European Roma Information Office Newsletter 2 April, May and June By Ivan Ivanov, ERIO s Executive Director

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1 European Roma Information Office Newsletter 2 April, May and June 2012 ERIO NEWSLETTER In this issue... The Commission s Assessment of the National Roma Integration Strategies Our Editorial Recommendations of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO) to the Cypriot EU Presidency ERIO s statement on the Commission s evaluation report on the National Roma Integration Strategies ERIO s participation in a school conference on the Roma Holocaust ERIO s conference Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe ERIO is the new chair of the European Roma Policy Coalition ERIO recommendations to EC for improving the lives of older Roma The European Roma Information Office (ERIO) is an international advocacy organization, which promotes political and public discussion on Roma issues by providing factual and in-depth information on a range of policy issues to the European Union institutions, Roma civil organizations, governmental authorities and intergovernmental bodies. ERIO cooperates with a network of a large number of organizations and acts to combat racial discrimination and social exclusion through awareness raising, lobbying and policy development. ERIO Av. Edouard Lacomblé 17 Brussels 1040 Belgium Tel: 0032(0) Fax: 0032(0) For more information: press@erionet.org / By Ivan Ivanov, ERIO s Executive Director On 5 April 2011, the European Commission (EC) adopted a European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, calling on all EU member states to transpose it in the form of national strategies in order to address Roma issues and to make Roma integration more effective. ERIO s research among its network members shows that the degree of involvement of Roma civil society in the consultation of the National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) varied in the different member states; however, although in most cases inadequate, the NRIS were submitted nonetheless by most member states. The EC assessment focused on the four key policy areas provided in the Framework: education, employment, healthcare and housing. It further included specific goals for each policy field and measures for improvement. As the Framework was criticized by different stakeholders for falling short in addressing human rights and discrimination issues, the EC dedicated a chapter in the assessment describing the attention member states have paid to promote antidiscrimination and protection of fundamental rights in their strategies. In the chapter Assessment of the Funding Measures, the EC states, most member states have failed to allocate sufficient budgetary resources for Roma inclusion. Furthermore, the Commission encourages member states to make more and better use of EU funds for Roma inclusion as part of their efforts to improve their absorption rate. Additionally, the fact that a specific chapter in the Framework is dedicated to enlargement countries underlines that the EU Roma integration goals are equally relevant for them. In the chapter Way Forward, the EC recognizes the efforts made by member states but also stresses that much more needs to be done at national level. Socio economic inclusion of Roma remains first and foremost the responsibility of the Member States and they need stronger efforts to live up to their responsibilities. By adopting more concrete measures, explicit targets for measurable deliverables, clearly earmarked funding at national level and sound national monitoring and evaluation system. The EC concludes its assessment of the NRIS with Recommendations for the member states to (1) continue regular bilateral dialogue with the EC and relevant stakeholders, (2) involve regional and local authorities, (3) work closely with civil society, to allocate proportionate financial resources, (4) monitor transformation and enable policy adjustment and (5) fight discrimination convincingly. The last recommendation indicates that the EC takes the anti-discrimination aspect of Roma inclusion very seriously. We are looking forward to the EC s next communication to the European Parliament and other EU institutions, which will mainly assess the implementation of the NRIS rather than their content. Then it will become clear to what extent member states have adapted their strategies to the European Framework and to what extent they have considered the recommendations of the first assessment.

