CVEK

The monitoring report focuses on the structural and horizontal preconditions for the successful implementation of national integration strategy in Slovakia: governance and overall policy framework, fighting discrimination, addressing antigypsyism and education. The report also includes case studies of two localities to illustrate the potential and limits of Slovakia’s Roma inclusion policies in practice.

The report notes that despite relatively slow progress overall, we can trace palpable results, mostly through several active municipalities and through the projects of NGOs. Additionally, at least in areas such as housing, health and employment, we can see the efforts of the action plans of the NRIS to scale up successful local municipal or NGO-run projects using ESIF funds. As we argue throughout the report, nevertheless, significant efforts must be invested into actual implementation of plans into practice in all areas. Moreover, in the area of non-discrimination, especially when it comes to maltreatment by police, residential segregation and segregation in education, there appears to be limits even in the state recognition of troubling practices as a precondition for any meaningful action.

The report has been prepared by the Centre for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (Governance and Overall Policy Framework, Antidiscrimination, Education), the Roma Advocacy and Research Centre (Antigypsyism), the Community Centre of Minorities (Case study of Veľký Krtíš), Roma Media – ROMED (Case study of Hlinné), the Association for Culture, Education and Communication, People in Need and Roma Platform.

The report has been prepared as part of the Roma Civil Monitor pilot project, ‘Capacity-building for Roma civil society and strengthening its involvement in the monitoring of National Roma Integration Strategies’. The pilot project is carried out for the European Commission, DG Justice and Consumers. It is coordinated by the Center for Policy Studies of Central European University (CEU CPS), in partnership with the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network), the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) and the Roma Education Fund (REF) and implemented with around 90 NGOs and experts from up to 27 member states.