National frameworks for the inclusion of Roma communities vary considerably between Member States, the European Commission expresses with concern in its assessment published on Monday 9 January.
“I call on Member States to review their national plans to see how they can be made more robust”, said Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, but stressed the importance of “acting in parallel at different levels to achieve the objectives set”. “Anti-gypsyism, anti-Roma racism, segregation and discrimination persist in the EU and, in some situations are serious for many of the six million Roma living in the EU”, she recalled.
Minimum requirements relatively met
As part of the 10-year EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2021-2030 (see EUROPE 12678/9, EUROPE 12678/26), the EU27 have committed to put in place national plans adapted to their national context. These should include minimum commitments, such as targets for different segments of the Roma population, setting up monitoring mechanisms, combining general and targeted measures, etc.
However, the Commission finds that only eight Member States have integrated these commitments into their national plans, while 12 have done so only partially and six to a very limited extent. Generally, the missing elements relate to the identification of clear objectives, the mobilisation of clearly earmarked budgets for policy implementation and monitoring, and measures that take into account the diversity within the Roma population.
In contrast, the seven Member States (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) with a large Roma population that were expected to implement more ambitious measures have met their commitment, according to the Commission.
Poorly targeted policies with unclear budgets
The EU’s 10-year plan also calls on European countries to develop policies to combat discrimination, reduce poverty and promote civil society participation. Despite efforts, the Commission deplores the fact that the measures are sometimes not very concrete and the information on budget allocations is vague.
Finally, the EU27 were asked to focus on four key areas in the fight against the social exclusion of the Roma community: education, employment, health and housing. Here too, the Commission calls on Member States to increase their efforts, develop targeted policies and allocate well-defined budgets.
Malta has not adopted a national Roma policy framework due to the lack of a known Roma population on its territory. Only five Member States submitted their strategic frameworks by the September 2021 deadline. Lithuania and Belgium did not adopt their plans until June 2022.
To read the full report: https://aeur.eu/f/4tp (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)