Germans employ Roma people in Serbia - A total of 40 million euros for Ruma-based recycling center

The memorandum of understanding and cooperation of the National Roma Council and the groups of German companies Jugoagent and Roma invest group which gathers successful Roma businessmen has been signed today and should enable employment and solve the housing issue of a certain number of the Roma population people.

The memorandum envisages that German companies in cooperation with the domestic businessmen invest in Serbia and employ the members of the Roma national minority, as well as to provide housing for the ones who get a job.

The first project to be implemented, as Vitomir Mihajlovic, the National Council President, said, would be the construction of the recycling center occupying some 15 hectares in Ruma.

According to his words, housing units for the staff will be constructed within the recycling center. A total of 40 million euros will be invested in the recycling center for car tires and bio gas production in Ruma, according to investors.

Mihajlovic estimated that the Roma population is facing serious problems when it comes to employment and housing and as an example he added that Serbia has 600 informal settlements, 20 % of which do not have water and 40% sewerage system.

He said that many settlements do not even have electricity and reminded that some 700.000 - 800.000 of the Roma people live in Serbia.

- The implementation of projects which mean employment and housing issue solving can lead the Roma people out of the poverty and misery vicious circle– the director of Roma invest group, Sasa Mitrovic thinks.

The Director of Jugoagent KTS d.o.o., Milorad Basic, sharing the similar opinion, expressed his expectation that soon other projects would be defined as well, pointing out that the German companies show great interest in investing.