A ceremony was held in a village of Pusca near Murska Sobota (NE) on Friday to mark the centenary of the Roma settlement. Several projects were presented on the occasion, including the Village of Harmony. Human Rights Ombudsman Zdenka Cebasek Travnik said Pusca was not ideal, but could be an example of how the Roma issue should be tackled.

Cebasek Travnik said that Pusca, Slovenia's biggest Roma settlement, was a good example of systematic functioning of all sources of progress.

The municipality has a Roma councillor and is actively working on improving its public infrastructure, health care and education.

"The expression 'a village of harmony' is truly in place here, and luckily the number of such exemplary settlements is increasing in Slovenia, showing that cooperation among all players leads to fewer problems," the ombudsman said.

"It must be clearly stated that Slovenia is dealing with the Roma issue exemplary in many areas, but that the situation varies a lot across the small Slovenia."

Cebasek Travnik believes progress is possible only with cooperation of all parties involved - the state, which must guarantee adequate legislation and supervision, local communities, which should cooperate with the Roma community, and the Roma community itself.

The head of the Office for National Communities Stanko Baluh meanwhile pointed out in his address that by respecting, accepting and inclusion of different cultures and ways of life Pusca had managed to preserve and develop a harmony, which other settlements, cities and countries can look up to.

Festivities celebrating the 100 years of Pusca started already on Thursday, when the Village of Harmony project was presented and workshops on traditional construction methods were organised. A documentary on Pusca was also screened.

Today, a book on the anniversary was presented and a memorial plaque unveiled, while a tree for every decade of the settlement's existence was planted.