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European Commission calls on Member States to set national strategies for Roma integration

Europe's 10-12 million Roma continue to face discrimination, exclusion and the denial of their rights, while governments lose out on increased revenue and productivity because potential talent could go wasted. Better economic and social integration is an imperative – but to be effective, concerted action is needed at all levels to address the multiple causes of exclusion. The European Commission is therefore today putting forward 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. The Framework focuses on four pillars: access to education, jobs, healthcare and housing. Member States should set individual national Roma integration goals in proportion to the population on their territory and depending on their starting point.

"Despite some good intentions from national politicians, too little has changed in the lives of most Roma over the last few years," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner. "Member States have a joint responsibility to put an end to Roma exclusion – from schools, jobs, healthcare and housing. This is a serious challenge. That is why we are setting goals for Roma integration and why we now need a clear commitment from all capitals, regions and cities in Europe to put them into practice. Now is the time to move beyond good intentions and to take concrete actions. Most important to me is that Member States help ensure that all Roma children complete at least primary school."

Roma people in Europe live in considerably worse socio-economic conditions than the population at large. A survey in six EU countries found that only 42% of Roma children complete primary school, compared to an EU average of 97.5%. For secondary education, Roma attendance is estimated at only 10%. In the job market, they face lower employment rates and higher rates of discrimination. In housing, they often lack access to essential services such as running water or electricity. They also face a health gap: life expectancy for Roma is 10 years less than the EU average of 76 for men and 82 for women.

EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor, declared: "The persistent exclusion of Roma people is unacceptable in 21^st Europe built on principles of equality, democracy and the rule of law. The living conditions of the majority of Roma and their relations with mainstream society have just worsened in recent years."

He further underlined: "For some countries it will be simply impossible to achieve the Europe 2020 targets without a breakthrough in Roma integration."

Roma integration could mean considerable economic benefits. Roma represent a growing share of the working age population, with an average age of 25 compared to the EU average of 40. They make up one in five new labour market entrants in Bulgaria and Romania. Research by the World Bank suggests 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.

In the past, the EU has repeatedly stressed the need for better integration of Roma, most recently with a report in April 2010 (IP/10/407). EU legislation (the Race Equality Directive) already obliges Member States to give equal access to ethnic minorities, such as the Roma, to education, housing, health and employment. In December 2010, the Commission's Roma Task Force found that strong and proportionate measures are still not in place to tackle the social and economic problems of a large part of the EU's Roma population (MEMO/10/701). It is now crucial to step up a gear and ensure that national, regional and local integration policies focus on Roma in a clear and specific way.

Building on these findings, the EU Framework develops a targeted approach for Roma inclusion by setting goals in:

Member States will have to submit national Roma strategies by the end of 2011 specifying how they will contribute to the achievement of these goals. The Framework is in line with the EU's broader Europe 2020 targets for employment, social inclusion and education. The achievement of these goals is important to help Member States reach the overall targets of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The Commission is also proposing solutions to make sure that EU funds that can support Roma integration are more effectively used. Member States are invited to amend their operational programmes co-financed by Structural Funds and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development to better support Roma targeted projects.

Finally, to make sure 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. Member States are asked to appoint national contact points to manage, monitor and report the implementation of their national Roma integration strategy. The European Commission will report back annually on the progress made in the Member States.

Background

The Roma – Europe’s largest ethnic minority – have been part of Europe for centuries, but frequently face prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and exclusion.

Many of the areas for improving Roma integration – such as education, employment, health and housing – are primarily national or regional responsibilities. However, the EU has an important role in coordinating action by Member States and helping with financial tools.

In summer 2010, the European Commission publicly took the position that Roma are EU citizens and should fully benefit from their rights and fully comply with their obligations under EU law (SPEECH/10/428 and MEMO/10/502).

EU framework for national Roma strategies: Frequently asked questions

Who are the Roma?

There are around 10-12 million Roma people in Europe. They have been part of Europe for centuries and are integral to its society and economy, but frequently face prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and exclusion.

Reliable data are hard to come by, but estimates by the Council of Europe (see annex) show that almost all EU countries have Roma communities of varying sizes. They form a significant proportion of the population in Bulgaria (around 10%), Slovakia (9%), Romania (8%), Hungary (7%), Greece, the Czech Republic and Spain (all 1.5-2.5%).

Around a third of these live in the countries of the western Balkans, such as Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and in Turkey.

How do EU policies support Roma integration?

Many of the most important areas for improving Roma integration – such as education, employment, health and housing – are national or regional responsibilities. But the EU has an important role to play in coordinating action by Member States. It can support this with powerful policy and financial tools: European legislation against discrimination, policy coordination, common integration goals and structural funding.

