Social and economic integration of Roma

This Council recommendation reinforces the EU Framework for Roma integration of 2011 with a non-binding legal instrument that aims to speed up progress by providing guidance to and focusing the attention of EU countries on a number of concrete measures that are crucial for implementing their strategies more effectively.

ACT

Council Recommendation of 9 December 2013 on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States (Official Journal C 378 of 24 December 2013, pp. 1-7).

SUMMARY

KEY ISSUES

The following key issues are covered in the recommendation:

• specific targeted action to strengthen Roma integration in education, employment, health and housing (in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity and without duplicating existing EU legislation);
• general principles of securing the transparent and appropriate allocation of funds (not only EU but also national and local funds) to Roma inclusion;
• essential horizontal and structural measures, such as fighting against discrimination and protecting Roma children and women; adopting a social investment approach; empowering the Roma; translating national commitments into local action via reinforcing the involvement of local and regional authorities; monitoring the impact of policies; taking into account the work of ‘equality bodies’; reinforcing the national Roma contact points and developing transnational cooperation.

In the field of education, the Council recommendation calls upon EU countries to secure full access of Roma to good quality mainstream education and to reduce early school leaving throughout education. This is crucial for both primary level and secondary level, and also for vocational tracks. The recommendation identifies a broad range of actions, which can make a difference if carefully planned and implemented.

In the field of employment, the Council recommendation underlines the importance of ensuring equal treatment and closing the gap between Roma and other workers so as to improve the situation of Roma. In addition to targeted interventions, such as specific and individual services to job seekers, paying attention to the needs of Roma within mainstream policies could make a significant difference.

In the area of healthcare, the recommendation aims at providing very practical guidance, ranging from ensuring basic security coverage, through family planning to free vaccination schemes for the most marginalised groups.

In the area of housing, the recommendation draws attention to the integrated approach, elimination of spatial segregation and promotion of non-discriminatory access to social housing. The recommendation also draws the attention of the EU countries to community-led local development and territorial investments, which can also be supported by EU funding.

When it comes to funding, the recommendation underlines the need to allocate sufficient funding for national and local strategies and action plans.

As regards the horizontal issues, such as anti-discrimination, protection of Roma children and women, poverty reduction and social inclusion and empowerment, the Council recommendation underlines the importance of the practical enforcement of the Racial Equality Directive (Council Directive 2000/43/EC) on the ground and draws the attention of the Member States to make use of the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights as additional reference to identify illegal provisions and practices.

Respect for Roma rights is inextricably linked to effectively fighting child labour, prohibiting begging involving children, full-enforcing legislation on underage marriages, fighting forced marriages and empowering Roma to be able to play their role as active citizens of a country.

Mainstream policies should also play a key role in combating poverty and social exclusion of Roma. In this context, the recommendation calls for investment in human capital and social cohesion policies, as well as linking Roma integration to the national reform programmes in countries with a substantial Roma population.

The recommendation further elaborates on progress needed to set up and improve effectiveness of the structural measures for Roma integration, such as monitoring and evaluation of policies, local action, strengthening the bodies in charge of promoting equal treatment, as well as the role of the national Roma contact points and increasing transnational cooperation. It also provides practical guidance on how progress in these respects can be better achieved.

As the aim of this recommendation is to enhance the effectiveness of Roma integration measures in the EU countries, which in other words provides support to the successful implementation of national Roma integration strategies, reporting will also be very closely linked to the EU Framework.

Information provided by the EU countries on measures adopted in line with this recommendation will feed into the Commission’s annual reports on the implementation of the national Roma integration strategies.

BACKGROUND

The Roma community is the largest ethnic minority in Europe. The Commission proposes to improve the effectiveness of instruments aimed at socioeconomic integration of Roma through a long-term approach and multi-sectoral actions (education, employment, health, housing, etc.).

In recent years, the EU has demonstrated a strong political leadership towards EU countries as regards Roma integration and has managed to keep Roma integration firmly on both EU and EU countries’ agendas.

In 2011, EU leaders committed themselves to the ‘EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies’. All EU countries have, therefore, developed their own Roma integration strategies tailored to the needs of the Roma population in their country. An annual reporting mechanism to assess progress on the ground has also been established. In addition, the EU has linked Roma integration to its wider growth agenda, the Europe 2020 strategy. Within the ‘European semester’, since 2012 the Council of the European Union has issued country-specific recommendations on Roma integration to EU countries with a sizeable Roma population. Finally, the EU has managed to strengthen its financial support for Roma inclusion not only in the 28 EU countries (1), but also in enlargement countries where the promotion of Roma inclusion remains a major priority under the Commission Communication,‘Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges’ .

However, it is the primary responsibility of the EU countries to change the situation of marginalised populations, so action to support Roma integration lies first and foremost in their hands.

The only way to achieve this objective is through political commitment at the highest level in all EU countries. At EU level, the Council recommendation on effective Roma integration measures unanimously adopted on 9 December 2013 was a very important step in the process towards better Roma integration. It added a new instrument to the legal and political landscape, but more importantly it represented a strong and shared political commitment by all EU countries to strengthen their efforts to achieve real improvements.

Further information is available from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers on the EU and Roma and anti-discrimination law.

RELATED ACTS

Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - The social and economic integration of the Roma in Europe (COM(2010) 133 final of 7 April 2010).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (COM(2014) 209 final of 2 April 2014).

Commission Staff Working Document - Accompanying the document - Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (SWD(2014) 121 final of 2 April 2014).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Steps forward in implementing National Roma Integration Strategies (COM(2013) 454 final of 26 June 2013).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2013-14 (COM(2013) 700 final of 16 October 2013).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - National Roma Integration Strategies: a first step in the implementation of the EU Framework (COM(2012) 226 final of 21 May 2012).

Commission Staff Working Document - Accompanying the document - Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - National Roma Integration Strategies: a first step in the implementation of the EU Framework (SWD(2012) 133 final of 21 May 2012).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 (COM(2011) 173 final of 5 April 2011).

last update 16.06.2015

---

(1) The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union and becomes a third country (non-EU country) as of 1 February 2020.