A. Project Overview
The green transition and sustainability are key priorities for the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan and the 2021–2027 programming period. However, disadvantaged groups like marginalised Roma communities in Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania have not been sufficiently included in these plans. Roma communities, especially in Slovakia, face significant socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, lack of access to education and healthcare, and energy poverty.
This project focuses on ensuring that Roma communities can actively participate in the green transition, improving their living standards while addressing environmental and energy issues.
B. Project duration
start date: 1st of January 2024
end date: 31st December 2024
C. Project donor
donor organization: European Climate Foundation
D. Project actions
RESDI implemented field-specific activities to support sustainable development in marginalized Roma communities. These actions focused on evidence-based planning, innovative energy solutions, and coalition-building.
six key activities planned were:
- Participatory Municipal Planning for Sustainable Development
To address the lack of local capacity and the importance of effective policy planning, RESDI supported municipalities in developing strategies for sustainable development:
Activity 1: Development of a Local Strategy for Sustainable Development for Luník IX, Košice City-Ward. This urban municipality, fully populated by marginalized Roma communities, benefited from a framework balancing economic growth, clean energy access, and social well-being.
Activity 2: Conducted a Pilot Energy Audit for Social Housing in Veľký Krtíš. The audit will enable residents to apply for public energy efficiency schemes like “Green for Households.” This initiativel also served as a model for similar communities and inform national policy advocacy.
- Development of Local Energy Communities and Innovative Solutions
Recognizing the interconnectedness of energy, education, housing, and employment, RESDI aimed to empower local energy communities:
Activity 3: Creation of a Business Plan and Feasibility Study for an energy community social enterprise in Luník IX. The plan wwas to focus on circular economy principles, such as producing briquettes from wood waste, job creation, and energy cost reductions.
Activity 4: Development of Innovative Solutions for Energy Poverty, including nature-based solutions like willow plantations in flood-affected areas and exploring finance models for social housing in collaboration with Ostrovany and Luník IX municipalities.
- Establishing the Aarhus Centre for Roma Communities
To address environmental injustice and strengthen Roma communities’ role in the green transition, RESDI focused on:
Activity 5: Developing a concept for an Aarhus Centre for Roma Communities in Central Europe. This included needs assessments, partner identification, and a project proposal to facilitate coalition-building and capacity-building among Roma-focused NGOs and municipalities.
- Coalition-Building and Advocacy
Promoting collaboration between stakeholders is key to scaling successful interventions:
Activity 6: Hosting two Multi-Stakeholder Roundtables with local governments, national authorities, and NGOs. These discussions shared project outcomes and advocate for expanding sustainable solutions, particularly in marginalized Roma communities.
E. Project outcomes
RESDI’s comprehensive approach integrated sustainability, energy innovation, and community empowerment to tackle challenges faced by marginalized communities, setting a model for replication across Central and Eastern Europe.
