Resources

The Key Takeaways of ROMACT National Forum - National Forum „Decent Home, Secure Future: Housing Conditions as a Key Determinant of Child Rights" which took place on 17 March 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria, highlights that housing insecurity in Bulgaria—particularly affecting Roma families—has deep structural roots and significant consequences for children’s health, education, and well‑bei

The Summary of the ROMACT National Forum „Decent Home, Secure Future: Housing Conditions as a Key Determinant of Child Rights which took place on 17 March in Sofia, Bulgaria, presents the main discussion points and findings of the event. The Forum highlighted that housing insecurity in Bulgaria continues to affect children’s rights, particularly in communities facing long‑standing structural barriers, and emphasised the need for stronger coordination across institutions.

Study and analysis of legislation and existing studies in the field of social assistance and social services, and recommendations for legislative changes with a view to improving access to housing as a social service in Bulgaria and beyond.

This report is the result of a study conducted within the framework of the European Commission and Council of Europe ROMACT Programme. The study was conducted through desk research and analysis of the legal framework between March and August 2024.

The main purpose of this study is to document examples of good practice identified within the ROMACT Programme, in order to illustrate how local public authorities have benefited from support in their efforts to improve the living conditions of Roma communities.

"They are treated as cases, not people"- Analysis of the application of the Social Services Act with regard to preventive community work in Roma communities and in neighborhoods with a concentration of poverty in Bulgaria, in the context of development of the national map of social services  is based on a research implemented in seven ROMACT municipalities between February and September 2023. 

This guide is providing a checklist of elements to be followed in the application of the community consultation process for the development and implementation of CLLD strategies.

On 12 December, in Sofia,   ROMACT and the Bulgarian Ombudsperson’s office organized a public discussion on children left behind by parents going abroad for work. The meeting report and its recommendations are available in English and in Bulgarian.

This report aims to establish the level of cohesion between the objectives and measures of the six integrated territorial development strategies/ITDS/ of the level 2 regions within which the Integrated Territorial Investments will be implemented, and the identified needs, priorities and measures of the Roma communities from municipalities included in the ROMACT Programme.

The report aims to contribute to the adequate addressing of a serious problem affecting a significant number of Roma in the country: impossibility or significant difficulties in implementing the administrative procedure for registration at a permanent address and obtaining an identity document.

In the period November 2020 - January 2021, ROMACT Programme experts conducted a study in order to outline the problems of children left behind in the municipalities it covers in Bulgaria.

The report is available in Bulgarian and in English. 

The Guidelines provide information on available legal tools in different situations depending on the ownership of the land where the constructions are built. The sustainable status of the dwellings will provide opportunities for increasing security and improvement of the living conditions of the affected persons.

The Guidelines provide information to both municipal administrations and affected persons on the available legal tools for registration at a permanent address and provision of an identity document.

These Guidelines for Conducting Public Procurement with Social Criteria in the ROMACT Municipalities have the aim to provide practical tools to municipalities, as contracting authorities, to set social criteria in their public procurement procedures.

​This report provides information on the situation of the social economy structures in ROMACT municipalities, analysing the difficulties met at local level and suggests a number of possible solutions in order to ensure the sustainability of these structures in relation to housing projects for vulnerable populations.

This brief provides information on the legislative framework on socially responsible public procurement that is in compliance with the environmental, social and labor legislation adopted at EU and national level.

The report sets to demonstrate the need to link procurement legislation and public policies with regulations on social economy, social inclusion, antidiscrimination and promotion of equal opportunities. Overall, it aims to increase the social efficiency and social impact of the procurement of goods, services and works by the contracting authorities in Romania.

The study prepared by ROMACT experts identified challenges met in Bulgaria regarding the planning process. It contributes to the work on mainstreaming of the issues of the vulnerable and marginalized communities, including Roma, in the strategies and plans of municipalities. 

This handbook is the outcome of a collective discussion in the Expert Group on Human Rights at the Local Level, chaired by Congress Spokesperson Harald Bergmann. The handbook explains what a human rights approach to government should look like: knowing your obligations as a public authority but also tackling issues and problems from a human rights perspective. It focuses on three groups: refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and IDPs; Roma and Travellers; and LGBTI people. 

Based on research, testimonies and analyses, the report "The ESF and community-led local development: Lessons for the future"  provides a set of recommendations that have been compiled for the attention of the European Commission, managing authorities, LAGs and local actors on facilitating the uptake and successful use of CLLD in the ESF+ in the 2021-2027 programming period (and beyond).