2 Recommendations of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO) to the Cypriot EU Presidency On 1 July 2012, Cyprus will take over the next Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It will complete the term of the trio Poland-Denmark- Cyprus. During its six month tenure, Cyprus will have the opportunity to develop the policy context and developments made to improve the lives of Roma across Europe. At the end of 2011, member states submitted their National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) to the European Commission. The European Roma Information Office, as an international advocacy organisation working to combat racist discrimination against Roma encourages and expects that the Cyprus Presidency will keep high in its agenda the engagement to tackle the many problems and obstacles faced by Roma and the alarming increase in anti- Gypsyism. 1. National Roma Integration Strategies Most member states submitted their National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) to the European Commission. However, as the Commission s assessment demonstrates, most member states need to improve their strategies in order to make a positive impact on the socio-economic situation of Roma. As such, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Ensure that the European Commission pressures member states to follow the recommendations included in the Commission s assessment of the strategies in May 2012 and to revise their NRIS. Strategies should include a stronger human rights based approach, including a focus on antidiscrimination, anti-gypsyism and gender. Ensure that member states involve a sufficient number of Roma representatives in a meaningful collaboration during the implementation of the NRIS. An effective Roma participation is needed in order for polices to be successful and to have a positive impact on Roma communities. Ensure that the European Commission and member states have a strong monitoring mechanism with clear indicators. In addition, the Commission s assessment and monitoring should include the improvement achieved of the Framework by enlargement and candidate countries. More specifically, urge the Commission to ensure that these countries efficiently and swiftly transpose and implement the Framework at national and local Page 2 level and follow the recommendations included in the Commission s assessment of the strategies in May Assist member states to properly use EU financial instruments for Roma inclusion (e.g. Structural Funds) as a way to improve the implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies. Also ensure that member states are committed to use these funds. 2. Fight poverty and social exclusion ERIO welcomes the fact that the Cypriot Presidency has amongst its priorities the creation of job positions and employment opportunities as well as the recovery from the economic crisis since Roma are one of the most affected groups. The vicious poverty cycle that many Roma find themselves in must be broken in order to achieve the EU s commitment set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy to lift at least 20 million people out of poverty by In order to reach this goal, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Ensure that the European Commission and member states keep the fight against poverty high in their political agenda in order to tackle the economic crisis. Particular attention should be paid to the more vulnerable groups such as Roma women and girls as well as older members of that group who suffer multiple discrimination. Make sure that a comprehensive and multidimensional approach is used to tackle poverty among Roma combining a greater access to quality education, decent employment and housing, social services and quality healthcare. Ensure that the Europe 2020 Strategy places on a balanced level a social and economic dimension. Ensure that member states effectively use the Structural Funds and other EU financial resources to help eliminate Roma poverty. 3. Fight anti-gypsyism, anti-roma sentiments and hate violence for a better Europe Europe has been witnessing an alarming rise in xenophobic, anti-roma rhetoric and sentiments Continues on page 3

3 from page 2 among the general population, politicians and media. This situation might worsen with the current economic crisis since the usual scapegoats are vulnerable people and those from minorities. It is urgent to fight any form of anti-gypsyism and racist attitudes. As such, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Make sure that the Equality Summit in Cyprus addresses the issue on how to stop the increasing anti- Roma sentiments and hate speech towards this minority. The Summit provides a good opportunity and platform for discussion between different stakeholders on this timely and urgent topic. Support member states in their fight against discrimination and racism as a way to improve their response to various forms of violence. Make sure the EU urges member states to respect existent EU legislation on combating racism and xenophobia, i.e. the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU anti-discrimination directives and more specifically the Race Equality Directive. 