Hungary's National Social Inclusion and Roma Strategy is expected to be submitted to the government at the end of this month, the justice ministry's state secretary for social inclusion told a press conference after an international conference held in Budapest on the strategy on Wednesday.

A public consultation on the draft strategy was concluded on Wednesday, and proposals will be incorporated into the final version, said Zoltan Balog.

Consultations will follow on the strategy's legal aspects, Balog said, adding that the financial aspects would be dealt with afterwards.

Balog called it important that programs under the strategy are launched simultaneously in all areas. Programmes to be launched early next year for example for the elimination or rehabilitation of Roma shantytowns must go in hand with school programmes, Balog said.

He noted the plan to train 2,000 Roma women to do social work, which local communities could welcome as a programme aimed at training representatives, acting on their behalf at authorities, health-care services, schools or labour offices, "to deal with their own".

Balog underlined the importance of cooperation in training and culture with the National Roma Self Government, which controls the use of funds allocated for Roma programmes.

The Public Administration and Justice Ministry organised Wednesday's conference to present the strategy to a broader audience and invite representatives of civil groups and governments in the region to give their feedback, the ministry said on its website. The event was attended by 100 officials from Hungary, Macedonia, Slovakia and Romania.

Balog on Tuesday told a conference in Brussels that hundreds of organisations had put forward proposals on the national strategy. He added that the Hungarian government would submit the strategy to Brussels before the December deadline.

(kormany.hu)