Annexes to COM(2016)424 - Assessing the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and the Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in 2016

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dossier COM(2016)424 - Assessing the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and the Council Recommendation on ...
document COM(2016)424 EN
date June 27, 2016
agreements (e.g. France-Romania, Sweden-Romania) have been concluded to step up transnational cooperation for Roma integration. Local level transnational cooperation also covers Roma integration (e.g. under the EUROCITIES Roma Taskforce or the new component under the ROMACT programme in support of capacity building and transnational cooperation activities to assist local authorities). Several positive examples of cooperation between municipalities in Western and Eastern Europe focus on providing services to Roma, including in the area of education (e.g. Glasgow and Oslo with Belfast, Arad, Craiova, Timisoara) and employment (e.g. Ghent with Glasgow, Athens, Malmö).

Member States have taken steps to develop monitoring of National Roma Integration Strategies. The ESIF requirement of having strong monitoring methods in place has an important role in improving the evaluation of the impact of Roma integration measures. Nevertheless, further efforts are necessary to enable an assessment of the results of the reported targeted and mainstream measures on Roma, including their impact on segregation trends, Roma school attainment and employment levels, and access to housing and health services in an integrated setting. To this end, the Fundamental Rights Agency will continue the work on developing Roma integration indicators, which should feed the development of the reporting methodology by gathering inputs from all relevant stakeholders. The monitoring of Roma integration measures and ESI Funds for Roma inclusion should be better aligned through closer coordination of contact points and the managing authorities for ESI Funds to ensure that funds reach Roma.

3.7. Funding

In its 2015 Communication, the Commission presented the opportunities available under the 2014-2020 programming period. Member States’ broader funding allocations for social inclusion and fighting poverty and discrimination are reported by country in the Staff Working Document. It should be noted that under their broader allocation for social inclusion, 12 Member States 24 selected the new investment priority that allows for explicit, but not exclusive, targeting of Roma, and allocated to it a total of €1,5bio. Several other ESIF investment priorities have been identified to contribute to Roma inclusion. 25

In terms of national public funding, among the substantive policy areas, education and housing attract most investment, with much less going to employment and even less for health. Reported national funding for horizontal and structural measures is insignificant. In terms of ESI funding and in line with the Country-Specific Recommendations under the European Semester, inclusive (including early) education and employment are the two primary investment areas, with housing also receiving a significant allocation. The amount allocated for health investments is much lower. For horizontal and structural measures, the protection of women and children and the fight against discrimination receive most funding, mainly from ESI Funds.

Several Member States have developed mapping of Roma communities by introducing ethnic or socio-economic indicators (i.e. deprived/segregated neighbourhoods, people most in need, poverty maps, etc.) in order to improve targeting and allocation of ESIF for Roma integration

4. Enlargement

Roma integration continues to be a key priority in the enlargement process. The Commission works closely with Western Balkan countries and Turkey, and monitors the implementation of commitments. An important effort is being made under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) to support Roma integration programmes at national and regional levels. However, the situation of most Roma communities remains a matter of concern. Adopting legislative or policy documents is not enough. Adequate budgetary means should be allocated at national level to implement integration measures, with special attention given to local implementation. Roma communities need to be fully involved in planning, implementation and monitoring. The Roma Decade 26 ensured that Roma integration became part of the political agenda. The post-Decade phase should concentrate on achieving measurable results on the ground, clearly reducing the gap between Roma and non-Roma, and with special attention to priority areas (education, employment, health, housing and civil documentation) as well as in the cross-cutting fields related to gender and anti-Gypsyism. Roma integration policies must be reinforced in response to the current refugee crisis; a significant portion of returnees to the Western Balkans, designated now as safe countries of origin, are Roma.

5. Conclusions and way forward

The legal, policy and funding instruments at European level have been put in place. Member States have set up coordination structures, introduced targeted and mainstream measures in response to the Council Recommendation, and they have allocated funding. The assessment identified some positive trends, such as the growing focus on early childhood education, the new linkage between policy priorities of Roma integration and the use of 2014-2020 ESI Funds and the role of National Roma Contact Points in planning this funding. However, efforts could not prevent further deterioration of the living conditions of Roma and widespread hostility of majority societies. Serious bottlenecks have been identified in fighting anti-Roma discrimination, especially residential and educational segregation and prevention of forced evictions. Ensuring sustainable local commitment and implementation remains to be addressed. Cooperation with civil society and private sector engagement in implementation remain insufficient. Accounting for the impact of integration efforts on the ground should also be improved.

Member States should ensure a political recommitment to Roma integration so that legal, policy and financial instruments in place are fully used to bring tangible results on the ground. Local implementation is of the utmost importance.

The Commission calls on Member States to address the following urgent priorities:

• Enforce anti-discrimination and anti-racism and xenophobia legislation and safeguards at national and local levels by:

omonitoring, fighting, reporting and sanctioning anti-Roma discrimination in all policy areas;

ocriminalising public incitement to violence or hatred including on the grounds of ethnic origin;

oaddressing trafficking in human beings with gender specific and child sensitive measures;

otargeting majority society and key stakeholders with awareness raising and anti-discrimination campaigns to promote understanding of the economic imperative and mutual benefits of Roma inclusion.

• Prevent evictions on the grounds of ethnic origin by ensuring that any evictions take place in full respect of fundamental rights, providing adequate alternative housing to evicted families to avoid homelessness and aggravating exclusion, and by exploring the opportunities under ESI Funds' investments to improve the housing situation of Roma.

