8th of April 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS DEVELOP NEW RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO INCLUDE EU MOBILE ROMA IN A POST-2020 EU FRAMEWORK
On the occasion of International Roma Day, Eurodiaconia along with its members and partners launched new Recommendations on How to Include EU mobile Roma in a Post-2020 EU Framework.
Eurodiaconia together with its members and partners – the Salvation Army EU Office, Kirkens Bymisjon, Helsinki Deaconess Institute, Kirkens Korshaer and FEANTSA – are deeply concerned about the limited progress on the promotion of Roma inclusion across Europe and in supporting vulnerable EU mobile citizens.
The term EU mobile Roma refers to mobile EU citizens of Roma ethnicity exercising their right to free movement within the European Union. Although exact numbers are difficult to gauge, a large percentage of EU mobile Roma are citizens of Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. Their migration to other European countries is often driven by poverty as well as economic and social discrimination and they tend to be more at risk of poverty and social exclusion in host countries than other EU mobile citizens.
As the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 is coming to an end, Eurodiaconia, along with its members and partners, has developed a set of recommendations on how to include EU mobile Roma in a post-2020 EU Framework.
The new recommendations include: Supporting EU mobile Roma in accessing their social rights; facilitating the registration process to access key social supports; encouraging member states to allow EU mobile Roma to access upskilling and basic training programs to improve Roma employability; encouraging member states to recognize short-term and limited contracts when assessing a workers’ status; creating conditions for mainstreaming housing policies to include Roma and ensuring protection against unlawful evictions; using EU funds to provide targeted support to EU mobileRoma; and urging member states to develop laws against hate speech and crime against Roma.
Heather Roy, Eurodiaconia Secretary General, commented that ”Although the barriers experienced by EU mobile Romacould often be seen as similar to those faced by other EU mobile citizens, chronic poverty and anti-gypsyism put Roma at a higher risk of extreme destitution. In light of this, we urge the European Commission to include EU mobile Roma as a particular target group that needs to be addressed in National Roma Integration Strategies (or similar frameworks targeted at EU mobile Roma) and supported by hosting member states through mainstream policies as well as targeted measures.’’
Eurodiaconia is a dynamic, Europe-wide community of social and health care organisations with direct experience in providing services to migrants and advocating for their fundamental rights. Our federation is committed to a Europe of solidarity, equality, and justice. We currently have 49 members in 32 countries and territories who are churches and NGOs rooted in the Christian faith and working in the tradition of Diaconia.