Skopje, 22 September 2023 (MIA) — Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska announced Friday the fourth annual Declaration of Western Balkans Partners on Roma Integration within the EU Enlargement Process ministerial meeting, which will be organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

According to an official press release, regional ministers from Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo will take part in the meeting. Its aim is to asses progress made in the past year regarding the inclusion of Roma in society.

Meeting participants are also expected to pinpoint any problems that remain and discuss specific steps that should be prioritized in the next year.

According to Minister Trenchevska in an MRTV1 interview, North Macedonia has shown considerable progress "in the inclusion of the Roma in the education process and employment, and consequently their economic empowerment in which we are the regional leaders."

"We are also working on housing as an important issue for the Roma, one of the most vulnerable categories of citizens," Trenchevska said.

The minister also addressed pensioners' demands for higher pensions.

She said the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy was prioritizing pensioners and their quality of life.

"All our policies and recent measures have been aimed at ensuring a decent life for our oldest population. This was confirmed by the 24 percent increase in pensions over the past two years, their inclusion in relief measures, and the introduction of home care services for the elderly," the labor minister said.

Trenchevska also noted that a working group was developing targeted short-term solutions, such as anti-crisis packages and amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance foreseeing a higher minimum pension.

On the topic of disability, she said any child had the rights to social services if it was assessed they needed them.

"Our goal is for every child with a disability, in addition to material rights, to receive free social services including a speech therapist, a special education teacher, day care center, and a personal educational assistant," she said.

"The functional assessment of children with disabilities focuses on the needs of the children. A diagnosis is not made, but we are looking at how the children can become more functional and integrate into society," Trenchevska said. mr/