In April 2001, the Romanian government adopted its National Strategy for Improving the Condition of Roma. This document states that discrimination against Roma is a serious problem in the country, and establishes short- and long-term objectives for Roma, including changing negative public perceptions, improving living conditions, and encouraging participation in all aspects of civil society.

The government empowered local Roma County Offices (RCOs), which have been established throughout the country, to implement this Strategy. Each of the RCOs is comprised of three to four experts, including one Roma representative, and their responsibilities include the organization, planning, and coordination of the Strategy. Further, the RCOs were subordinated to the Roma Ministry Commissions (RMCs) within the Ministry of Public Administration, and to the Joint Committee for the Implementation and Monitoring of the Strategy.

To further this initiative, Partners-Romania conducted a two-week training program for 75 Roma and non-Roma experts within the RCOs and RMCs, under support from the MEDE European Consultancy and the National Office for Roma. The goal of Partners-Romania’s project was to clarify the roles of experts within these government institutions, and to assist them in implementing the Strategy through capacity building. The project included training courses in project management, communication and team-building skills, strategic planning and the development of action plans. As a result of the training workshops, participants identified obstacles to and potential solutions for the implementation of the Strategy.

Partners-Romania’s trainers solicited and addressed the challenges faced by the participants in their working environments. Many participants described a general difficulty in communication and information exchange with their superiors, colleagues, Roma communities, local authorities, and government ministries. They also shared the complaint that their roles were ill defined, and had few opportunities for collaboration within their respective institutions. The RCO representatives seemed to have encountered the greatest difficulties, which included not only communication problems but also uncertainty about salaries, job insecurity, and a lack of necessary basic equipment. Members of the RMCs, meanwhile, described the lack of a solid framework for the organization and poor functioning of the whole Roma Ministry Commission system.

At the conclusion of the program, Partners-Romania sent the following series of recommendations to the Joint Committee, synthesizing key aspects of the participants’ proposed solutions to the problems described above:

• The Committee should develop and enforce a regulated structure for each administrative level and an implementation framework for the Strategy, including specified standards, responsibilities, and attributions.

• The Committee should organize and deliver a common training program and a series of workshops for the RCO and RMC members on an ongoing basis throughout the Strategy implementation process.

• The Committee should increase funding for equipment, networking, email, and Internet access.

Following a presentation by Partners-Romania, the Joint Committee approved the outlined recommendations, including a more comprehensive training program and an enhanced endowment for activity in all the Roma offices. Further, a follow-up meeting was planned to establish a schedule for the adoption of these recommendations.

Partners-Romania’s program also created networking opportunities among the participants. Only a week after the training concluded, the Roma Ministry experts decided to implement a new collaborative approach for working with the other institutions involved in the Strategy, including the Roma Commissions from the Ministries, the Joint Committee, and Roma associations and communities.