On 1 October 2014, Štefan Füle, Member of the EC in charge of Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, participated in the first edition of the Award ceremony for Roma Integration. In 2014, the awards were given for Roma integration to civil society organisations from Western Balkans and Turkey. The awards honour the contribution and the valuable work of civil society in supporting social inclusion of Roma people. The seven winning organisations all showed comprehensive and innovative approaches. The award's aim is to raise the political importance of integration of Roma as part of the enlargement process, to enhance the role of the civil society and to show the commitment of the EC to support Roma people. Through recognising the achievements of the winning organisations, the initiative is expected to support further implementation of the awarded activities.