Zoltán Kovács, Minister of State for Social Inclusion of the Ministry of Human Resources, spoke about the results of the National Social Inclusion Strategy and further goals at the conference on Roma issues organised by the Ferencváros Local Government of Budapest's 9th District. The Minister of State stressed that the situation of people living in extreme poverty, including the Roma, may be improved with long-term, sustainable programmes.

In harmony with the National Social Inclusion Strategy adopted in 2011, he pointed out, the Hungarian Government supports complex and comprehensive solutions which promote the integration of people with multiple disadvantages, including young Roma, from nursery school all the way up to university and which create genuine opportunities for them by offering improved access to education, employment and health care services.

We succeeded in elevating the cause of the Roma to a European level during the course of Hungary’s EU Presidency, he emphasised, which manifested itself in the framework strategy for Roma integration that was adopted under Hungary’s EU Presidency. The European Commission has praised the implementation of the Strategy on a number of points, with particular emphasis on its monitoring system, he added.

(Ministry of Human Resources)