On Thursday, May 25, 2023, the final conference of the project “Development of the National Platform for Consultation and Dialogue on Roma Issues of the National Contact Point for Roma” was held, which is implemented by the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as the EU National Contact Point for Roma Social Inclusion in the context of the project of the European program ROMA PLATFORM 2020-REC-RDIS-NRCP-AG-2020-(GA NO: 101008467).

The aim of the event was to present the actions implemented in the context of the project, as well as to discuss its results with all bodies and Civil Society, including Roma bodies.

In particular, in the first part of the conference, the role of the EU’s National Contact Point for Roma issues was highlighted and the educational seminar of the “Roma Platform 2020” project was presented, which took place on March 18-19, 2022, training young Roma people on issues related to functioning of the public administration. Two of them, after successfully completing the training, were employed for six months at the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty.

The two young Roma shared with the participants the policy recommendations they drew up through their six-month of professional empowerment, emphasizing the role of local government in the process of social inclusion, but also the role of social network in changing attitudes and perceptions about the Roma communities.

Then the elaboration of the methodology proposed through the pilot application for the updating of the registration of the settlements and the Roma population, as well as the mapping of the stakeholders for the Roma social inclusion, was presented.

In the second part of the conference, the participants were informed and had the opportunity to discuss the implementation of the actions of the new National Roma Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2030. Special mention was made of institutional interventions and policy implementation tools and in particular of Local Action Plans for the Inclusion, Equality and Participation of Roma, as well as the role of the “Action Group for the Support of Social Integration and Empowerment of Roma” of the EEA Program.

At the conference, the General Secretary of Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty, Ms. Eleni Giotis, initiated the meeting, giving the floor for welcome speech to the former General Secretary of Social Solidarity and Fight against Poverty, Mr. Georgios Stamatis, the President of the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma “HELLAN PASSE”, Mr. Vasilis Pantzos and the President of the Union of Greek Roma Mediators & Associates, Mr. Konstantinos Paiteris. In the end of the conference a press released was realized.