Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 234: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that thousands of Roma are being repatriated to camps in Kosovo from Germany, without a housing or medical programme being put in place; if he will raise this matter at the next EU Council of Ministers' meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19097/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government takes a close interest in the situation of the Roma in Kosovo. The Taoiseach raised the living conditions of the Roma when he met with President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaci during his visit to Kosovo on 22 December 2008. My officials regularly pursue the issue at senior level within the EU both in Brussels and in Kosovo. An official of my Department met last October with the Head of Operations of the European Commission Liaison Office (ECLO) in Kosovo. This is the EU body charged with co-ordinating national and international efforts to secure long-term sustainable solutions to the difficulties facing the Roma community in Kosovo. Our Ambassador in Budapest, who is accredited to Kosovo, followed up on the matter with the EU Presidency in Pristina last November. This issue was also discussed during the visit of EU Special Representative / International Civilian Representative (ICR), Mr Pieter Feith, to Dublin on 13 April.

As the Deputy is aware, not all EU Member States recognise Kosovo. Accordingly, there is no agreement between the EU and Kosovo on readmission of citizens. However, a number of Member States are working with the authorities in Pristina on a bilateral basis. The European Commission is helping the Government of Kosovo by strengthening its capacity to regulate and manage the readmission of its citizens. This includes addressing issues such as better allocation of resources as well as coordination between central and municipal levels.

My Department has been in touch in recent days with the Head of Operations at the European Commission Liaison Office (ECLO) in Pristina who has confirmed it is not the intention that Roma, recently returned to Kosovo, will be housed in the contaminated camps at Osterode and Cesmin Lug in North Mitrovice. These are currently in the process of being closed down in a project drawn up jointly by ECLO and USAID in cooperation with the Government of Kosovo. The project is being implemented by an NGO (Mercy Corps Scotland) on behalf of ECLO and USAID. The shared objective of ECLO and USAID is the complete closure of the Osterode and Cesmin Lug camps and the resettlement and reintegration of the 140 Roma families living there. ECLO and USAID have contributed € 5m and € 2.5m respectively to resolve this humanitarian problem. The project also includes provision for medical services and the treatment of children from the camps as well as access to education and other social services. The project started on 1 February and will be carried out over two and a half years.

The Deputy will also wish to be aware that Ireland has supported a broad range of projects to assist the Roma community in the Western Balkans region, including Kosovo. From 2005 to 2009, Irish Aid allocated €850,000 towards development and educational projects with the Roma community in Kosovo. In addition, Ireland contributed €200,000 to the World Bank's Roma Education Fund, which works in eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Kosovo.