The service of a local integration associate is necessary at the local community level and can be an important resource for local governments to implement social protection policy aimed at returnee families under the Readmission Agreement. This is one of the conclusions of the meeting with the Assistant Mayor of Municipality of Lebane and Coordinator for Roma issues of the same municipality.

The meeting discussions were focused on needs of the most vulnerable families and on complexity of challenges faced by each family returned under the Readmission Agreement during their integration on the territory of the Municipality of Lebane. The event was a place to present the publication with information on services actually available in the social protection system within 17 municipalities of the Republic of Serbia. The booklet is translated and available in 4 languages (Roma, Albanian, German and Serbian).

After the meeting, EHO team and Coordinator for Roma issues visited the families who were provided with help and support during the implementation of various projects implemented by EHO in the territory of this Municipality.

In addition to the meeting held in Lebane, the project team also visited Kruševac, where they visited a beneficiary family in the “Roma settlement Marko Orlović” accompanied by a local integration associate. Upon the visit to the family, a working meeting was held with: director of the Elementary School "Dragomir Marković", a representative of the Association "Roma Heart Kruševac" and a local integration associate. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange information on improvement of the position of Roma returnee families, and also to provide direct support to children for their inclusion in education system.

The project "Integration Network in Serbia" is implemented with the support of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), the Ministry of Baden-Württemberg and the Diakonie Württemberg from Germany.