Europe offers €400,000 to liquidate anti-Roma prejudices in Moldova

The Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Commission (EC) have offered 400,000 euros to Moldova for a joint project aimed to liquidate prejudices against Roma people. Launched on Wednesday, May 14, the project will be implemented in the spirit of the Roma Support Action Plan covering the period 2007-2010, Info-Prim Neo reports. The project is composed of three modules. The first component provides for assistance in implementing the Roma Support Action Plan, approved by the Government in 2006, said CoE expert Allan Phillips. The second component is entirely devoted to educating Roma. Young persons from Roma communities will act as mediators between educational institutions and their communities, remarked another CoE expert, Michael Guet. Also, the project will include an information campaign called “Dosta”, meaning “that's enough” in Romany. The goal of the campaign will be to liquidate deeply rooted prejudices and resentments against Roma. European experts attach great importance to this first step in cooperating for a better integration of the Roma people into the Moldovan society. They believe each EU aspirant needs to pay increased attention to improving living standards of Roma, a people which is frequently discriminated against. The latest census showed that Moldova is home to some 12,000 Roma, but Romani organizations in Moldova argue their number tops 35,000 persons. The costs of the project will be evenly split between the CoE and EC. The project will be implemented by the Council of Europe with the support of the Moldovan Bureau for Interethnic Relations and the Ministry of Education and Youth.