EU legislation (the Race Equality Directive) obliges Member States to give equal access to ethnic minorities, such as the Roma, in education, housing, health and employment. Nevertheless, these rules need to be well implemented and applied in practice in order to offer effective protection to individuals, and if need be, access to justice in cases of discrimination.

Several EU funds are available to Member States to support national Roma inclusion policies, namely the European Social Fund (ESF), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The EU already co-finances projects for the Roma in sectors like education, employment, microfinance and equal opportunities (in particular equality between men and women).

What is the role of Member States?

Member States have the primary responsibility for Roma integration, because the key areas which are the biggest challenge for Roma inclusion remain mostly national responsibilities. These include access to quality education, to the job market, housing and essential services, and healthcare.

Policies in these fields are often handled by regional and local authorities, depending on the country. This means different levels of government have a joint responsibility for Roma inclusion and need to cooperate closely to achieve results.

For example, the EU makes funds available to support inclusion and employment of Roma, among other things, but Member States and regions are responsible for allocating and implementing funding for specific integration projects.

What are the main areas where Roma face exclusion?

In education, Roma children have lower attainments and often face discrimination and segregation in schooling. Although the situation differs between EU countries, a survey by the Open Society Institute in six EU countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia) found that only 42% of Roma children complete primary school, compared to an average of 97.5% for the general population across the EU as a whole.

This has a knock-on effect in the labour market, where young Roma are less well-equipped and less qualified to find a job. The Europe 2020 strategy sets a headline target of 75% of people in the EU aged 20-64 to be in employment, compared to a current rate of 68.8%. For Roma, the employment rate is significantly lower, with a gap of around 26 percentage points according to World Bank research covering Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia.

In health, Roma have a life expectancy of 10 years less than the average European and a child mortality rate that is significantly higher than the EU average of 4.3 per thousand births. United Nations Development Programme research in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic put Roma infant mortality rates there at 2-6 times higher than those for the general population, depending on the country. These outcomes reflect poorer living conditions, reduced access to quality healthcare and higher exposure to risks. There is also evidence that Roma communities are less well informed about health issues and can face discrimination in access to healthcare.

Roma also face significant gaps as compared to the average European in terms of access to housing and essential services. While between 72% and 100% of EU households are connected to a public water supply, the rate is much lower among Roma. Research by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency points to wider problems in accessing housing, both private and public. This in turn affects Roma health and broader integration prospects.

What are the benefits of better Roma integration?

Apart from better respect for the fundamental rights of a large number of EU citizens and greater social cohesion, better Roma integration holds out considerable economic benefits.

The Roma represent a growing share of the working age population, with an average age of 25 compared to the EU average of 40. Some 35.7% of Roma are under 15, compared to 15.7% of the EU population. Roma also form 1 in 5 new labour market entrants in Bulgaria and Romania.

According to a recent research by the World Bank, full Roma integration in the labour market could bring economic benefits estimated to be around € 0.5 billion annually for some countries.

How will this strategy framework help the Roma?

The EU framework develops a targeted approach for a more effective response to Roma exclusion by setting EU-wide goals for integrating Roma, in education, employment, health and housing.

It will make a tangible difference to Roma people's lives over the next decade by focusing on Roma in national, regional and local integration policies in a clear and specific way, addressing them with explicit measures to prevent and compensate for the multiple disadvantages they face.

Member States will be asked to submit national Roma strategies to the Commission by the end of 2011, specifying how they will contribute to achieving the overall EU level integration goals, including setting national targets and allowing for sufficient funding (national, EU and other) to deliver them.

Finally, it proposes solutions for using EU funds more effectively and lays down foundations for a robust mechanism to monitor results.

What are the specific EU-level goals?

The goals address the four main areas for improving social and economic integration for Roma, all of which are primarily national policy areas:

How will the Commission check on progress?

The Commission will report annually to the European Parliament and to the Council on progress on the integration of the Roma population in Member States and on the achievement of the Roma integration goals.

It will base its monitoring notably on:

It will also take into account the work of the European Platform for Roma Inclusion.

What about Roma outside the EU?

To improve the situation of the estimated 3.8 million Roma in the western Balkans and Turkey, the Commission intends to step up support for integration in the context of EU enlargement.

The enlargement process includes funding for social development projects, among other things. The Commission will support the national efforts to improve Roma inclusion by improving delivery of aid under the Instrument on Pre-Accession Assistance and encourage Roma involvement in formulating, implementing and monitoring policies. It is currently implementing or planning projects which could exclusively or partly benefit Roma worth €50 million.

The Commission will also closely monitor the economic and social situation of Roma in its enlargement progress reports for each country.