Integration of Roma in the area of healthcare

 

SUMMARY

A Council recommendation adopted in 2013 calls for measures to be taken in a number of areas, including healthcare, to strengthen the integration of Roma people, Europe’s largest ethnic minority.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE RECOMMENDATION?

It demonstrates the strong and shared political commitment of all EU countries to strengthen their efforts to:

—	combat social exclusion and discrimination, and

—	achieve real improvements in promoting Roma integration in the areas of healthcare, education, employment and housing.

KEY POINTS

The recommendation calls on EU countries to take measures to ensure equal treatment of Roma in access to universally available healthcare services on the basis of general eligibility criteria. Examples of appropriate measures include:

—	removing any barriers to access to the healthcare system accessible for the general population,

—	improving access to medical check-ups, prenatal and postnatal care and family planning, as well as sexual and reproductive healthcare, generally provided by national healthcare services,

—	improving access to free vaccination programmes targeting children and vaccination programmes targeting, in particular, groups most at risk and/or those living in marginalised and/or remote areas,

—	promoting awareness of health and healthcare issues.

Monitoring and evaluation

—	EU countries need to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures that they take both in terms of their national Roma integration strategies and within their broader social inclusion policies.

—	This can be done by setting targets or by collecting qualitative or quantitative data on the social and economic effects of the measures taken.

—	The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has developed a multiannual Roma programme (2012–2020). It prepares regular reports on progress made and provides evidence-based advice to the EU institutions and EU countries based on data gathered from across the EU.

Reporting and follow-up

EU countries are to report to the European Commission by 1 January 2016 any measures taken in line with the recommendation. Thereafter, they are to provide this information on an annual basis.

The Commission, in turn, ensures that the information provided serves as a basis for its annual report on the implementation of national Roma integration strategies.

The results also feed into the European Semester process for economic policy coordination. Since 2012, as part of the European Semester, the Council has issued country-specific recommendations to five countries with large Roma communities (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia).

In 2014, the European Commission published the Roma Health Report which concluded that Roma access to healthcare is closely linked to social exclusion factors. Roma often do not speak the language, do not understand the healthcare system or may not be registered or insured. They also experience discrimination by healthcare professionals which in turn makes the Roma less trusting of the healthcare system.

BACKGROUND

—	Roma integration on the European Commission’s website

—	EU Agency for Fundamental Rights

ACT

Council Recommendation of 9 December 2013 on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States (OJ C 378, 24.12.2013, pp. 1–7)

RELATED ACTS

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)

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 2015 (COM(2015) 299 final of 17 June 2015)

last update 15.10.2015