SaS Blasts Action Plan for Roma Inclusion as Inefficient Money Pit

Bratislava, 30 September (TASR) – The opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party once again criticised the Action Plan for the Strategy on Equality, Inclusion and Participation of Roma until 2030, specifically the phase for the years 2025 to 2027, as it believes the plan includes projects that do not address the real issues faced by marginalised Roma communities. MP Vladimir Ledecky (SaS) stated at a Tuesday press conference that the government plans to spend more than one billion euros without having a detailed understanding of how the funds will be used. Ledecky pointed out that he had previously flagged several controversial projects, such as information meetings for social enterprises costing €10.4 million, a proposed Roma media house for €20 million, and tree planting near Roma settlements for €60 million. Ledecky said he had requested more information through official requests but received a response from the Government Office stating the material either does not exist or is not available in a comprehensive form. „They are about to blow over a billion euros and just divide it at the table, without knowing — let alone knowing in detail — how the money will be used or how it will achieve the greatest impact,” said Ledecky. He also reported the issue to the European Commission. „Over the summer, I visited dozens of mayors responsible for these excluded communities. They told me they have completely different projects ready, such as kindergartens, water supply systems, and sewage networks, but there were no relevant calls for these types of projects,” Ledecky noted. He said this confirmed that the state is spending money on entirely different initiatives than it should. Ledecky welcomed the government's decision to scrap the 20-million-euro Roma media house project. „Cancelling that project is just the beginning of what needs to be done. The other nonsensical plans, like the 60 million euros for tree planting, also need to be cancelled,” he added. He expressed hope that the Action Plan for 2028 to 2030 will consolidate funds and direct them towards addressing the actual problems faced by Roma communities. mf/mcs