BRUSSELS – RESPONSE. In a clear warning that the progress in dealing with racism, in strengthening the support of the communities of Roma and reducing discrimination against her LGBT community is extremely fragile, due to the increasing polarization of European societies, the Commission. Shortly before the start of its new institutional cycle, the Commission recalls that among Ursula von der Leyen’s political priorities is to entrust a new commissioner with the renewal of the strategic response to racism and the corresponding strategic plans for equal treatment of the Roma , but also protection of the LGBTI community.
In this context, the Commission yesterday adopted three reports on ending discrimination and “building a Union of Equality”. The reports note –among others– that member states should step up data collection to record progress on Roma inclusion, which remains insufficient. In fact, in the new parliamentary term, the 6 million European Roma citizens –Europe’s largest ethnic minority– are not represented at all in the European Parliament.
Three pillars
“Europe still has a long way to go to achieve real equality for the Roma”, the Commission says. That is why an integrated three-pillar approach is proposed to promote: equality, economic and social integration and participation of Roma in political, social, economic and cultural life. The framework has been agreed by the European Council in 2021 and therefore member states have committed to implement national strategic plans for the Roma and to record –for the first time– quantitative targets by 2030. Every two years they must submit data on the pension relevant report, with the next one expected in 2025.
In Commission report with data collected in 2023, Greece is recorded in a special paragraph of “examples of promising development”, as it has created a government committee for their integration, in the context of the national strategy 2021-2030. Regarding the treatment of “anti-gypsyism” -the main reason for the exclusion of the Roma-, Greece records several cases of hostility against them, however it has not recognized the term in its legal framework “as a separate form of racism”, unlike the majority of “27”.
As far as education is concerned, Greece it is one of a total of fourteen Member States that have taken additional measures, mainly to tackle the phenomenon of “school dropouts”. Bulgaria, Italy and Spain have, however, made progress in housing and facilitating them in the labor sector through funded European programmes. Greece, which hosts a large Roma population (the exact number is not recorded) is one of the two member states, together with Finland, where only the phenomenon of “spatial segregation” is recorded, due to camps, but not educational segregation, which valid in twelve countries. However, the Commission is asked to identify community and national resources for its elimination.
To strengthen the participation of Roma in social, political and economic life, Greece is one of the ten member states where relevant non-governmental organizations operate, participating as full members in the competent monitoring committees of European subsidized programs.
Source: https://www.kathimerini.gr/society/563239249/isotita-entaxi-kai-symmetochi-ton-roma-stin-e-e/
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