Annexes to COM(2014)209 - Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2014)209 - Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2014)209  |
| date | April 2, 2014 |
In several Member States, a large part of the marginalised Roma communities live in rural areas. This is why the Commission has informed the Member States on the existing possibilities to support the integration of disadvantaged groups, including Roma, under the rural development policy by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Within the framework of the informal dialogue on the Partnership Agreement and programmes for the 2014-2020 programming period, the Commission services have asked the most concerned Member States to bring their National Roma Contact Points into the discussions[31]
Moreover, the funding possibilities of the Erasmus + programme should also be fully exploited[32].
The Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development[33] provides also further opportunities to strengthen coherent and cost-effective policies in this field.
Bulgaria- - The municipality of Kavarna is an example of investment in integration Local Development Strategies. The municipality of Kavarna has invested in infrastructure development, improved access for Roma children to quality early-childhood education and care, health education and cooperation with other cities and private employers to promote Roma employment. Diversification of resources, systematic measures and the strong political commitment of the municipal leadership has contributed to obtaining results in all policy fields (ranging from improved quality of public services, improved school attainment, decreased mortality rate and increased employment of Roma in both private and public sector). The European Structural and Investment Funds also helped ensure the sustainability of results by providing EUR 3.1 million for investments in physical infrastructure and human capital.
Spain – Within the ESF Operational Programme on Fight Against Discrimination, the non-profit organisation Fundación Secretariado Gitano has been playing a key role in the social and labour integration of Roma people as an intermediate body of the programme. Implementation through a non-governmental organisation as an intermediate body has proven to be crucial for the efficient and effective management of EU funding, the strong, operational and long-term partnerships established with private companies, the flexibility and adaptation of the programme to new social needs and the implementation of social innovation projects. As regards the whole OP, the number of agreements with entities and organisations has grown to 1400 active agreements, including businesses with a demand for employees (71%), the public administrations (20%) and entities of the Third Sector (9%).
Lasting success is only achieved when investments in education are accompanied by investments in employment and housing, targeting explicitly but not exclusively Roma communities. Embracing a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder and multi-fund approach (which is made easier by the new generation of EU Funds) is key to Roma inclusion. At the same time, to address local needs and build capacities of small NGOs, non-competitive funding opportunities for small local projects should be ensured. Global grants should be promoted, especially in those Member States with more limited administrative capacities. In its contacts with the Member States, the Commission encourages local authorities and Roma representatives to work together from the outset on local inclusion strategies.
4. Enlargement countries
There are about 10-12 million Roma in Europe, out of which some 4 million in Turkey and 1 million in the Western Balkans. Roma are very often the victims of racism, discrimination and social exclusion and live in deep poverty, lacking sufficient access to healthcare, education and training, housing and employment. Enlargement countries therefore need to step up their efforts to further integrate their Roma population, including refugees and internally displaced persons, many of whom are Roma. Roma exclusion continues to have consequences in terms of increased numbers of Roma temporarily migrating to EU Member States under visa-free regime and this can have a negative impact on visa liberalisation, which is a great achievement towards the integration of the Western Balkans[34] into the EU. The Commission works closely with each of the enlargement countries to review progress in implementing their commitments towards the inclusion of Roma.
In the period 2007-2013, over €100 million pre-accession assistance has been provided under the Instrument on Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to support social inclusion and integration of Roma in the enlargement countries, including housing. To improve coordination, efficiency and visibility of financial support to Roma inclusion under the new IPA II, tailor-made actions will continue to be financed under the relevant national programmes through a sectorial approach and as part of a global IPA envelope ("Roma inclusion facility"). This will be accompanied by rigorous monitoring involving governments and all stakeholders including civil society.
To support the enlargement countries in their efforts, the Commission will:
– Continue to support and co-organise with each country national follow up sessions to the 2011 "Roma inclusion seminars" with rigorous monitoring of implementation of the operational conclusions jointly reached;
– Increase and better target IPA II actions through a "Roma inclusion facility" to finance measures outlined in the Country Strategy Papers or agreed in the national seminars and to improve cooperation with external stakeholders; funding will shift from supporting policy development and institution building to actions directly making an impact on the lives of individual Roma persons, with a particular focus on education, housing and social inclusion;
– Award prizes to NGOs for innovative and successful projects for Roma inclusion.
The Commission will continue to closely follow developments in enlargement countries in its annual progress reports, and will support enlargement countries to translate their political commitments for Roma inclusion into concrete and enduring engagements on the ground.
The Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States is relevant for enlargement countries, as it forms an integral part of the EU acquis. Enlargement countries also need to take targeted actions to bridge the gap between the Roma and the rest of the population in access to education, employment, healthcare and housing, accompanied by cross-cutting policies of particular relevance for these countries such as provision of personal documents and strengthening the involvement of local and regional authorities and dialogue with civil organisations.
The Decade for Roma Inclusion[35] has been a strong inspiration for the EU Framework. It has been playing a very positive role in mobilising civil society and ensuring the smooth transition of enlargement countries into the EU Framework. The work of civil coalitions coordinated and supported by the Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat has also showed a strong added value.
