Brussels, 05/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 April in Strasbourg, the European Commission adopted a communication inviting member states to set national strategies in place for Roma integration. Member states will have until the end of 2011 to present their national strategies. The first week of April 2012 will thus be devoted to the Roma, a week during which progress underway may be analysed, as will be the case each year in the Commission report, Viviane Reding announced. Her aim is to make better use of European funds and to create a system for the surveillance and strict control of the national strategies.
The 10-12 million Roma within the European area today have to face intolerance, discrimination, exclusion and denial of their rights. The authorities are losing revenue and productivity by not allowing this potential talent to show its worth. Measures are needed to change the situation. The Commission has therefore deemed it imperative that there should be improvements to ensure the economic and social integration of the Roma. To ensure such a policy is effective, there must be concerted action at every level in order to tackle the many causes of exclusion.
On Tuesday, the Commission suggested a European framework for national Roma integration strategies. This EU framework will help guide national Roma policies and mobilise funds available at EU level to support inclusion efforts.
Addressing the press in Strasbourg, Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding (justice, fundamental rights, citizenship) noted that there has been no evidence of strong and proportionate measures being taken regarding the use of the funds. The €26.5 billion available to support Roma integration strategies in member states have not been used as intended.
To date, only €100 million have been allocated to Roma integration and 70% of the funds for the creation of the necessary structures has not been used. Answering a question put to her by a journalist, Viviane Reding replied: “We are not in a beauty contest! Different problems are resolved here. We see what policy should be implemented in very different countries. In Spain, the gypsies are very well integrated. A policy very different from that in Spain is to be set up in Hungary. Targeted policies are needed in each country”. Reding said that funding alone is not a solution. More is needed. There must be a political commitment at the local, national and European levels. Appropriate resources are needed in budgets, as well as controlled coordination between donors. The Commission, she added, has therefore agreed on a European strategy, one of the pillars of which is the fixing of objectives that take into account the specific nature of the Roma in the member states.
This new European framework focuses on four pillars: (1) access to education, ensuring that all Roma children complete at least primary school; (2) employment, cutting the employment gap between Roma and other citizens; (3) health, reducing the health gap, for example by cutting child mortality among Roma; and (4) housing, closing the gap in access to housing and public utilities such as water and electricity. Commissioner Lázsló Andor (employment, social affairs, inclusion) underlined that this EU framework is along the line of the broader objectives of the EU 2020 strategy for employment, social inclusion and education, and that it is essential to implement it in order to help member states reach the general objectives set out in the EU 2020 strategy.
In order to ensure that the EU framework for national strategies makes a tangible difference to Roma on the ground, the Commission wants to put a robust monitoring mechanism in place to measure results. The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency has a key role to play, by collecting data on the social and economic situation of Roma, in cooperation with other organisations. The Commission will report back annually on progress made in the member states.
Statistics. A survey carried out in six countries - Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia - shows that: - only 42% of Roma children complete primary school, compared to an EU average of 97.5%; and for secondary education, Roma attendance is estimated at only 10%; - in the job market, Roma face lower employment rates and higher rates of discrimination; - in housing, they often lack access to essential services such as running water or electricity; - and the life expectancy of Roma is 10 years lower than the European average (76 for men and 82 for women). Furthermore, Roma make up a growing part of the population of working age, with an average age of 25 compared to the EU average of 40. According to research by the World Bank, full Roma integration could be worth around €0.5 billion a year to the economies of some countries by improving productivity, cutting welfare bills and boosting tax receipts. (G.B./transl.jl)