Activities will include:

• Actions to set up, reinforce and strengthen national Roma platforms, involving all relevant stakeholders, with a focus on ensuring close consultation and cooperation on the implementation of the national Roma strategic frameworks, including the joint development of NRPs’ workplans and timelines;

• Supporting the NRCPs in their task of coordinating and monitoring of the implementation of NRSFs;

• Meetings, working groups, seminars, events at national, regional or local levels contributing to achievement of the EURSF targets in the field of education, employment, health, housing, promoting participation through empowerment, cooperation and trust, reducing poverty and exclusion and fighting and preventing antigypsyism and discrimination; facilitating discussions and mobilizing joint actions that support implementation of measures covered by the EURSF, Council Recommendation and NRSFs, including by jointly developing programmes and projects advancing Roma inclusion, funded via national and /or EU financial instruments;

• Awareness-raising, dedicated discussions focusing on the outcomes of the Roma civil society monitoring on the implementation of National Strategies for Roma equality.

Activities should be independent from political interests. Good practices will be exchanged and discussed across National Roma Platforms to promote policy learning and upscaling and replication.

Projects’ design and implementation are expected to promote gender equality and nondiscrimination mainstreaming. Thus, applicants should conduct and include in their proposal a gender analysis, which maps the potential different impact of the project and its activities on women and men as well as youth in all their diversity. Applicants are advised to address risks linked to their proposal that stem from intersectional discrimination of Roma. Thereby, unintended negative effects of the intervention on either gender should be forestalled (do no-harm approach).

The gender equality analysis should inform the needs assessments of proposals, notably in the areas of participation and contribution of Roma women and youth in processes related to the National Roma Platforms and implementation of measures and actions as part of the national Roma strategic frameworks. As a result, the design of the activities and their content should reflect and address, as relevant, the differences in situations and conditions for women and men, and youth (girls and boys). Likewise, applicants should ensure the inclusion of gender aspects in the monitoring and reporting on their project results.

The gender equality perspective should also be taken into account when designing the ‘format’ of activities such as mutual learning, empowerment, awareness raising and training activities, to ensure that they allow for equal participation of women, men, and youth (girls and boys), as well as that they promote gender-sensitive approaches. Where relevant, applicants should strive for active participation of youth in the design and implementation of activities. Applicants interested in more guidance are encouraged to consult the DG JUST online workshop on gender mainstreaming projects.

Given the call’s focus on participation, applicants are kindly reminded that the promotion of gender equality should not be limited to aiming for a gender-balanced participation in activities. Effective gender-mainstreaming should address also questions linked to equal access to participate and as relevant, questions linked to the structural discrimination of Roma.

Projects may involve one or more organisations:

Single applicant: An officially appointed National Roma Contact Point (NRCP) can apply alone.
Consortium: Alternatively, the officially appointed NRCP can apply together with coapplicant(s) being private or public organisations (e.g. Roma civil society organisations, etc.). Projects submitted by consortia formed of a NRCP and pro-Roma civil society organisations are particularly encouraged. Only a National Roma Contact Point can be the lead applicant (coordinator).