Brussels, 19/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - The latest annual report of the European Commission on the “implementation of the EU framework for national strategy for Roma inclusion (2015)”, which was published on Thursday 18 June, shows that the member states have stepped up their financial support to the most disadvantaged groups, including Roma, for the period 2014-2020, but at the same time, there has been a “worrying” rise in “anti-Gypsyism, hate speech and hate crime”.
In this report, the Commission welcomes progress in three areas. First of all, there has been an increase in the funds earmarked for Roma inclusion: the member states have €90 billion under the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund available for the integration of disadvantaged groups. Secondly, national strategies are increasingly being translated into local action plans and the National Roma Contact Points are more closely involved in making the best use of EU funds. Thirdly, many member states have improved monitoring and reporting mechanisms at national and European level.
On the downside, there are two worrying tendencies. Anti-Gypsyism, hate speech and hate crime are on the rise in European societies. The Commission stresses that it has intensified its efforts to ensure the proper application of anti-discrimination legislation as regards Roma, also at local level. Although cooperation between civil society and the local authorities is on the increase, it is still not enough, the report states. Against this backdrop, the Commission proposes to support the member states in developing national platforms for Roma inclusion. (Jan Kordys)