1. Department of Roma Integration, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour
Roma policy in Hungary
Positive actions
Andor Urmos
Department of Roma Integration,
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour
Hungary
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

2. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Policy environment
Law on Equal Treatment and Equal Opportunities (adopted in 2003)
1021/2004. Government Decree – Roma Strategy for
Decade of Roma Inclusion – long-term strategy
2 years Action Plans ( )
Positive actions – no legal background in Hungary
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

3. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Data collection
Community
Self-identification – 190 thousand Roma in Hungary
Independent research – 600 thousand Roma in Hungary
Policy design
Ethnic-based design (Roma programs)
Social exclusion design
Monitoring
Policy efficiency
Quality of life of Roma
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

4. Decade of Roma Inclusion
Target group measures
Decade of Roma Inclusion
„Group targeting” – measures to groups where the Roma are overrepresented, (long-term unemployment, low educational attainment, early school leaving, etc.)
„Territorial targeting” – measures to territories where the Roma are overrepresented (most disadvantaged territories, Roma settlements, ghettos)
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

5. Target group measures Decade of Roma Inclusion
Equal opportunity criteria
All governmental initiatives should focus on educational and housing segregation (praecondition of access to resources)
Supporting networks for the Roma to help their access to services (e.g. in employment, education, human rights’ protection)
Programs focused on Roma minority (culture and anti-discrimination)
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

6. Access of Roma to basic facilities
Social policy, employment facility, healthcare – disadvantaged groups
How we can ensure access of Roma among disadvantaged people?
Positive actions, aiming to provide equal access (avoiding segregation of the problem)
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

7. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Roma networks
Roma civil cervants in all line ministries
Comissioners, head of departments, experts
Roma managers in labour offices (county level) - (employees are selected by self-identification)
Roma assistants in primary schools
Roma scholarships for healthcare providers, social workers, etc.
Involvement of Roma NGOs to basic facilities
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

8. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Minority rights vs. positive actions
Minority rights – anti-discrimination, culture, participation in decision making,
Positive action – based on ethnicity, factors of disadvantaged status
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

9. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Law on Ethnic Minorities – minority (13 registered) self-governments on local and national levels
1100 local Roma self-government in 2007
Roma scholarship system – based on ethnicity and social status ( students/year)
Roma employment programs – self-identification in the labour system
ROMASTER program – action by mulitinational companies
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

10. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Registered vacant jobs (a), registered unemployment (B) and unemployment rate (c) by regional breakdown
Northern
Hungary
a. 3272 b
c. 17,4%
Transdanubia
a. 4510 b
c. 6,6%
Northern Great Plain
a. 2385 b
c. 16,4%
Central
Hungary
a. 8846 b
c. 3,6%
Western
Transdanubia
a. 3487 b
c. 6,0%
Southern Great Plain
a. 4829 b
c. 11,2%
Southern
Transdanubia
a. 1842 b
c. 13,1%
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

11. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Mobility
Labour market need and demand should be harmonised
High unemployment rate in depressed regions – job vacancies in developed regions
Complex approach – establishing the chance!
Employment service (training, wage support, etc.) – in more developed region
Social work – relationship among services
Housing – flexibile solutions (rent)
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

12. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Segregation
Education
178 homogenous Roma schools
Around 3000 homogenous Roma classes
De-segration policy
Legal environment – Law on Public Education
Special projects (mentally handicapped children, afternoon-schooling, school renovation, etc.)
Equal opportunity funding policy – Desegration criteria for EU funds!
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

13. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Segregation
Housing
Cca. 500 Roma settlements
Growing territorial ghettoisation
De-segregation policy
Special de-segration projects for Roma settlements
Equal opportunity funding policy – Desegration criteria for EU funds
Urban development projects – No de-segregation EU funds!
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

14. New ways of implementations of positive actions
Equal opportunity plan of state-owned companies, institutions (more than 50 employees) – no municipalities!
Defined in Law in Equal Opportunities és Equal Treatment
Precondition in access to resources (EU funds)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Special criteria for Roma employment
Procurement procedure
Equal opportunity criteria – equal opportunity plan, employment of local employees, preferencess for enterprises, employing long-term unemployed persons
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

15. II. National Development Plan (2007-2013)
Using experiences (phare, national development plan I.)
Less open tendering – more centralized program („complex” programs, normatives)
More defined equal opportunity criteria
Building-up Roma networks in all areas
Strongly differentiated view on regional differences
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

16. Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR
Summary
Data collection
Policy design (ethnic based versus social exclusion)
Mobililty on labour market
Segregation (education, housing)
Strong need for positive actions
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR

17. Thank you for your attention!
30/04/2019
Understanding Positive Actions, ENAR