Arad
About the region
Located in western Romania at the crossroads of key national and international routes, Arad serves as a gateway between Western and Southeastern Europe with four border crossings to Hungary. The county is ethnically diverse, with 82.7% Romanians, 13.0% Hungarians, 1.7% Rromi, 1.3% Germans, 0.3% Slovaks, 0.1% Ukrainians, 0.3% Serbs, and 0.6% other or undeclared nationalities. Under President Iustin Marinel Cionca Arghir, the Arad County Council is highly effective in securing European funds, attracting 123 million lei last year with only a 3 million lei local contribution.
Our intercultural integration approach
After a thoughtful examination of the existing practices and policies, the region officialised a new “Intercultural Integration Strategy for Arad County” in February 2024.
The strategy aims to build an open and democratic society where individuals thrive regardless of their national, ethnic, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds by developing an institutional framework and fostering a societal culture favourable to openness. It operates on two levels: the institutional level, which focuses on improving legislative frameworks and public policies, and the functional level, which promotes long-term educational processes to embed inclusive values.
More information about the strategy can be found in the document “Building Inclusive Societies: Regional Strategies for Intercultural Integration”, while the original version in the local language is accessible at “Get the Tool” page of the EU-Belong website.
Looking ahead
Arad decided to continue the implementation of the established strategy with the pilot project “Immigrant in Arad, shared experiences: development of debates and competitions in schools and universities”. A detailed evaluation will be performed before the end of the project.
Contact