“It was the Hungarians who drew attention to the challenge of Roma integration in Europe, and we formulated the first responses to it,” said Christian Democrat MEP György Hölvényi at a conference in Brussels.
György Hölvényi, MEP of Hungary’s smaller governing party KNDP, organized a conference in the European Parliament to present the achievements of the Network of Christian Roma Colleges for Advanced Studies and the Network of Roma Colleges for Advanced Studies in Hungary.
The purpose of the Hungarian delegation’s visit was to introduce the unique Hungarian integration networks to the European public and policymakers, Hölvényi wrote on his website.
Today, we need to highlight the role of churches in the social integration of the Roma people,”
the MEP pointed out. The 11 Roma vocational colleges they have created and are presenting today are essential in addressing this social challenge, he added. Every year, 350 young people study in these institutions. “Thanks to this, nearly 500 graduates and former vocational college students are already helping the cause in Hungary,” Hölvényi stressed.
Hölvényi recalled that the Hungarian government took up the issue of Roma integration in 2010, adopted a strategy, and chose the means of work and learning as the solution.
Lívia Járóka, Fidesz MEP, spoke about the challenges facing Roma students. She stressed that all that has been achieved so far in the field of Roma integration will only be fulfilled if educated Roma youth can take over the shaping of Roma policy from their predecessors. Lívia Járóka played a decisive role in the representation of the Hungarian Roma strategy in Europe, becoming the first Roma MEP in the European Parliament in 2004 and the first Roma Vice-President in 2017.
Photos via Facebook/Járóka Lívia