At the end of the year, the voting for the planned Budget of Macedonia for 2021 came to a daily point. The largest Budget so far in the amount of about 4 billion euros was voted and adopted. Funds are also planned in that budget to support the Implementation of the Decade and the Roma strategy. Approximately 60 million denars or close to 1 million euros.
Knowing that last year's Budget allocated to Roma was almost 300,000 euros less than this year, one would say: "Great! They increased the budget for the Roma "
But the question is additionally raised, and the conclusion that exactly those 300,000 euros were not used and were reallocated, this comes more logically that that money is actually part of the unused funds.
The second point is that the total budget is 4 billion euros, and 1 million is allocated for the Roma. Are they enough? But let's go in order. It is evident that for the Implementation of the Decade and the strategy of the Roma in our country, the allocated funds are directed to several areas, as follows: Ministry of Transport and Communications around 325 thousand euros. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy with the donations of 180 thousand euros, the Ministry of Education and Science together with the donations of about 395 thousand euros and the Ministry of Health with about 65 thousand euros. Most likely, those funds are allocated for pre-planned activities, but how much the institutions (ministries and municipalities) will have the real will and capacity to realize them is another question. It stands on paper, but in reality how much will be done is another question. For example. If the Ministry of Transport and Communications plans around 325 thousand euros, they will probably have to be used for infrastructure solutions, streets, roads, water supply, sewerage through Roma settlements. But where are the housing funds? If in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy together with donations are planned about 180 thousand euros, about 35,000 euros are intended for kindergartens, the rest for the Roma Information Centers - RICs where it stands beside the existing ones to open several more throughout Macedonia . But will they be opened and will they be used. What they will do, whether there is a report on the work done, with what school training the employees will be, what will be the criteria for employment, that is another question. The largest budget is allocated in the Ministry of Education and Science from a total of 395 thousand where about 213 thousand euros are planned for high school scholarships, and the remaining about 180,000 euros for educational mediators, as well as part of primary education. Here, instead of those educational mediators or pedagogical assistants coming under the jurisdiction of the municipalities and schools that gravitate to those municipalities, the remaining 180 thousand euros can very easily be used for other priorities. For example, it is very easy to involve about 15 municipalities on the territory of the whole country to take over those obscure - pedagogical assistants to divide the burden equally, it will not be more than 10,000 euros per municipality per year! That is a ridiculous amount and still there will be employment of Roma teaching staff in the municipalities which will be of great benefit to the schools, the parents and even the children themselves.
The least allocated funds are in the Health only about 65 thousand euros, which are planned mostly for financial support of those Roma health mediators. As a rule, they should be employed in the health system as patronage nurses. If necessary, they should have additional training.
But the point is this. Almost 1 million euros have been allocated, but are they enough? The fact is that there are no funds allocated either for the Ministries such as Culture, Environment and Physical Planning, political systems and inter-community relations, nor any special programs for employment of Roma in employment agencies. It literally follows that only about 0.025% is allocated from the Budget of Macedonia for the Roma. Plastically explained, out of a total of 100 euros, for the Implementation of the Decade and the strategy of the Roma, they received "whole" 0.025 cents. We will integrate as well! However, it must be acknowledged that this Government has so far allocated the most funds to the Roma community!
