As the current “EU framework for national strategies for Roma inclusion” comes to an end, the European Commission presented on Wednesday 7 October a new 10-year strategic framework “for Roma equality, inclusion and participation”.
This sets out a number of non-binding numerical targets and is accompanied by a draft “Council Recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation”, which the Commission hopes to see adopted by Member States by January 2021 or the first half of next year at the latest.
“We need to clarify this with the German EU Council Presidency”, the Vice-President of the Commission responsible for Values and Transparency told the press, Vera Jourova.
The draft recommendation calls on Member States to adopt strategic frameworks for the inclusion of Romani communities – 6-8 million people in the EU – and to communicate them to the European Commission by September 2021.
Quantified objectives
These national plans, the Commission hopes, will make it possible to achieve a series of quantified objectives which it details in its strategic framework.
It calls, inter alia, on states to ensure that by 2030 less than 13% of Roma will be victims of discrimination (compared to 41% in the last 5 years) and to ensure that within 10 years the majority of Romani will escape poverty. Today, 80% of Romani face a risk of poverty.
It would also like to see at least 60% of the Romani in paid employment by 2030, compared with 43% at present.
For MEP Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA, Germany), the rapporteur on this subject, this specific set of indicators is a fundamental novelty. “This is important, because the last strategy document was very general in its objectives and did not allow for a clear monitoring of progress and regression”, he told EUROPE.
Draft recommendation
The first measures detailed in the draft Council Recommendation – and which should make it possible to achieve these objectives – are essentially aimed at alleviating the risk of poverty, strengthening the “participation and consultation” of the Romani and combating discrimination.
A series of sectoral measures then aim to promote equal access among Romani to “high-quality and sustainable” jobs, adequate care and housing and essential services such as drinking water or waste management services.
In addition, particular emphasis is placed on the importance of promoting equal access to education, including by reducing the number of school drop-outs, especially girls.
Widely accepted antiziganism
As called for by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12563/3), the Commission has also been keen to highlight one of the fundamental causes of discrimination and exclusion of Romani populations: antiziganism.
The recitals of the draft recommendation therefore stress the importance of tackling this form of discrimination which is “still widely accepted”, in particular “in the context of the rise of populism and racism in the Union”.
Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli made this point at length at a press conference, regretting that “antiziganism is becoming the norm and not the exception”.
The same recitals also state that the term “Roma” is used in the document as “an umbrella term to refer to a number of different groups of Romani origin such as Roma, Sinti, Kale, Gypsies, Romanichels and Boyash/Rudari”.
“I maintain that the terminology ‘Romani’ better represents the heterogeneity of our people than ‘Roma’, which refers to only one of our groups”, reacted Romeo Franz, himself of Sinti origin (see EUROPE 12574/1).
Effectiveness in question
The absence of binding measures, however, gives this new proposal a limited scope.
The Commission’s previous recommendations in this area 10 years ago had already been left to the discretion of Member States and, according to available data collected by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights in 2011, 2016 and 2019, overall progress in Romani inclusion has been minor since 2011.
“Therefore, I strongly believe that the Commission must present a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Council in 2021 to ensure equality, inclusion and participation”, Mr Franz concluded.
To view the new policy framework: https://bit.ly/36Djrst and the draft recommendation: https://bit.ly/3nlVMCR (Agathe Cherki)