5. conclusions - the way forward
The 2011 EU framework set up a long-term process. It calls for the sustained political commitment of all stakeholders to make a difference in the life of Roma people by 2020.
The first step on this long road was taken when each Member State developed its national Roma integration strategy. The implementation of these strategies has now started.
Following the Commission’s guidance, Member States have started to put in place the structural pre-conditions that are indispensable to implement their strategies successfully[36]. For the first time, all EU Member States have set their Roma inclusion strategies in motion and plenty of projects carried out in all EU Member States demonstrate that Roma inclusion is possible.
As a second step, tangible change in the situation of Roma will only be achieved if Member States:
· Demonstrate political will and determination to remain on the path leading to the expected results for Roma at the local level by 2020 and persistently honour the commitments they have undertaken at the highest political levels;
· Combine legislation with policy and financial measures; Improve and strengthen structures to ensure effective implementation of the national Roma integration strategies, in particular in terms of governance, cooperation with stakeholders and monitoring. These structures need to become firmly embedded in national administrations for the years to come;
· Together with the Commission, ensure monitoring and evaluation of the effective use of available European Structural and Investment Funds in line with the relevant shared management regulatory framework;
· Participate actively in the National Roma Contact Points' network and provide their National Roma Contact Points with an adequate mandate and resources;
· Monitor progress and inform the Commission, including in view of the Commission's annual reports.
The EU Framework and the Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States have opened up the path towards Roma inclusion. The EU will continue to provide political leadership and will give practical support to Member State efforts, including through EU funds. This is, however, just the beginning and the Commission will play its role in making sure that the path is consequently followed further. It will notably:
· Provide annual policy guidance in the Europe 2020 strategy, issuing Roma-specific country-specific-recommendations where appropriate, and through progress reports in the areas highlighted in the Recommendation, which will be assessed concerning a necessity of revision or up-date by 1 January 2019;
· Provide methodological support and foster exchange of experience and best practice through the network of National Roma Contact Points;
· Continue a regular dialogue with civil society, support grassroots NGOs through the European Parliament's Pilot project, and involve civil society in the monitoring of progress;
· Promote the use of available EU funds[37] and strengthen the capacity of authorities at all levels to efficiently use EU funds;
· Provide specific support to the local level by: making easily accessible (online) information on available EU funds for social inclusion; undertaking an analysis of the needs of local authorities in 8 Member States in terms of awareness-raising and transnational cooperation; and strengthening their administrative capacity;
· In cooperation with Member States and, where appropriate, other organisations, including the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, develop initiatives to better target funding for integrated and mainstream measures for Roma inclusion early during the 2014-2020 programming period. On the basis of an assessment of the experience during this period, explore ways of further improving effectiveness and integration of EU financial support for Roma inclusion post 2020, including a specific facility.
Finally, Roma integration will also depend on sustained efforts from Roma civil society to engage with the mainstream population, as well as on joint actions from all stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, international organisations, academia, churches and the private sector.
The EU Framework's first years of implementation show that action in favour of Roma integration is in motion in all Member States. It should be the cornerstone for building further joint efforts and achieving significant progress by 2020.
[1] COM(2011) 173 final O.J. L 76/68, 22.3.2011
[2] European Council Conclusions EUCO 23/11 of 23 and 24 June 2011, following the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council Conclusions on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, 106665/11 of 19 May 2011.
[3] Malta did not adopt a National Roma Integration Strategy as it declared there is no significant Roma population on its territory, though will address Roma integration should this case arise.
[4] In this communication the term ‘strategies’ covers integrated sets of policy measures and strategies.
[5] In 2013 the European Council issued country specific recommendations relevant for Roma inclusion for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. These recommendations address the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the framework of the horizontal policies as well as specific policy developments in the field of education and employment for Roma.
[6] Council recommendation of 9 December 2013 on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States, OJ C 378, 14.12.2013, 01.
[7] Council regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 . Council regulation No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013. O.J. L 347/884 20.12.2013
[8] Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. O.J. L 347, 20.12.2013
[9] Including Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Social Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006. O.J. L 347, 20.12.2013
[10] Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) of 7 January 2014on the European code of conduct on partnership in the framework of the European Structural and Investment Funds; C(2013) 9651.
[11] Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Social Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006. O.J. L 347, 20.12.2013
[12] Council Recommendation of 26 April 2013 on Establishing a Youth Guarantee O.J. C 120, 26.4.2013,1
[13] Such as the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations, UNICEF, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the Open Society Foundations.
[14] The ROMACT project, launched in October 2013 in about 40 municipalities in 5 Member States, aims at building up political will and sustained policy engagement at the local level, at enhancing democratic participation and empowerment of local Roma communities, with a view to assist the design and implementation of projects with the support of EU and national funds.
[15] The ROMED programme, funded through Lifelong Learning Programme, launched in 2011 has trained close to 1,300 mediators to date in the field of school, culture and health. For 2013-2014, mediation is focussing on establishing contacts with local authorities (municipalities, schools, etc.).
