Coordination with the Special Managing Authority for the Operational Programme “Western Greece”

As the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme ROMACT extended its implementation to include Greece in 2023, a meeting with the Special Managing Authority for the Operational Programme “Western Greece” took place in Patras on 7 April 2025.

The main objective of the meeting was to discuss any existing and upcoming funding opportunities that ROMACT could support Municipality of Ilida to access, which is part of the ROMACT Programme implementation and its well-established process. The approach is based on participatory and inclusive decision-making at local level and targets support for more inclusive local policies.  
Given the pressing issues that Roma population encounters in Ilida region, including employment opportunities, discussions revolved around social entrepreneurship and recycling initiatives. The meeting also explored the potential upcoming projects which will directly target Roma population including those funded under the ESF+ Programme.

During the meeting, the role of ROMACT in supporting the Municipality of Ilida was discussed, such as assessing the needs of the Roma population and accompanying the update of the Local Action Plan for Roma inclusion. Other areas discussed include support in the access to funding for Roma inclusive projects along with the capacity building for the Roma and staff of the municipality to ensure sustainability of its actions.
 
Since the launch of the implementation in Greece, ROMACT Programme has carried out assessment visits to Greece to create synergies with the national authorities with a mandate on Roma inclusion and discuss the implementation of the Programme at the local level. A Training of Trainers on ROMACT process took place on 4 and 5 March 2025 in Athens to support the capacity of national Experts in Greece in promoting and successfully applying ROMACT methodology in Greece. Official commitment letters detailing the cooperation modalities have been signed with two municipalities municipalities.