Civil society monitoring report on the implementation of the national strategic framework for Roma equality, inclusion, and participation in Lithuania

This report presents civil society findings on the implementation of Lithuania's National Roma Strategic Framework (NRSF), namely the Roma Integration Plan 2022-2023 (NRSF 2022-2023) and the Roma Inclusion Action Plan 2024-2030 (NRSF (2024-2030). The report recognises limited systemic progress and highlights structural weaknesses in both the design and implementation of these policy instruments. The NRSF 2022-2023 was primarily focused on short-term, fragmented activities with an emphasis on cultural promotion and limited interventions in employment and education. It lacked a transparent budgeting framework, had no dedicated monitoring and evaluation mechanism, and was developed without meaningful Roma participation. As a result, its implementation had minimal impact on structural inequalities faced by Roma communities. The subsequent NRSF 2024-2030 presents a broader and more comprehensive vision, aligning partially with EU-level objectives and expanding its scope to include key themes such as antigypsyism, housing exclusion, and access to healthcare. Despite these improvements, the strategy still suffers from serious shortcomings. It remains largely aspirational and mainstream, not focused on unique Roma community challenges and with ambiguous measures, no allocated national budget, and excessive dependence on EU project-based funding. There is no effective mechanism for Roma participation in governance, and Roma involvement remains mostly symbolic and tokenistic, limited to project-level activities such as mediation and cultural events.