4. EU funding Present negotiations on the EU Multi-annual Financial Framework will define the sector-specific funding programmes, direction and priorities of EU spending in policy areas between 2014 and The Cypriot Presidency has a unique opportunity to shape these developments. Therefore, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Ensure that during the negotiations on the Multi-annual Financial Framework , adequate funding for activities on inclusion and the promotion of human rights are assured. This will assist in the attainment of the Europe 2020 Strategy goal to reduce poverty and protect fundamental rights. Make sure that the next EU budget includes the following priorities: a) capacity building at EU and national level (e.g. to promote Roma participation and on how to use Structural Funds), b) support of EU-level Roma networks in order to maintain the dialogue and cooperation with Roma during policy-making processes and c) enough funding is allocated to the implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies. 5. Migration and asylum ERIO welcomes the fact that the Cypriot Presidency Page 3 has amongst its key priorities the integration of migrants into their host societies. This issue is particularly relevant for Roma migrants who suffer high levels of poverty and social exclusion and face obstacles to integrate. In order to reverse this situation and to guarantee the inclusion of Roma migrants, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Encourage law enforcement authorities to guarantee full respect of the human dignity of migrants and asylum seekers. Encourage member states to find a way to integrate migrant Roma into society, especially if Roma have already lived in these countries on a long-term base or if their children were born there. Ensure that the completion of the Common European Asylum System has quality assurance in asylum decision-making as a guiding principle. The Presidency should make sure that member states carefully consider claims for asylum by Roma, especially those coming from Kosovo on an individual basis in accordance with international and national laws and ensure they have access to a fair asylum procedure. 6. Western Balkans Despite the fact that Roma represent the largest minority group in Western Balkans, they are rarely considered as citizens on an equal footing as other ethnic groups, and little efforts are made to improve their socio-economic conditions. The situation of Roma living in this region is even worse than in the rest of Europe. Time has come to guarantee decent living conditions and protection of fundamental rights to Roma communities in the region. To achieve this, ERIO calls on the Cypriot Presidency to: Ensure the European Commission exerts political pressure on and encourages governments in Western Balkans to increase their efforts and to take further steps to improve the economic, social, and political inclusion of Roma in their countries since the integration process remains very slow. Ensure that Roma inclusion and the improvement of the Roma situation remains an acquis communautaire and that potential and candidate countries satisfy the acquis. In order to make enlargement beneficial for everyone the Roma issue should be effectively tackled prior accession.

4 ERIO s statement on the Commission s evaluation report on the National Roma Integration Strategies ERIO welcomes the European Commission s Communication to the European Parliament, the Committee of the EESC and the Committee of Regions on the assessment of the National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS). It is very important that the Commission recognizes that much still needs to be done. Civil society feared that the Commission would assign full responsibility solely to Member States (MS) after the adoption of the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. In fact, the Commission s assessment encourages MS to work in close cooperation with them -...continue regular bilateral dialogue with the Commission and relevant stake- holders..."- and the Commission commits itself to support MS during the implementation of their NRIS. At the last Roma Platform meeting on 22 March 2012, Commissioner Reding stated that preliminary findings of the Commission s evaluation of the strategies show that there is still a lot of room for improvement. ERIO expected that, in this Communication, the Commission would clearly point out the weaknesses and gaps of the strategies. Since the European Framework is not a legally binding document, there is no specific instrument to ensure that MS strictly follow the principles and requirements of the Framework. To overcome this limitation, the Commission once stressed that it will use EU assessment reports as an instrument to politically pressure by blaming and shaming those MS failing to come with efficient measures for Roma integration. Taking into consideration that most of the NRIS need significant improvement, the Commission s assessment should have included a stronger language in pointing out the weaknesses of the strategies. The strongest statement one can find addressing MS, followed by recommendations is in the following paragraph: "...Member States... need stronger efforts to live up to their responsibilities, by adopting more concrete measures, explicit targets for measurable deliverables, clearly earmarked funding at national level and a sound national monitoring and evaluation system. " Although the anti-discrimination element of the European Framework was not as strong as civil society wanted, in its assessment, the Commission paid special attention to the structural requirements. The Communication also comes with a specific recommendation encouraging MS to strongly fight discrimination. The Commission dedicates a specific section in the Communication to remind, once again, enlargement countries that Roma integration goals are equally relevant to them. Overall, this assessment is a step forward in the process of sharing responsibilities, further communication and cooperation between the Commission and MS. This first assessment was important to underline the completeness and the need to improve Roma integration policies at national level. Since the next Commission s report will assess the implementation of the NRIS, ERIO hopes that the Commission will come up with a stronger criticism to those MS who fail to deliver and consider Roma integration as their first and foremost responsibility. Page 4

