Indicator history

The National Council for Combating Discrimination's National Strategy for the Implementation of Measures for Prevent and Combat Discrimination (2007-2013) does not contain responsibilities for local administration.

The previous National Strategy for Improving the Condition of the Roma (2001-2010) had responsibilities for the administrations at county and local level through County Roma Bureaus (BJRs), Local Roma Experts (Roma health mediators, school mediators, Roma representatives, educators, etc), and Mixed Roma Working Groups. This implementation structure was replicated in the new strategy adopted in December 2011, despite criticism from the civil society and various independent evaluation teams of the previous strategy. One of the points made by these critics was that:

"Too little has been done at the national level to ensure that local authorities understand, accept, and implement the Strategy’s aims. The Strategy itself lacks specific definitions and sets out only very limited guidelines as to the responsibilities of local authorities. More
detailed instructions should have been issued and would be needed to ensure that tasks are carried out and goals are met." [1]

A very serious concern raised in 2009 was that "The attitude of local public authorities is that they are not open to implement projects having Roma as target group." [2]

Furthermore, a series of acts of local authorities involving forced evictions of Roma communities in areas unfit for human habitation actually involve local governance in the position of perpetrators. [3]

Source:

1. Focus Consultancy, Romania, Assessment of the Roma Strategy Implementation Mechanism. Evaluation Report, p.35, July 2005, available at: http://www.anr.gov.ro/docs/rapoarte/Focus_Final_Evaluation_Report_181.pdf (accessed on 16.02.2012).

2. Agentia de Dezvoltare Comunitara "Impreuna", National Strategy to Improve the Situation of Roma: Communities' Voice, p.56, available at: http://www.agentiaimpreuna.ro/files/publicatii/10-RAPORT_tipar-p-ro.pdf (accessed on 16.02.2012).

3. Amnesty International, Mind the legal gap. Roma and the right to housing in Romania (EUR 39/004/2011), 23.06.2011, available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/004/2011 (accessed at: 25.02.2013) and Unsafe foundations: secure the right to housing in Romania (EUR 39/002/2012), 08.05.2012, available at: http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR39/002/2012/en (accessed at: 25.02.2013)