Only a fifth i.e. 20% of the businessmen from the Roma community in Macedonia have joined an association or organization and over 90% do not use any state aid at all, a research by the Roma Business Information Center shows.

This state needs to be changed by offering more information regarding the programmes for support of businesses and by enabling more active participation in business organizations, according to Vice PM for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski.

"I call on the members of the Roma business community to take active part in business organisations and associations, because it will be of great benefit for them," Pesevski told participants at the 7th Roma Economic and Business Forum held Thursday in Skopje.

The government, he added, is making efforts to alleviate the effects of Europe's recession and is constantly backing projects for development of all communities.

"Education is an essential part within the Roma population. In this respect, the fact that more and more Roma students are enrolling in elementary and especially in high schools is encouraging. At the moment, the government awards 1,700 scholarships for Roma high school students and it is expected to support about 2,500 students annually in the period between 2012 and 2015," Pesevski said.

The Vice PM urged reforms related to the labour market to resume in order unemployment amongst the Roma population to be reduced.

It was announced that two more Roma educational centers will be opened and that employment trainings for Roma people will continue.

Participants at the forum also discussed the effects of a project aimed at making incomes by collecting plastic for recycling, which was conducted from April 2011 to March 2012. 350 informal plastic waste collectors attended trainings and agreements for organized PET collecting were also signed.

Businessmen from Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania attended the 7th Roma Economic and Business Forum.