Focsani
*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: 12/01/2018
Focșani is the residence city of Vrancea County (the most active seismic area in Romania), bordering 2 historical regions of the country - Moldova and Muntenia.
According to the census carried out in 2011, Focșani population numbers 79.315 people, most of the inhabitants being Romanian, with a minority of Roma (1.24% declared, around 7% assumed by the local Roma community).
The social problem of Focșani municipality is to provide decent home and living for disadvantaged population.
The ROMACT Process
In November 2016 Focșani municipality joined the ROMACT program. The Community Action Group (CAG) was created and the short/medium/long-term needs were soon identified:
| Short and mid-term priorities | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Preventing and combating discrimination and providing civic education campaigns in local schools. | Implement school-after-school programs, in order to reduce absenteeism and school dropout, especially among Roma. | Setting-up two school mediator positions. |
| Employment | Improving Roma access to the labor market by mediation, counseling and / or training programs. | Supporting ethnic Roma to start a business. | Granting authorizations for organizing and carrying out activities related to the traditional crafts, street trade etc. |
| Health | Regularly performing health information and education activities in the local Roma community. | Identify Roma persons not registered with the family doctor and start the registration procedures. | Hiring 2 health mediators and 2 community health assistants. |
| Other | Developing emergency projects / fundraising campaigns to support families with very low income. | Implementing community development programs for the benefit of the local Roma community. | Develop and strengthen the partnership relations between the Police and the local Roma NGOs. |
| Long-term priorities | Objective 1 | Objective 2 | Objective 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Connection to utilities (heating, gas, electricity). | Parks and playgrounds construction in Roma neighborhoods. | Repairing the streets in marginalized urban areas. |
| Housing | Build/repair existing social housing through external financing. | Providing land plots for new houses for the Roma community. | Implement rehabilitation and sanitation programs in the areas inhabited by Roma. |
| Employment | Organizing job fairs, together with the competent county structures. | Providing training correlated with job offers. | Attract social economy initiatives. |
| Education | Setting up / rehabilitate sports or cultural centers for Roma children. | Organize summer camps for Roma children or those from disadvantaged families. | Sustain early education initiatives for children from disadvantaged communities. |
The Taskforce for Roma Inclusion was created in March 2017.
A Joint Action Plan which includes the measures defined by the local CAG was adopted on 30 October 2017. Also, the city developed the local development strategy for marginalized urban areas under the community-led local development approach, in order to receive funding to solve the problems in marginalized communities.
As of July 2022, ROMACT process is reinforced in Focsani and a new agreement was signed by the Mayor.
Several trainings were provided:
- For the local administration employees: public procurement expert, project manager, EU funds accessing expert etc.
- For the community action group members: information regarding EU/government funding and training on community development and civic participation etc.
CAG members received coaching related to public services and social protection for vulnerable groups.
The Joint Action Plan was included in the Local Development Strategy funded under CLLD.
With ROMACT expertise, the city hall applied for European funding in the area of Supporting energy efficiency, smart energy management and the use of renewable energy in public infrastructures, public buildings and housing and improving the energetic efficiency in Focșani Municipality. Namely, the municipality received support from ROMACT in applying for:
* Preparatory support to develop the Local Development Strategy for marginalized communities in Focsani municipality- ROP P.A 13 - Budget: 222 235 € - Approved
* Improving the energetic efficiency for 10 buildings in Focsani Municipality”- Phase 2- ROP P.A 13 - Budget: 1 354 041 € - Approved
* Focsani municipality local development strategy- OPHC - Budget: 8 580 000 € - Approved
* Unirea Focsani Local Action Group - United for Community - efficient partnership for local integrated development in Focsani municipality- OPHC- Approved
The city hall received legal expertise on social housing and support for realizing the local housing strategy.