Finance Ministry blocks Roma social aid package?

Roma children. Photo: cc/wikipedia user Anglos

The programme, which is set to help Poland’s Roma minority to the tune of 80 million zloty (around 20 million euro) for the years 2014-2020, was penned by the Ministry of Administration and Digitisation.

Money from the Roma aid programme is set aside for apartment renovation, children’s education, as well as artistic activities.

The programme was set to be a continuation of a similar programme undertaken between 2004-2013. However, the Finance Ministry has put the proposals on hold.

“[The ministry] came to the conclusion that since the last programme was executed, a number of laws have been changed which do not allow funds to be allocated for certain activities,” deputy administration minister Stanislaw Huskowski told the Rzeczpospolita daily.

The move comes as the law on minorities was changed in parliament, while the Finance Ministry has yet to declare whether it will support the new programme.

Meanwhile, some representatives of the Roma minority in Poland have criticised the programme.

“Roma should be treated as any other citizens and not be subject to special aid programmes, but through regular activities to combat social exclusion,” head of the Roma Association in Poland, Roman Kwiatkowski told the daily. (jb)