At a time when attitudes towards Roma are becoming increasingly hostile, the survey unfortunately reveals the lack of emphasis placed on measures targeting anti-Gypsyism in the national strategies. A majority of respondents report that there was no mention of anti-discrimination and the fight against anti-Gypsyism at all in the strategies or that some measures are planned but are insufficient. Human rights issues were also often neglected in discussions during the drafting phase of the strategies.

Michaël Privot, current chair of the ERPC, said: “Putting an end to anti-Gypsyism must be an integral part of the National Roma Integration Strategies. Although addressing the gaps in employment, health, education and housing is important, there will be no progress without making the elimination of anti-Gypsyism a key priority of the national strategies.” Findings from the ERPC study also suggest that in most Member States, some form of stakeholders’ participation took place during the designing phase of the strategies. However, the consultation processes were often not accessible by all stakeholders or even Roma civil society. When consultation did take place, it seemed to have little or no impact at all on the national strategies in the majority of cases. Moreover, most respondents described the drafting process of the national strategies as lacking transparency. The ERPC urges EU Member States to ensure a full and responsible involvement of civil society and to establish a continuous dialogue with stakeholders.

For interviews or further comment, please contact:

Georgina Siklossy, Communication and Press Officer, European Network Against Racism

Tel: +32 (0)2 229 35 70 – Mobile : +32 (0)473 49 05 31 – E-mail: georgina@enar-eu.org

The ERPC is an informal gathering of non-governmental organisations operating at EU level on issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, social inclusion, and Roma and Travellers’ rights. Its members are Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre, the European Roma Information Office, the Open Society Foundations, European Network Against Racism, Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, the Roma Education Fund, and Fundación Secretariado Gitano. From November 2011 to May 2011, the rotating chairmanship of the ERPC is held by the European Network Against Racism in close cooperation with Amnesty International and the European Roma Information Office. Contact: coordinator@romapolicy.eu  

Cc: College of Commissioners

Brussels, 13 January 2012

Dear President Barroso,

The Commission should send a strong signal to member states to fight anti-GypsyismThe European Roma Policy Coalition (ERPC) calls on the College of Commissioners to take a strong stand on fighting anti-Gypsyism and to address this serious type of racism and human rights concern by all political and legal means.

The situation of Roma in the EU member states is only worsening when it comes to human rights protection and social inclusion. Violence and racially-based harassments as witnessed last year in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic underline the failure of member states to foster a climate where all their citizens can enjoy and fully exercise their human rights. Roma continue to live in alienation and deprivation. They are victims of racist attacks, serious human rights abuses and regular anti-Roma rhetoric by both state and non-state actors. There is growing fear among the Roma throughout the EU that member states cannot protect them and that consequently the only solution is to flee their countries. We are deeply alarmed by such strong anti-Romani sentiments and their forms of manifestation by citizens, organised extremist groups and even state actors.

The Commission has reacted by committing itself to rigorously monitoring the implementation of the EU’s equality legislation regarding Roma.1 This legislation obliges member states to give Roma equal access to education, employment, healthcare, social protection, housing and access to goods and services (Race Equality Directive 2000/43/EC).

However, events have shown that this approach is not sufficient to offer Roma adequate protection in Europe. The Commission treats anti-Gypsyism mainly as a problem to be solved by the national judiciary. However, Roma citizens are often unaware of their rights, have no easy access to justice and face entrenched structural and institutional racism in the judiciary. This approach also neglects the political and societal dimension of the fight against anti-Gypsyism, which has become accepted in most European societies, is mirrored in public discourse and even used for political means.

The Commission must urgently give significant attention to these issues and broaden its approach on anti-Gypsyism. The College of Commissioner must collectively demonstrate its political commitment by systematically and publicly condemning instances of anti-Gypsyism in member states, especially by political leaders. It should also use available legal instruments and consider developing additional instruments to effectively address discrimination and segregation, given the lack of impact of the Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia. The European Commission should make the fight against anti-Gypsyism a priority for the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and provide more support and assistance to member states in their fight against discrimination.

