Roma: Commission calls on Member States to step up efforts on integration

The European Commission has called on Member States to deliver on their
commitments to ensure equality and to do more to improve the economic and social
integration of Europe’s 10 to 12 million Roma. The call follows the Commission’s
progress report released today which shows that Member States need to do better
in implementing their national Roma integration strategies submitted under the

EU Framework for national Roma integration strategies. The new report is
accompanied by a proposal for a Recommendation addressed to EU countries which
proposes to Member States on the one hand specific measures, including positive
action, and on the other hand, horizontal policy measures, including local
actions to improve the situation of Roma people. Member States would have two
years to put concrete measures into practice to make a difference for Roma
people on the ground

“If Member States are serious about their national strategies, they need to
move up a gear on Roma integration. The EU Framework for national Roma
integration has been in place for over two years. It’s time that strategies are
followed by concrete actions," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s
Justice Commissioner. "Although some progress has been made, it remains only
limited. That’s why we are now giving specific guidance to help Member States
strengthen and accelerate their efforts: action to help Roma needs to go local,
different countries need to work together, and urgent intervention is needed to
address the situation of young Roma."

"Roma inclusion measures must be implemented and monitored with the full
involvement of civil society, including representatives of Roma communities
themselves. They – together with National Roma Contact Points – must also be
involved in the current planning of the use of EU funds for 2014-2020", said
László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. "Member
States – especially those with large Roma communities – must urgently and
forcefully promote effective equal access for Roma to education and the labour
market. The Commission has also proposed Country Specific Recommendations to the
Member States most concerned. Providing equal opportunities to Roma will
contribute to meeting the Europe 2020 targets in the fields of education,
employment and poverty reduction."

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Progress report

Today’s Roma progress report finds that while many Member States have set up
mechanisms to better coordinate their Roma integration efforts and bolster
dialogue with local and regional authorities, there is room for improvement in
involving civil society organisations and putting in place sound monitoring and
evaluation methods to measure results. The report also finds that a majority of
Member States have not allocated sufficient resources from their national
budgets to implement the strategies. In addition, public authorities should do
more to fight discrimination and explain the social and economic benefits of
Roma integration.

Despite criticism, the report also draws attention to a series of examples of
good practice from Member States, such as the regional action plan for Roma
inclusion developed by the State of Berlin, cooperation between the national
authorities and local actors in France, and work done in Bulgaria to better
mobilise EU funds. Hungary has designed a robust system to monitor
implementation of its national strategy, Spain has trained 158 police forces to
deal with ethnic discrimination, and Romania has earmarked 15,000 places for
Roma students in schools, universities and vocational training.

Recommendation

The Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation is the first EU legal
instrument for Roma inclusion. The proposal would recommend Member States to
take positive action to bridge the gaps between the Roma and the rest of the
population. It reinforces the EU Framework for national Roma integration
strategies agreed by all Member States in 2011 by setting the conditions for an
effective inclusion of Roma people in the Member States. Based on previous
Communications, the proposed Recommendation focuses on the four areas where EU
leaders signed up to common goals for Roma integration under the EU Framework:
access to education, employment, healthcare and housing. For putting in place
the targeted actions, it asks Member States to allocate not only EU but also
national, private and third sector funds to Roma inclusion – a key factor
identified by the Commission in its evaluation of Member States’ national
strategies last year (IP/12/499). In addition, it offers guidance in helping
Member States transform horizontal issues into actions for Roma integration ,
such as ensuring that the strategies go local, enforcing anti-discrimination
rules, following a social investment approach, protecting Roma children and
women and addressing poverty.

Funding

The proposed Recommendation suggests Member States allocate sufficient
funding to their national and local strategies and action plans for Roma
inclusion from any available sources. This should be facilitated by allocating
an adequate share of EU cohesion policy resources to investment into people
through the European Social Fund, and allocating at least 20% of this amount in
each Member State on social inclusion. The proposed Recommendation also suggests
that Roma integration is included in the Partnership Agreements of the Member
States concerned. In order to ensure effective implementation, the capacities of
local authorities and civil society organisations should be strengthened.

Next Steps

To enter into force, the proposal for a Council Recommendation will first
need to be unanimously adopted by Member States in the Council and receive
consent from the European Parliament. This will reinforce the existing political
commitments of Member States. EU countries have two years time to put into
practice the necessary measures to comply with the Recommendation. They will
need to inform the Commission on an annual basis on how they have applied it.
The Commission for its part will continue to assess progress in its own annual
Roma progress reports each spring.

The findings will also feed into the European Semester process for economic
policy coordination. In the May 2013 exercise, the Commission proposed country-specific
recommendations (CSRs) for five Member States under the European Semester on
issues related to Roma (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia).
This annual cycle makes sure that Roma integration remains firmly and
continuously on the European agenda.

The Country-Specific Recommendations focus on the most important structural
impediments affecting progress towards the Europe 2020 targets to reduce poverty
and social exclusion and to boost education in each Member State. Therefore,
they also indicate funding priorities for the period 2014-2020. The on-going
negotiations with Member States on the use of EU funds should ensure an
appropriate allocation of funds for turning commitments into concrete actions.

Background

Roma integration is in the interest of Member States, especially for those
with a large Roma minority. Roma represent a significant and growing proportion
of the school age population and the future workforce. In countries like
Bulgaria and Romania, one in every four to five new labour market entrants are
Roma. Efficient labour activation policies and individualised and accessible
support services for Roma job seekers are crucial to allow Roma people live up
to their potential and actively and equally participate in society.

In its 2012 report, the European Commission called on EU Member States to
implement their national strategies to improve the economic and social
integration of Roma in Europe. Member States developed these plans in response
to the Commission’s EU Framework for national Roma integration strategies,
adopted on 5 April 2011 (see IP/11/400, MEMO/11/216) which was endorsed by EU
leaders in June 2011 (IP/11/789).

EU Structural Funds – the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) – as well as the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development (EAFRD) have been mobilised to boost national efforts and are an
important financial lever in ensuring the translation of national Roma
integration strategies into real socio-economic inclusion of Roma communities,
alongside national budgets. But although, the three funds total €50 billion per
year, not enough benefits disadvantaged people, including Roma.

On 15 May 2013, Vice-President Reding and Commissioner Andor met key players
from Roma civil society to discuss Roma integration in Europe and prepare today’s
Recommendation proposal (MEMO/13/437).

On 27 June 2013, the Commission’s report and proposal for a Council
Recommendation will be presented at the meeting of the European Platform for
Roma inclusion, which, this year, will focus on the urgent need to improve the
situation of Roma children and youth.