Dialogue "Good for Roma, good for Serbia"

The Opra Roma Movement is the organiser of the first online dialogue between the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and representatives of the Roma community on the problems the community encounters and ways in which they can be solved with the help of the state.

 

Mensur Haliti of the Roma Initiatives Office pointed out that President Vučić is the first president in the history of Serbia to come to a political dialogue with Roma people.

 

President Vučić said that for him the issues concerning the life of Roma is one of the essential and most pressing issues and that a higher scope of their education should be tackled and observed - especially secondary and higher education as well as more massive employment because it is of importance for the state.

 

He thanked the Roma representatives for participating in the dialogue and said that it was essential for him to that the Roma have jobs as that implies higher gross domestic product (GDP).

 

"If you are not employed, we lose 1-3.5 per cent of GDP at the annual level. That is why you need to be involved in the working process. We will seek a way to encourage both private individuals and public companies to increase Roma employment, and if not contrary to the Constitution, we will also provide subsidies accordingly," said President Vučić.

 

President Vučić also announced that special attention would be paid to the development of the sewerage and water supply networks in Roma settlements and their better maintenance and order, but also that the state needed more assistance and support from the Roma people.