minister without Portfolio responsible for Roma issues, Mr Samka Ibraimovski with his team, and the Minister for Labour and Social Policy, Ms Mila Carovska and her team.

The meetings addressed key issues for the engagement of the Government within the Roma Integration 2020 project, including appointment of a new National Roma Contact Point (NRCP), preparing the due monitoring report of the implementation of the Roma integration policy in the country for 2016, and engagement of the government in the regular project activities, both regional and national, including the upcoming project Task Force meeting, expected 2017 National Platform on integration of Roma in relation to the Roma Seminar co-organized with the European Commission, follow up activities to further improve the budgeting of Roma integration policies, etc.

Both meetings were highly productive and useful for both the sides. The National Roma Contact Point has been designated according to a Government decision appointing Minister Ibraimovski as country’s representative on Roma issues to international and regional parties. Nevertheless, in the spirit of horizontal coordination and cooperation, Minister Carovska shall be informed and due involved in all the activities of the Roma Integration 2020 project. Minister Ibraimovski also took the responsibility to report on the implementation of the Roma integration policy in 2016, committing to submit the report by 15 September 2017. Both the Ministries shall be represented at the upcoming meeting of the Roma Integration 2020 project Task Force in Belgrade to discuss further strengthening of the monitoring and reporting standards and improvement of the budgeting procedures for Roma integration, as well as on the project and EU Framework future and the country’s role and place in these processes.

The Roma Integration 2020 Action Team is looking forward to continue the co-operation with the government in Skopje that was well established at these consultative meetings.