by KG/EUROPA Slovakian Centre for Sustainable Development (ETP) won the 1st prize in the European Economic and Social Committee 2014 Civil Society Prize for Roma inclusion projects. Moreover, the Reverend Archimandrite Athinagoras Loukataris from Greece and IQ Roma servis from the Czech Republic share 2nd prize. "We hope that our self-empowering initiative will be a role model for European policy-makers", said the director of the Centre Slávka Mačáková after collecting the first prize of EUR 15 000 from EESC President Henri Malosse. Vice-president Jane Morrice awarded the two second prizes worth EUR 7 500 each to the Reverend Archimandrite Athinagoras Loukataris from Greece and IQ Roma servis from the Czech Republic. "The appreciation of our work through the Civil Society Prize provides us with the necessary energy to carry on", said the Director of IQ Roma servis Katarína Klamková. "Human kind needs more people to be specialists in making the impossible happen," commented Archimandrite Loukataris. All the winning organisations were accompanied to the Award Ceremony by Roma representatives from their communities who benefit from their programmes focused on housing, education and social support. The Civil Society Prize jury, composed of the EESC president, the two vice-presidents, the presidents of the three groups and the secretary-general, had the difficult task of choosing three winners from a wide range of excellent projects. The EESC received 81 applications from across the European Union. Four external expert assessors shortlisted eight entries. The shortlist included Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) from Spain, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement from France, the Autonomous Centre (ACT) from Croatia and the Hirundo Drop-In Centre at the Helsinki Deaconess Institute from Finland.
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