It is urgent that the College of Commissioners sends a strong signal to member states that there should be zero tolerance of anti-Gypsyism. Fundamental rights being a core EU principle, the Commission should press member states to ensure they are respected, as it does for economic issues.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the ERPC

Michael Privot
ENAR Director

1 An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 (PDF), 2011, p. 3.

Download this letter as a PDF

“This message now needs to be urgently translated into concrete action. Otherwise all the Romani people out there who fear for their safety may well feel they have been abandoned by the European Commission and EU countries”, said Nicolas Beger from Amnesty International, the ERPC’s current chair. “In a climate of increasing intolerance, social inclusion strategies cannot succeed without resolute action to combat anti-Gypsyism. It’s time for governments and the Commission to take immediate steps to protect people from violence and racially-based intimidation as witnessed all over Europe – the latest incidents happening in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.”

“Participants called on EU Member States to ensure participation of Roma and other civil society organizations in order to achieve ambitious and effective national strategies on Roma inclusion. This is especially needed at local level, where change should take place.” said Beger.

For interviews or further comment, please contact:

Georgina Siklossy, Communication and Press Officer, European Network Against Racism
Tel: +32 (0)2 229 35 70 – E-mail: georgina@enar-eu.org   

The ERPC is an informal gathering of non-governmental organisations operating at EU level on issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, social inclusion, and Roma and Travellers’ rights. Its members are Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre, the European Roma Information Office, the Open Society Foundations, European Network Against Racism, Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, the Roma Education Fund, and Fundación Secretariado Gitano.From May 2011 to November 2011, the rotating chairmanship of the ERPC is held by Amnesty International in close cooperation with Fundación Secretariado Gitano and the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network.

Contact: coordinator@romapolicy.eu  

The Framework commits all 27 member states to developing targeted policies which systematically tackle the socio-economic exclusion of and discrimination against Roma people throughout the EU.

“Today’s commitment by the presidents and prime ministers of all 27 EU countries to rapidly achieving tangible improvements for Romani communities is an outstanding accomplishment for Europe’s Roma population,” said Nele Meyer, ERPC’s coordinator. “The Commission and every country must be robust in preventing expulsions and other acts of racism and discrimination which violate EU law and, by the end of 2020, provide hard evidence that the existing socio-economic gaps between Roma and non-Roma people have been substantially diminished.”

The ERPC will monitor how well the European Commission and member states convert the Framework’s human rights commitments into tangible and ambitious strategies and assess their implementation, with an initial deadline of the end of this year for developing national strategies.

The ERPC is an informal gathering of non-governmental organisations operating at EU level on issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, social inclusion, and Roma and Travellers’ rights. Its members are Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre, the European Roma Information Office, the Open Society Foundations, European Network Against Racism, Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, the Roma Education Fund, and Fundación Secretariado Gitano. 

From May 2011 to November 2011, the rotating chairmanship of the ERPC is held by Amnesty International in close cooperation with Fundación Secretariado Gitano and the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network. 

Contact: coordination@romapolicy.eu

“Given the hostile treatment many Roma people encounter, the framework mustn’t be a litany of lofty sentiments,” said Nele Meyer, ERPC’s coordinator. “The Commission and member states must swiftly combat racism and xenophobia and encourage fuller integration of our Roma communities and greater empowerment. There must be tangible results.”

The Coalition expects member states to translate the framework’s human rights commitments into ambitious strategies to integrate Roma people into mainstream society.  It has pressed for specific goals to assess each country’s delivery of agreed results. To do this, the ERPC has recommended that national governments work closely with the European Commission, creating a robust coordination and monitoring system to help them. The Coalition has welcomed the Roma Task Force’s continued contribution to these goals.

ESPCO has recognised the need to protect fundamental rights, chiefly by combatting discrimination and segregation, if the widespread poverty and socio-economic disadvantage Roma people suffer is to be successfully tackled. The ERPC has urged member states to prioritise anti-discrimination measures and fighting racism. The Coalition has also stressed the need to pay special attention to Romani women and girls.

