Brussels, 22/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 21 December, the Roma Task Force presented the first findings from its assessment of EU funds provided by member states to promote the social and economic integration of the Roma. The first observation indicates that European funds provide a considerable potential for boosting the inclusion of the Roma but that problems at national, regional and local levels are preventing efficient use of these funds by the member states. The Task Force will continue its work to see how improvements can be made for using these funds. The results will form part of a European framework for Roma integration strategies and will be presented by the Commission in spring 2011, for discussion at the European Parliament and the Council.
First findings: The preliminary findings indicate that member states do not yet properly use EU money for the purpose of an effective social and economic integration of Roma. Weaknesses exist in the development of appropriate strategies and specific measures to address problems faced by Roma. Implementation at national level is problematic because of a lack of know-how and administrative capacity to absorb EU funds. The report also identifies problems in providing national co-financing as well as a lack of involvement by civil society and Roma communities themselves.
The management of the bulk of EU funding that may benefit Roma integration is shared with member states, notably through the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and to a lesser extent the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). In May 2010, the EU allowed the use of European regional funding to improve housing for marginalised communities in rural areas. As is always the case with EU funds, it is up to member states and managing authorities to come up with viable projects. It is not the European Commission's role to propose projects, insists the Commission in its note.
Next steps. In brief: The Commission's Roma Task Force will now identify concrete ways to improve the effectiveness of EU funds in the member states. These approaches will feed into an EU-level framework for national Roma inclusion strategies, which the Commission plans to adopt in spring 2011.
New study on member states' projects on Roma inclusion. In Tuesday's study, the Commission also presented a study that analyses national Roma inclusion measures in 18 member states. The study identifies a series of successful political approaches and explains that integrated policy approaches designed to tackle the multiple causes of social exclusion affecting Roma are the most successful for improving the latter's situation in Europe.
Success factors include: 1) effective coordination of policies within national governments and between the national, regional and local levels - such as the national coordination mechanisms set up by Spain and the national Roma strategy in Hungary; 2) sustainable programmes with reliable, multi-annual budgets to ensure continuity of results - such as the ACCEDER training programme that began as a temporary project but has since helped 25,000 people find work over a 9-year period in 48 locations across Spain; 3) effective participation and consultation of Roma in inclusion efforts - Austria and Ireland have set up national advisory bodies to consult Roma and Traveller communities on government initiatives, while Romania's Parliament includes a member to represent Roma communities and all Slovene municipalities with Roma populations include at least one Roma councillor; 4) reliable data and evaluation of results - such as initiatives in Slovakia to survey the living conditions and health needs of Roma and Traveller communities. (G. B./transl.fl)