5 ERIO s participation in a school conference on the Roma Holocaust Europe, she said, the vast majority of them are settled and can be found in Central and Eastern Europe. The historical approach that followed described the cruelty of the Nazi regime against Roma. During that era, Roma faced extreme discrimination and were characterized by the Germans as people of inferior birth. It was not until later, when the Holocaust began with the mass murders of Roma by Nazis - that the sufferings of that ethnic group in the concentration camps started all around Europe. On the 7 th of June, ERIO was invited to speak in a conference at the European School in Uccle in Brussels. The purpose of the conference was to raise the awareness of young students about the Roma Holocaust and familiarize them with the long lasting discriminatory behaviour towards Roma. During and after the conference there were questions raised about Roma in general but also about their situation during the Nazi regime. Around 100 students and teachers attended the event. Caroline Intrand from CIRÉ also made a presentation about Roma s present situation in Europe. During the first part of the seminar Ms Pinto gave a presentation on the Roma Holocaust and the genocide committed by the Nazis. The presentation covered the situation of Roma before, during and after WWII. In an attempt to grasp the students knowledge on Roma and around the issue, she started with generating a discussion. It became clear that most students had heard of Roma and the discussion brought to the surface some of the stereotypes surrounding this minority. The discussion was followed by Ms Pinto s presentation, which started with a brief introduction on the Roma, who came to Europe around 1,000 years ago and who are mostly from Indian origin, Today, there are around 10 to 12 million Roma scattered all over The conference continued with Caroline Intrand who focussed her intervention on the current Roma situation and ongoing discrimination this group still faces. The event closed with questions posed by the students to both of the speakers and were mostly about the Roma situation now and their rights to education and voting. There were also question raised regarding the Holocaust and Roma compensation for the genocide. The conference ended with thanking regards from both students and teachers. Page 5

6 ERIO s conference Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe On 5 June ERIO hosted a conference on Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe in the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels. The purpose of the conference was to discuss successful practices on Roma integration in Europe, the current status of Roma integration in Belgium, as well as to officially launch the Belgian Roma, Sinti and Travellers Council (RSTC). Over 70 people from various fields, ranging from high-level EU officials and Belgian politicians to Roma activists and civil society representatives, participated in the event. Ivan Ivanov (ERIO s Executive Director) opened the conference by welcoming all the participants. As an invited speaker, Lina Papamichalopoulou (European Commission, DG Justice) referred to the historic moment when all EU member states decided to commit themselves to developing a National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS) and although no strategy is perfect, she said, none of them had been horrible. All members have showed commitment, she noted, and even countries with no Roma population already submitted their social inclusion policies. Ákos Topolánszky (Rapporteur on Roma issues, EESC) emphasized the importance to fight discrimination, to empower those living in poverty and to increase the Romani freedom of choice, as European Roma citizens should enjoy the same rights as every other European citizen. Eva Ejdrup Winther (Danish Presidency, Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration) said, When there are million people living in bad conditions, it is not only unacceptable for Roma, but also for EU values. She referred to the NRIS as a life document that had to be continuously written and developed, which was why it was important to discuss best practices. During the first session many good practices in the areas of employment, education, health, women and early childhood development, were presented by representatives of international institutions and civil society. The speakers sharing their experiences were Bernard Rorke (Open Society Foundations, Hungary), Carolina Fernández (Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spain), Jan Hero (ERIO Board Member, Slovakia), Anna Mirga (FAGIC Spain), Veselina Vurgora (Tolerance and Mutual Aid Foundation, Bulgaria), Martine Serlinger (Federation of Romani and Traveller Women, France) and Jana Hainsworth (Eurochild, Brussels). Page 6 Continues on page 7