“The framework envisages civil society help in developing and implementing the strategies”, said Meyer. “Roma organisations and others are ready to find solutions with national governments. But we need clear consultation processes, nationally and at EU level, to be promptly set up to allow full participation in the review and the development of national strategies which are due by the year-end.”

The ERPC is an informal gathering of non-governmental organisations operating at EU level on issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, social inclusion, and Roma and Travellers’ rights. Its members are Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre, the European Roma Information Office, the Open Society Foundations, European Network Against Racism, Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, the Roma Education Fund, and Fundación Secretariado Gitano.

From May 2011 to November 2011, the rotating chairmanship of the ERPC is held by Amnesty International in close cooperation with Fundación Secretariado Gitano and the European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network.

Contact: coordination@romapolicy.eu

Brussels, 5 April 2011:  The European Roma Policy Coalition (ERPC) acknowledges the European Commission’s political commitment to Roma inclusion expressed today by the adoption of its EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. The Commission’s request to all Member States to develop and implement dedicated long-term strategies to promote Roma integration in four key areas – access to education, healthcare, employment and housing and essential services – and to allocate sufficient targeted resources to achieve progress, is a significant step forward.

However, the Framework falls far short of fully tackling the challenges of Roma exclusion, which are intimately linked to widespread hostility and discrimination against the Roma people. The ERPC is deeply disappointed that while the Framework recognizes the need to fight discrimination against Roma and ensure their equal access to all fundamental rights, it fails to specify measures to combat discrimination, intimidation, anti-Gypsyism, hate speech or violence against Roma. In this respect, the Framework is far from fulfilling last month’s recommendations of the European Parliament.

The ERPC is also concerned that despite the general failure of existing Roma inclusion policies to produce tangible results and many Member States’ lack of experience with such policies, the Framework offers no clear guidance for developing or implementing more effective national strategies. The Framework is too unambitious in some areas and fails to establish explicit targets for Member States, nor does it oblige them to collect relevant disaggregated data to allow proper monitoring and evaluation. The Framework also fails to present a clear coordination mechanism, which is crucial to ensuring full and effective engagement of the European Commission, Member States and civil society. Experience with the EU Roma Platform strongly suggests a total overhaul is necessary if it is to become an effective EU-wide coordinating mechanism for Roma policy discussion and assessment.

The ERPC calls on all Member States and EU accession countries to develop or adapt their strategies in close adherence to the ten Common Basic Principles on Roma Inclusion, in close consultation with Roma and pro-Roma civil society. The ERPC urges Member States to exceed the minimum thematic areas outlined in the Framework and to include actions to tackle and prevent discrimination and anti-Roma sentiment. The ERPC calls on the Commission, when it assesses national Roma integration strategies, to pay close attention to how Member States’ facilitate the active participation of Roma in all stages policy development and implementation as a crucial success factor, and to oblige Member States to progress towards explicit targets based on common indicators.

Despite its strong reservations, the ERPC calls on the European Council to endorse the Framework as establishing minimum common standards for Roma inclusion, and to stress Member States’ common responsibility for halting discriminatory practices and pursuing policies that guarantee equal opportunities to all citizens. The ERPC urges the Commission to fill the many gaps, as set out in the ERPC’s “Essential Elements”, notably regarding the establishment of a solid coordination and monitoring mechanism for the Framework and the process of assessing Member States’ national strategies, as well as governance mechanisms to ensure proper implementation and in developing policy proposals for the 2014-20 funding period.

The European Roma Policy Coalition is an informal gathering of non-governmental organisations operating at EU level on issues of human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, social inclusion, and Roma and Travellers’ rights. Its members are Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre, the European Roma Information Office, the Open Society Foundations, European Network Against Racism, Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, the Roma Education Fund, and Fundación Secretariado Gitano.

Contact: coordination@romapolicy.eu – for enquiries: ERGO Network +32 497 39 32 17