{"id":3169781,"date":"2025-04-11T08:43:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T08:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/winners-of-the-6th-eu-award-for-roma-integration-in-the-western-balkans-and-turkiye-announced\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:58:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:58:42","slug":"winners-of-the-6th-eu-award-for-roma-integration-in-the-western-balkans-and-turkiye-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/en\/winners-of-the-6th-eu-award-for-roma-integration-in-the-western-balkans-and-turkiye-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners of the 6th EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and T\u00fcrkiye announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\nThe European Commission announced the 15 winners<\/strong>\u00a0of the\u00a06th<\/sup>\u00a0edition of the EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and T\u00fcrkiye.\u00a0<\/strong>This year\u2019s award recognises achievements promoting Roma integration through education. The award ceremony took place on 10 April as part of the\u00a02025 EU Roma Week (7-10 April).\u00a0<\/strong>\n\nThe award is a clear reminder of the fact that Roma citizens are an important part of the enlargement, yet very often belong to the most vulnerable groups of the population. Addressing this situation and bringing solutions that support the integration of Roma citizens is a significant part of the work the Commission is doing and this award is a clear example that progress is possible.\n\nMore specifically, the EU award recognises the commitment of the winners in empowering Roma people to harness their full potential as members of society. This year\u2019s award shows the importance of education as a key driver for building the resilience of Roma communities in the face of social, economic, environmental, health and political changes and crises. Education instills confidence and a sense of belonging, encourages active participation within the communities and is a catalyst for growth and development.\n\nA debate on the importance of quality and inclusive education was held before the awards ceremony, with the participation of Ciprian Necula, President of the Open Society Foundations Roma Education Fund, Vesna Dzuteska-Bisheva, UNDP representative responsible for inclusive growth,\u00a0Gabriela Hrabanova,\u00a0Director of ERGO Network, and\u00a0Nesime Salioska,\u00a0former award winner.\n

Background<\/h3>\nThe\u00a0EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and T\u00fcrkiye was established in 2014\u00a0<\/strong>to\u00a0<\/strong>recognise the importance of Roma integration in the EU enlargement partners.\n\nThe winning civil society organisations receive a monetary award of \u20ac8,000 for the first prize, and \u20ac5,000 for the second prize to continue their work in Roma education. Private and public sector winners received non-monetary awards. All winners were awarded with a study visit to Brussels, a trophy, and an award diploma as part of the recognition of their outstanding contributions.\n\nThe 2025 6th<\/sup>\u00a0edition awarded 15 winners selected from a total of\u00a0100 applications and nominations<\/strong>\u00a0from the\u00a0Western Balkans<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0T\u00fcrkiye<\/strong>.\n\nAwardees have been chosen for their commitment in the following areas:\n