| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2012) 226 final (21.5.12) |
| Publication Date | 21/05/2012 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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In recent years, the situation of Roma has increasingly become the centre of political attention for Europe. Roma – Europe’s largest minority of about 10 to 12 million people – are very often the victims of racism, discrimination and social exclusion and live in deep poverty lacking access to healthcare and decent housing. Many Roma women and children are victims of violence, exploitation and trafficking in human beings, including within their own communities. Many Roma children are on the streets instead of going to school. Lagging education levels and discrimination in labour markets have led to high unemployment and inactivity rates or low quality, low skill and low paid jobs for Roma. This causes a loss of potential which renders the endeavour to secure growth even more difficult. Better integration of Roma is therefore both a moral and an economic imperative, which moreover will require a change of mindsets of the majority of the people as well as of members of the Roma communities. The Member States have the primary responsibility and the competences to change the situation of marginalised populations, so action to support Roma lies first and foremost in their hands. To support them in addressing this situation, the EU has made available a wide range of legal, policy and financial instruments. Although specific national circumstances, needs and required solutions vary greatly across Europe, the shared values of freedom of movement and fundamental rights and the common objectives of political stability, economic prosperity, social cohesion and solidarity between Member States call for a European role in policies for Roma integration. Moreover, the persisting challenges regarding the full integration of Roma who are EU citizens into their societies has a direct impact on wider EU relations with third countries, for instance with regard to the visa requirements applied by some of these to the nationals of certain Member States. This is why the European Commission on 5 April 2011 adopted an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, calling on Member States to prepare or revise National Roma Integration Strategies in order to address more effectively the challenges of Roma inclusion to tangibly improve the situation by the end of the current decade. The endorsement of the Framework by EU Heads of States and Governments indicated that Roma inclusion is becoming an important priority for the all Member States, despite the economic and financial crisis. The aim of the EU Framework is to help Member States to make a tangible difference to Roma people's lives by bringing about a change in the approach to their inclusion. Discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic origin in education, employment, health and housing as well as other areas is already prohibited by EU law, but legislation alone is not enough: Member States need to develop and implement an integrated and sustainable approach that combines efforts across different areas, including education, employment, health and housing. The EU Framework addresses Roma inclusion for the first time at EU level and clearly links it with the Europe 2020 strategy. The persistent economic and social marginalisation of the Roma is directly relevant to the strategy. Three out of five Europe 2020 headline targets are directly linked to the EU Framework targets for Roma inclusion: the fight against poverty and social exclusion, raising employment levels, and reducing school drop-out while increasing attendance in tertiary education. For Member States with a larger Roma population making sufficient progress towards the Europe 2020 employment, social inclusion and education targets will require addressing explicitly and swiftly the situation of the Roma. EU funds (in particular the Structural Funds) could be a powerful tool to improve the socio-economic situation of disadvantaged groups, such as Roma, but too little of the €26.5 billion allocated to support Member States' efforts in the field of social inclusion for the 2007-2013 period benefits disadvantaged Roma communities. The European Commission has undertaken to assess the National Roma Integration Strategies and to report to the European Parliament and the Council, which is the purpose of the present Communication. In its assessment, the Commission also considers the wide range of contributions received from civil society and other stakeholders and the contributions made at the extraordinary meeting of the European Platform for Roma Inclusion held in Brussels on 22 March 2012. The adoption of National Roma Integration Strategies will contribute to making a real difference in the lives of the Roma population. In the next phase, efforts must focus on implementation based on action plans with specific measures commensurate with Roma inclusion targets, supported by a clear timetable and appropriate funding. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0226:FIN:EN:PDF |
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| Subject Categories | Values and Beliefs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
