Marasesti

General Information
 
ROMACT Cycle: 
Closed
Mayor of the Municipality: 
Chitic Valerică Dorel
Contact Person within the Municipality: 
Luca Elena, Chief of Procurement, Information and European Integration Office
Facilitators: 
Poliana Catalin
Total population: 
10 671
Source: 
National census 2011
Roma living in the Municipality: 
750
Description of the Municipality: 

*Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this page do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe and/or the European Commission. Neither the Council of Europe, the European Commission nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Last update: 12/09/2018
 
Mărăşeşti city is located on the right bank of Siret river, at 20 km north from Focşani (Vrancea county city residence), 27 km south of Adjud, 18 km west of Tecuci (Galati county) and 18 km east of Panciu. The current population numbers 10.671 inhabitants, around 4.500 belonging to Roma minority. However, only 750 recognized their ethnicity, most citizens preferring to declare themselves Romanian nationals for fear of being discriminated.
 

The ROMACT Process

In November 2016 Mărăşeşti municipality joined the ROMACT program.

 The Community Action Group (CAG) was created shortly after, identifying its short/medium/long-term needs:
 

Short and mid-term prioritiesObjective 1Objective 2Objective 3
EducationImplement school-after-school programs, in order to reduce absenteeism and school dropout. Develop Second Chance programs, supporting children / young people / adults in their reintegration into the education system. Setting-up another school mediator position.
EmploymentVocational counseling and labor market orientation.Providing training for job opportunities. Support social economy initiatives.
HealthCovering the needs of doctors in the two centers open in the heart of Roma community.Organizing regular healthcare campaigns - vaccination, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases etc.Setting-up another health mediator position as well as 2 community health assistant positions.
YouthOrganize fairs and other events (sports, cultural, recreative).Setting up a multi-functional sports centerSetting up the school of arts and crafts and the music club.
Long-term prioritiesObjective 1Objective 2Objective 3
InfrastructureRepairing/asphalting the streets. Expansion of the electricity and water/sewage network. Compliant waste storage in order to solve the trash problem.
HousingProviding land plots for new houses for the Roma community.Build social housing through external financing.Solve the legal issues around land and house ownership in the Roma community.
EmploymentProviding expertise for social economy initiatives.Organizing job fairs, together with the competent county structures.

The Taskforce for Roma Inclusion was created by a Local Council decision in May 2017.

A Joint Action Plan which includes the measures defined by the local CAG was adopted on 23 November 2017 . Most of the agreed objectives will be covered with European funds, few of them already being approved.

As of June 2022, ROMACT process is reinforced in Mărăşeşti and a new agreement was signed by the Mayor. 

A new Joint Action Plan for Roma inclusion was adopted by the Local Council in February 2023. 
 
With ROMACT expertise, the city hall applied for European funding (Supporting energy efficiency, smart energy management and the use of renewable energy in public infrastructures, public buildings and housing) and received help to implement projects related to reducing the number of marginalized communities at risk of poverty and social exclusion through integrated measures. Also, the city hall was coached to apply to build a compost station within the project Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control (implemented by Ministry of Environment and financed by The World Bank) and received expertise on the Regional Operational Program - POR axis 3.1. (Supporting energy efficiency, smart energy management and the use of renewable energy in public infrastructure, including public buildings and housing sector) and POR axis 10 (Educational structure development).
Several trainings were also provided:

  • For the local administration employees: public procurement expert, Project Manager, EU funds accessing expert etc.
  • For the community action group members: information regarding government funding, training on community development and civic participation etc.

Also, informative campaigns were made:  campaign against school drop-out - coaching on dropout/children rights, campaign on health – vaccination, campaign on employment and working relations etc.

In July 2019, ROMACT monitoring visit showed that the municipality continued to implement the Local Action Plan for Roma Inclusion. It notably recently signed a contract with the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Affairs for constructing 2 social blocks with 40 apartments. 
 
 

Expertise provided to the local administrationBeneficiaries BudgetStatus
Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 4.1 Reducing the number of marginalized communities (in which Roma minority population counts at least 10% of the total population) at risk of poverty and social exclusion by implementing integrated measures.The local administration- The entire community2.330.371 EURApproved
Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 4.2 Reducing the number of marginalized (non-Roma) communities at risk of poverty and social exclusion through the implementation of integrated measuresThe local administration- The entire community2.112.707 EURApproved
Expertise on Human Capacity Operational Program Axis 6.1 – School for all.1.434.333 EURApproved
Expertise on “Integrated pollution control with nutrients” program - implemented by Ministry of Environment and financed by The World Bank.The local administration- The entire community646.888 EURRejected
Expertise on Regional Operational Program Axis 3.1.B - increasing energy efficiency in residential buildings, public buildings and public lighting systems, especially those with high energy consumption.The local administration- Children and teachers-The entire community240.289 EURApproved
Legal expertize related to the existent waste sorting station. The local administration The entire community-An agreement to take over the waste station was reached.
Expertise on EEA Norway Grants - Increasing Roma inclusion- DEMNI - Fair Development, Non-Discriminatory and Inclusive Measures976 666 EURReserve list

Timeline Points

10 Nov 2016
Step 1- Becoming Commited- Signature of the letter of commitment
12 May 2017
Creation of Taskforce
19 Sep 2017
Step 2- Agreeing on needs and plans- Community priorities list finalised
23 Nov 2017
Step 3- Translating priorities into measures- Joint Action Plan for Roma inclusion adopted by City Council
25 Sep 2018
End of ROMACT process
25 Sep 2018
Step 4- Funding, Implementing and Monitoring-
22 Jun 2022
Start of ROMACT reinforced process with the signature of a new letter of agreement
23 Feb 2023
Adoption of the new Joint Action Plan for Roma inclusion by the Local Council
28 Feb 2023
End of ROMACT reinforced process
Disclaimer - © Council of Europe 2015 - © photo credit