ACFC/31DOC(2008)001 The participation of national minorities in socio-economic life is sometimes hampered by administrative obstacles, and by an institutional lack of sensitivity to their cultural background and specific needs. State Parties should develop training programmes for public service staff to enable them to adequately respond to the needs of national minorities. Information on public services and welfare institutions needs to be easily accessible and, where appropriate, available in the languages of national minorities. Public institutions should promote the recruitment and retention of persons belonging to national minorities. Those persons belonging to national minorities living in economically depressed regions, e.g. rural, isolated and border areas, war-damaged areas or regions affected by deindustrialisation, should be the target of specific measures to enable effective socioeconomic participation. Such measures could be promoted through bilateral and crossborder co-operation where appropriate. Furthermore, specific social and economic measures are often required for persons belonging to disadvantaged minority groups to ensure their effective equality. In order to promote effective integration of Roma and Travellers in socio-economic life, comprehensive and long-term strategies should be designed and effectively implemented. The implementation of these strategies should be monitored, and the effects evaluated in close co-operation with those concerned. State Parties should remove undue obstacles and excessive regulations hindering the practice of economic activities specific to certain minority groups, and which are under threat. In order to guarantee full and effective equality for persons belonging to national minorities in privatisation processes, the authorities should not only ensure transparency, but also set up monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Following armed conflicts, State Parties should ensure that property claims made by persons belonging to national minorities are processed and implemented in an efficient, transparent and nondiscriminatory manner. Land traditionally used by persons belonging to certain groups, such as indigenous peoples, should be given particular and effective protection. Representatives of these groups should be closely involved in any decision-making on land rights and land usage in their traditional areas of residency. Access to the labour market, basic social benefits and public services should not be restricted by undue residency or language requirements, which particularly affect persons belonging to some national minorities. At the same time, State Parties should ensure that residency registration processes are easily accessible and do not discriminate -directly or indirectly - against persons belonging to national minorities and that they are regularly monitored. 5