E/CN.4/1999/15 page 15 2. Establishment of the Working Group for the Equality and Integration of the Gypsies 57. In view of the fact that Portuguese Gypsies are the main victims of racial prejudice and that many of them are in situations of social exclusion, the Government, through Council of Ministers resolution 175/96, decided to establish the Working Group for the Equality and Integration of the Gypsies, an advisory body which reports to the Office of the High Commissioner for Immigration and Ethnic Minorities. The Working Group is responsible for producing a detailed analysis of the difficulties encountered in integrating the Gypsies into Portuguese society and for preparing a set of proposals aimed at helping to eliminate situations of social exclusion (resolution 46/97). 3. Special campaign for regularizing foreigners in an irregular situation 58. A campaign for regularizing the status of illegal immigrants was held from 11 June to 11 December 1996. Act No. 17/96 of 24 May establishing the regularization process, was a necessary but as yet insufficient step towards eradicating poverty; it contributed to the integration into Portuguese society of citizens of immigrant origin who had previously been in situations of serious social exclusion. 4. Respect for the right to housing 59. Special Relocation Programmes (PERs) have been established and protocols concluded with various municipalities for the purpose of ensuring the right to housing free of discrimination (based on nationality or ethnic group). Decree-law No. 79/96 of 20 June, better known as “the family PER”, established a system of aid for the purchase or renovation of housing for families covered by the PER in the Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas. 5. Right of foreigners to vote and to stand as candidates 60. Act No. 50/96 of 4 September 1996 incorporated into domestic legislation European Council Directive 94/89/EC of 19 December concerning the exercise of the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections by citizens of the European Union residing in a member State of which they are not nationals, which also grants the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections to other foreigners residing in the national territory, in particular citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries. The granting of so-called “local citizenship” to foreigners residing in Portugal, taking into account the need for reciprocity under article 15-4 of the Constitution, has created conditions for significant progress in combating social exclusion. 61. Under the Act, the right to vote and to stand as a candidate has been granted to citizens of member States of the European Union and of Cape Verde, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay, and the right to vote has been granted to citizens of Norway, Argentina and Israel. The fact that more than 10,000 Cape Verde citizens have registered to vote in local elections is an indication of their desire to be fully-fledged citizens.