• Eliminate segregation in education and housing in line with Commission guidance through legislation, inclusive policy reform, teacher education, dissemination of inclusive methods and explicit desegregation measures combined with targeted support to tackle all barriers to access, using opportunities under ESI Funds to the full.

• Put in place safeguards and targeted measures to ensure that mainstream interventions effectively reach out to Roma, especially in employment and health.

• Extend and multiply smaller scale initiatives that have proved to be successful, using 2014-2020 funds.

• Further develop data collection, monitoring and reporting methodologies to meet expectations of accountability for the use of public funds and ensure that the impact of targeted and mainstream measures on Roma is assessed and that it leads to policy learning and review.

• Make full use of National Roma Platforms to ensure inclusive involvement of all stakeholders in implementation, monitoring, reporting and policy review, to promote exchange, evaluation and transfer of good practices, to build partnerships and to further mobilise Roma communities, local authorities, civil society and the private sector.

The Commission will continue to support Member States, ensure the necessary commitment to Roma inclusion at the European level, and use all available means to promote dialogue and cooperation. Key Commission priorities include the following:

• Take action to ensure full enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation and to fight anti-Gypsyism by making use of available legal instruments.

• Support National Roma Platforms to promote inclusive cooperation of all stakeholders at the national level.

• Support Member States’ Roma integration efforts by facilitating exchange, cooperation and focused thematic discussion under the network of National Roma Contact Points.

• Ensure high-level dialogue and policy guidance by pursuing bilateral monitoring missions, involving national and local authorities as well as civil society.

• Promote participation and dialogue at the European level of all stakeholders under the reformed European platform for Roma inclusion.

• Support capacity building of local authorities and civil society in order to promote their active mobilisation.

• Develop a post-2020 strategic approach to Roma integration, in view of the possible revision of the Council Recommendation foreseen for 2019, taking into account remaining gaps between Roma and non-Roma in education, employment, health and housing, and the fight against discrimination, as well as ongoing reflections on a midterm evaluation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.

(1)

COM(2011) 173 final, endorsed by the Heads of State and Governments on 23-24 June 2011.

(2)

The term strategy is also used to cover integrated sets of policy measures. Member States are referred to by the following abbreviations: AT-Austria, BE-Belgium, BG-Bulgaria, CY-Cyprus, CZ-Czech Republic, DE-Germany, DK-Denmark, EE-Estonia, EL-Greece, ES-Spain, FI-Finland, FR-France, HU-Hungary, HR-Croatia, IE- Ireland, IT-Italy, LT-Lithuania, LU-Luxemburg, LV-Latvia, MT-Malta, NL-Netherlands, PL-Poland, PT-Portugal, RO-Romania, SE-Sweden, SI-Slovenia, SK-Slovakia, UK-United Kingdom. Malta does not have a Roma population on its territory.

(3)

OJ C 378, 24.12.2013, 01.

(4)

The Working Party on Roma indicators, facilitated by the Fundamental Rights Agency and with the participation of 17 Member States (AT, BE, BG, CZ, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IT, NL, PT, RO, SK, UK) developed the reporting framework following the structure of the Recommendation. A Roma integration indicator framework linking measures with inputs and results still needs to be finalised.

(5)

 NL provided a qualitative study commissioned by the government from the Erasmus University on the living conditions of Roma. DK remained without a nominated National Roma Contact Point for an extended period. A contact point was recently appointed, but no report on measures put in place under the Council Recommendation has been provided to the Commission.

(6)

BG, CZ, HU, RO, SK: http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/making-it-happen/country-specific-recommendations/index_en.htm .

(7)

 The network meets twice a year. It was set up in 2012 to promote mutual learning and cooperation on implementing National Roma Integration Strategies and to provide Commission support on issues identified by Contact Points. Thematic working groups (currently focusing on transnational cooperation and Roma children) under the network allow for more in-depth discussions.

(8)

  http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma/for-roma-with-roma/index_en.htm .

(9)

ROMED2 and ROMACT programmes.

(10)

Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L180, 19.07.2000.

(11)

Slovakia in April 2015. The first proceeding was launched in September 2014 against the Czech Republic.

(12)

2008/913/JHA, OJ L 328, 28.11.2008.

(13)

  http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/2014/thematic_guidance_fiche_segregation_en.pdf .

(14)

  http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/files/rights_against_discrimination_web_en.pdf .

(15)

  http://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/resources/toolkitsforschools/general.htm .

(16)

15.04.2015, 2015/2615(RSP).

(17)

Special Eurobarometer 437, 2015.

(18)

BG, CZ, SK

(19)

Europol: Situation Report — Trafficking in human beings in the EU.

(20)

 BG, CZ, HU, FI

(21)

International human rights organisations and civil society raised multiple concerns during 2015 on a series of forced evictions that took place in several Member States. See for example http://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/european-countries-must-stop-forced-evictions-of-roma . In the majority of cases, no alternative social housing was provided, and in some cases children were removed from their families.

(22)

 On ESI Funds: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/ ; on strengthened partnership in planning, implementing and monitoring ESI funding: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/what/glossary/e/european-code-of-conduct .

(23)

Bodies established under EU’s equality directives 2000/43/EC, 2004/113/EC and 2006/54/EC.

(24)

 AT, BE, BG, CZ, ES, FR, EL, HU, IT, PL, RO, SK

(25)

 E.g. Under the European Social Fund: reducing early school-leaving and promoting equal access to good quality early-childhood, primary and secondary education; or combating all forms of discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. Under the European Regional Development Fund: social, health or education infrastructure or support for the physical, economic and social regeneration of deprived communities.

(26)

  http://www.romadecade.org/ .