[16] Segregation in mainstream schools attended by Roma: SK: 58%, HU: 45%, EL: 35%, CZ: 33%, BG: 29%, RO: 26%, FR: 24%, ES: 10%, IT: 8%, PT: 7%, PL:3%. - segregation in special schools: Roma children attending special schools mainly with Roma: CZ: 23%, SK: 20%, FR: 18%, BG: 18%, etc. Source: FRA, Education: The situation of Roma in 11 EU Member States. Roma Survey - Data in Focus (forthcoming in 2014).
[17] Le Défenseur des Droits, Bilan d'application de la circulaire interministérielle du 26 août 2012 relative à l'anticipation et à l'accompagnement des opérations d'évacuation des campements illicites août 2012 – mai 2013 (juin 2013).
[18] The Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the recognition of the value of non-formal and informal learning within the European youth field (O.J. C 398/1, 22.12.2012) encourages the use of instruments for recognition of skills and qualifications obtained through such learning experiences.
[19] FRA, Poverty and Employment: The situation of Roma in 11 EU Member States, Roma Survey – Data in Focus (forthcoming in 2014).
[20] Across the Member States surveyed, 21% of Roma women were in paid work compared to 35 % of Roma men. FRA, Analysis of FRA Roma Survey by Gender (September 2013).
[21] Share of Roma experiencing discrimination in the past 5 years when looking for work: CZ 74%, EL 68%, IT 66%, FR 65%, PL 64%, PT 56%, HU 51%, SK 49%, BG 41%, RO 39%, ES 38%. FRA, Poverty and Employment: The situation of Roma in 11 EU Member States. Roma Survey - Data in Focus (forthcoming in 2014).
[22] For example, 59 % of Roma women in Bulgaria, 47 % in Romania and 38 % in Greece said that they had no medical insurance compared with 22 % of non-Roma women in Bulgaria and in Romania, and 7 % of non-Roma women in Greece. FRA Analysis of FRA Roma Survey by Gender (September 2013).
[23] In its publication on “Poverty and social exclusion in the WHO European Union: Health systems respond.” http://www.navarra.es/NR/rdonlyres/D4DFA3BA-F54F-40DE-8C5F-9F24A003868E/233965/2_Spain_06Feb09casopublicado2010.pdf
[24] 42 % of the Roma surveyed said that they have either no piped water or no sewage or no electricity in their home. FRA, The situation of Roma in 15 Member States and Croatia (2013).
[25] The European Court of Human Rights, Yordanova and others v. Bulgaria n°25446/06 judgment of 24 April 2012,) concluded that although the concerned Roma lived in an illegal settlement, their eviction was a breach of article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (on private life and private property): their housing, although illegally built there, had to be considered as their property and it was disproportionate to evict them. “In the context of Article 8, in cases such as the present one, the applicants’ specificity as a social group and their needs must be one of the relevant factors in the proportionality assessment that the national authorities are under a duty to undertake.” This position taken by the Court in Yordanova was confirmed and further developed in a more recent judgment in case Winterstein and others vs. France (European Court of Human Rights, n° 27013/07 of 17 October 2013. Similar violation of the European Convention of Human Rights (article 8) was observed by the SK Public Defender of Rights (Ombudswoman) in her examination of the forced eviction and liquidation of a Roma settlement carried out in 2012 in Kosice, Slovakia (report of 23 July 2013).
[26] Guidance note on the implementation of integrated housing interventions in favour of marginalised communities under the ERDF, of 28 January 2011. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information/search/detail.cfm?LAN=EN&id=354&lang=en
[27] Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Joint Report on the application of Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin (‘Racial Equality Directive’) and of Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation (‘Employment Equality Directive’).
[28] The European Parliament also drew attention to the situation of Roma women in its Resolution on the gender aspects of the European Framework of National Roma Inclusion Strategies adopted on 10 December 2013.
[29] The Commission Recommendation Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage. C(2013)778 of 20 February 2013 provides policy guidance to help the EU and Member States focus on successful social investment towards children.
[30] Regulation (EU) no 1303/2013 of 17 December 2013 op. cit.
[31] Member States were asked to invite the National Roma Contact Points to participate in the working bodies discussing the future Rural Development Programmes, as well as in the future Monitoring Committees of these programmes.
[32] The Erasmus + programme benefits from a 40% increase in its budget (i.e. €14.7 billion) in the 2014-2020 period. In particular, transnational cooperation projects in the framework of strategic partnerships (Key Action II) and prospective initiatives (Key Action III) can help develop new, innovative approaches to address the educational challenges faced by Roma communities.
[33] http://romani.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/migrom/
[34] As it has been recommended by the Commission in its Fourth Report on the Post-Visa Liberalisation Monitoring for the Western Balkan Countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) COM(2013) 836 final, in accordance with the Commission Statement of 8 November 2010.
[35] In addition to seven EU Member States the following enlargement countries are members of the Decade for Roma Inclusion: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
[36] 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 of 26 June 2013.
[37] Including through the EURoma network, made up of representatives of twelve Member States with the aim to promote the use of Structural Funds to enhance the effectiveness of policies targeting the Roma and to promote their social inclusion.