7 ERIO s conference Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe from page 6 During the second session, Dave Van Oosterwyck (Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Integration) talked about the efforts of the Flemish government in the areas of employment and housing, as well as of the establishment of access points in the neighbourhoods of many municipalities and the funding of neighbourhood schoolwork, centres for equality and specific training sessions. He congratulated Belgium for the establishing of the RSTC and said, I know that it is not easy to speak with one voice, but harmonization is crucial. Cathy van Remoortere (Advisor to the Cabinet of Minister Milquet) highlighted that the RSTC gave Roma the possibility to directly participate in shaping Belgian policy and in implementing the national Roma strategy on the local, regional and national level. She referred to the RSTC as a reliable partner in the future, who will provide space for crucial dialogue. In the last panel Mihaela Mihai (President of the RSTC) introduced the council as an independent agency for Roma leaders, who were engaged with Roma inclusion and who wanted to contribute to the empowerment and well-being of the Roma in Belgium. The main objective, she noted, was to advocate for the Roma cause and to look for solutions to integrate them. The goal was to work better together and live better together by overcoming the negative image here the council would serve as a mediator between Roma and the institutions. Angel Ekov (Vice- President of the RSTC) stressed the importance of integrating Roma on all levels in order to substantially change the situation. Morena Leimbergen (Flemmish-speaking Spokesperson of the RSTC) stated that the key to promote Roma, Sinti and Traveller interests was the cooperation between the council and the authorities. Florian Nica (Frenchspeaking Spokesperson of the RSTC) added that the motivation behind the initiative was to promote the dialogue between the minority and the rest of society, ultimately working towards integration. Numerous participants congratulated the council and its members for the creation and honoured the work of the past two years. It was acknowledged that something very special had been created. This can be found only here in Belgium, one participant said; something that had usually been stopped by governments, had now become reality, and the Belgian experience should be used for the brothers and sisters in other countries. The conference was closed by a festive reception. Page 7

8 ERIO is the new chair of the European Roma Policy Coalition 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 From June to November 2012 ERIO is taking over the rotating chairmanship of the European Roma Policy Coalition (ERPC). The ERPC is an informal gathering Open Society Institute, 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. The ERPC is the winner of Campaign of the Year: ERPC Campaign for an EU Roma Strategy - European Public Affairs Awards ERIO recommendations to EC for improving the lives of older Roma Older Roma often experience long-term unemployment and face compounded discrimination when trying to find work. Clearly, this impacts heavily on the adequacy of their old age income and is a root cause for poverty and exclusion. Due to a lifelong segregation from mainstream society, which denied them access to education, many older Roma have very few qualifications, low literacy levels and are ill informed about how to take advantage of opportunities or how to push for their rights to education and training. Further, older Roma are highly vulnerable to poor housing conditions, especially in the poorest case study countries Bulgaria and Poland, which is increased in segregated and informal neighbourhoods. The housing situation changes significantly for the better for Roma who are refugees or Italian or German citizens. The research also confirms that a combination of hazardous housing and living conditions, poor understanding of health issues and severe obstacles to access the healthcare system lead to a poorer state of health among older Roma compared to the rest of society. ERIO would like to put forward the following recommendations to the European Commission in order to improve the lives of older Roma: Ensure member states target the situation and needs of older Roma during the implementation of their National Roma Integration Strategies; Ensure a meaningful participation of older Roma in the implementation and monitoring processes of the National Roma Integration Strategies and any policy related to their needs; Support the inclusion of older Roma issues and needs in mainstream policies concerning older people; Include older Roma as a highly relevant target group for the EY2012 campaign; Urge member states to gather ethnic and statistical data on the situation of older Roma in the areas of health, employment, education, social services and housing for a better consideration of their needs; Make sure that policies and strategies addressing older Roma are an integral component of European countries social development strategies; Ensure that the issue of discrimination against older Roma is included in mainstream debate on Roma at European and national level; Tackle the issues that prevent Roma reaching the same life expectancy as the rest of society; Tackle the prevalence of social exclusion by promoting activities on the community level to integrate older Roma. Page 8 The European Roma Information Office (ERIO) is supported by the European Community program for Employment and Social solidarity PROGRESS ( ). The sole responsibility lies with ERIO and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.