On Saturday, February 26, 2022, the President of the Greek Republic , Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou, together with the Norwegian Ambassador Mr Frode Overland Andersen and the General Secretary of Social Solidarity and Fight Against Poverty, Mr George Stamatis, visited the Roma camp in Peleka. The purpose of their visit was to be informed  about the construction of a pilot model of social housing settlements with 56 houses that will  accommodate  about 330 members of the Roma community of Katerini, in the framework of the Program "Roma Inclusion and Empowerment” managed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and more specifically, by the Special Service: Executive Structure NSRF – Division  Of Employment and Social Economy that is the Programme Operator.. 

The visitors were guided around  the camp, talked to members of the community who are going to benefit from this project and were informed about the developments of the project and the next steps by the Mayor of Katerini Mr Costa  Koukodimos  and the General Secretary of the Municipality, Mr Costa Liakopoulos. The President of the Republic congratulated on the Mayor of Katerini for the whole management of the project and expressed her satisfaction and her confidence for the success of the whole the project. Ms Sakellaropoulou said: "I visited the Roma camp in the area of ​​Pelekas, Katerini, to emphasize the need for their comprehensive integration into local society and also the strong will of the state for this purpose. Important steps towards this scope are the access and stay of children at school, to liberate women and young people in order to abandon anachronistic and oppressive practices and to combat racism and stereotypes that lead to marginalization and make it difficult to achieve social  equality. I am sure that this effort will  be embraced from the Roma side as well, as it is a necessary condition for its success ".

At the same time, she thanked the Ambassador of Norway Mr Frode Overland Andersen for the decisive contribution of his country in this project and the support in actions against any discrimination. The specific  project "Integrated pilot program of relocation and social housing for the integration of Roma in the position" Pelekas "of the Municipality of Katerini" is supported both by the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Greek Public Investment Program. Its aim is to improve the living conditions, enhance Roma social inclusion and empowerment and the fight against discriminations.

With continuous actions and interventions, the Roma Branch of the Municipality of Katerini contributes to the education and inclusion of local communities in practice.

One of the most active municipalities in Greece regarding the integration, education and support of the Roma is the Municipality of Katerini. Since the beginning of the year, it plans and implements, with great success, actions concerning the local Roma community.

It is no coincidence that the local camp records one of the highest rates of vaccination coverage over Covid19. The success is due to the information about the benefits of vaccination but also to the regular visit of National Public Health Organization (EODY) ladders, from the 3rd Health District Unit of Macedonia and the Health Center of Katerini for the vaccination.

At the same time, discussions, briefings and workshops are organized for the members of the community around topics that are constantly enriched, such as: environment, health, gender issues, culture, nutrition, coexistence with animals, etc.

Great importance is given to the awareness and education of children who are the future. With educational trips and visits to museums and libraries, the contact with the cultural goods and the cultivation of interest for the world of art and literature is achieved, while actions such as the cleaning of the shores contribute to the formation of an environmental friendly identity. The extroversion that is noted by the promotion of the actions at Thessaloniki International Fair is important, contributing to the awareness of other local authorities and social groups.

One can see, in detail, all the actions of the Municipality of Katerini from the official website and the Facebook account of the Community Center.

In accordance with the internal Regulation of the Cooperation Committee for the Program "Roma Inclusion and Empowerment ", on February 8, 2022, the second convergence of the Cooperation Committee took place.

New members interested for the Rrogramme, Roma associations members of civil society - who participated in the preceded consultation process -, and the newly appointed Task Force Unit were invited to actively participate at the second CC meeting and share their experiences and knowledge with all of us.

During the Cooperation Committee, representatives of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the General Secretariat for Social Solidarity and the Fight Against Poverty, the P.O. (Special Service Executive Structure NSRF – Division of  Employment and Social Economy), EDKA  and the Municipality of Katerini consulted and exchanged proposals and ideas for the more effective implementation of the program. At the same time,  C.C. ’s work was attended by representatives of the National Focal Point National (NFP), of the EEA Financial Mechanism, as well as representatives of the Norwegian Embassy in Athens.

The agenda included, among others: project progress reports, the preparation of three small grant schemes, the content of the calls and the amendment of the Program Agreement.

The Call for expression of interest in the submission of applications for a work contract under the Project "Task Force Units supporting Roma inclusion and empowerment" is published.

Navigate to the Call web page