The roundtable discussion titled “Opportunities for Cooperation in Researching the Phenomenon of Multiculturalism” was held on 10 February 2023 in the Institute of Social Sciences, with the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) from Flensburg, Germany cooperating with the ISS in its organization.
Director of the ISS, Goran Bašić, presented the achievements of the ISS and its activities in the fields of multiculturalism and social inclusion, as well as the socio-political context of these processes in Serbia. This was followed by Prof. Velo Pettai, Director of the European Centre for Minority Issues, presenting the work, program and goals of this organization, one of the leaders in Europe in the field of rights’ protection and strengthening of minorities.
Ivana Stjelja (ISS) made presentation of the projects realized in the previous period with the aim of establishing the system for monitoring of implementation of the national Strategy of Roma Inclusion, combating discrimination against Roma in Serbia and Slovenia with the focus on the labor market discrimination, as well as the implemented research projects dealing with social distance between ethnic communities in Serbia and the satisfaction of the members of Roma community living in substandard settlements with the quality of services provided by healthcare mediators.
Ljubica Đorđević presented the experiences that the ECMI had in cooperation with different actors on improving the rights of national minorities. Ksenija Marković spoke of the position of national minorities in Serbia and the problems they were facing.
Opening a discussion about the indicators based on which the level of social and political integration of national minorities could be established, Ksenija Marković concluded that in Serbia, no clearly established indicators that would allow for the assessment of effects of the existing minority policies existed.
After the presentations, a discussion ensued with other participants, and it was concluded that the ECMI and ISS should establish a closer cooperation in the future.
