Launching of ROMED2 in Valencia, Spain

On the 2^nd of December 2015, ROMED2 was officially launched in Valencia, Spain during an event organised in cooperation with the municipality of Valencia, and the associations active in Barrio de Cabanyal under the coordination of Demetrio Gomez – the new ROMED2 National Project Officer for Spain.

The implementation of ROMED2 in Spain will focus on a particular neighborhood in Valencia – Barrio del Cabanyal – where a well-established Roma community has been living for decades and to which Roma from Romania have been migrating in the past years.

The launching event benefitted from the participation of representatives of the municipality of Valencia, of the main social actors in the neighborhood, representatives of the Roma Community as well as representatives of the Council of Europe’s Support Team to the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues. A brief meeting with the mayor of Valencia also took place, during which the Council of Europe representative as well as the ROMED2 National Support Team met with the head of the Valencia local administration (Alcalde), Mr Joan Ribó Canut.

The Spanish media covered the event with a series of related articles:

• 4/12/2015 - La Veu - El programa ROMED treballa per integrar i mitjançar amb la ‘població gitana’ del Cabanyal
• 3/12/2015 – El Periodico - Consol Castillo: “La firma del programa ROMED supone la reconstrucción social del Cabanyal”
• 4/12/2015 – Levante el Mercantil Valenciano: El ayuntamiento y el Consejo de Europa ponen mediadores para los gitanos del Cabanyal

Prior to the launching event, the ROMED Spain NST participated in the ROMED Portugal National Workshop (3^rd and 4^th November). On this occasion a short film was created presenting the study visit and the ambitions of the ROMED Programme (Spanish, copyright ROMED Spain/ Sergi Tarín Galán)

You can also follow ROMED Spain on Youtube