A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789276198949
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The third cycle Roma Civil Monitor (RCM) synthesis report asked local NGOs to identify and discuss the issues they consider crucial for successful Roma inclusion, hence a series of case studies are presented that whilst not giving the more uniform overview of previous reports present valuable insights into persistent or undetected problems facing too many Roma. The RCM's third cycle country reports summarised in this synthesis report illustrate a mismatch between the declared intentions and actual practice, often caused by a failure to implement the policies or their ineffectiveness. In some situations, government structures are actively maintaining Roma marginalisation, this presents serious causes for concern as highlighted by the case studies in this synthesis report. Moreover, in some cases, the Member States are not using the available EU funds effectively for the Roma inclusion and in some cases even misuse them for segregation or measures that deepen the Roma's social exclusion. The European Commission has failed to prevent such problems in the implementation of the cohesion policy and enforcement of the proper application of the EU law in anti-discrimination and fight against racism.

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789276198949
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The third cycle Roma Civil Monitor (RCM) synthesis report asked local NGOs to identify and discuss the issues they consider crucial for successful Roma inclusion, hence a series of case studies are presented that whilst not giving the more uniform overview of previous reports present valuable insights into persistent or undetected problems facing too many Roma. The RCM's third cycle country reports summarised in this synthesis report illustrate a mismatch between the declared intentions and actual practice, often caused by a failure to implement the policies or their ineffectiveness. In some situations, government structures are actively maintaining Roma marginalisation, this presents serious causes for concern as highlighted by the case studies in this synthesis report. Moreover, in some cases, the Member States are not using the available EU funds effectively for the Roma inclusion and in some cases even misuse them for segregation or measures that deepen the Roma's social exclusion. The European Commission has failed to prevent such problems in the implementation of the cohesion policy and enforcement of the proper application of the EU law in anti-discrimination and fight against racism.

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789276199052
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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A Synthesis of Civil Society’s Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union

A Synthesis of Civil Society’s Reports on the Implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the European Union PDF Author: Marek Hojsík
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279987649
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Across EU Member States, there is a diversity of approaches to Roma inclusion policies and programmes. The main dilemmas concern the tension between mainstream and Roma-targeted approaches and grasping Roma inclusion through a rights-based approach or addressing socio-economic disadvantage. These different approaches have a significant impact on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of Roma inclusion policies. Central governments influence Roma inclusion mainstreaming by providing local governments with accessible financial and technical support, as well as legal provisions regulating their competences and statutory duties (the enforcement of which is crucial). At the local level, whether or not Roma inclusion is implemented largely depends on the will of local governments and political leadership. The findings of the RCM country reports show that the EU Framework has brought progress and a real added value in terms of formulating policy objectives with respect to Roma inclusion policies in some Member States. Nonetheless, across the EU, NRIS implementation seems random and at times contingent upon the political priorities of national governments, specific line ministries or political parties in power, as well as external pressure from the EC. Moreover, the findings of the RCM country reports indicate that certain Member States fail to integrate citizens from other EU countries, including Roma, resident on their respective territories: they exclude EU-mobile persons from accessing public services, social assistance and integration in the labour market, thus effectively preventing them from exercising their right to free movement. This contributes to fuelling anti-Roma sentiments. In terms of funding, in many Member States (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania, but also in Greece or Italy), Roma inclusion policies rely on ESIF funding. Participation by Roma and pro-Roma civil society in shaping Roma integration-related policies, a crucial pillar of inclusive policy-making, through the ESIF mechanisms is noteworthy. Whilst the linkage to the ESIF gives the EC a stronger mandate to intervene into national programmes, problems regarding policy continuity and vulnerability are not insignificant. As for civil society funding, state budgets (at times associated with acceptance of certain ambiguous values and strategic dependency on public authorities) and EU funding make up the majority of sources of income for Roma and pro-Roma civil society organisations The EU Framework requires Member States to set up administrative structures for coordinating NRIS development and implementation, and communication with the EC. The former role in terms of the actual capacity to coordinate or at least effectively participate in domestic Roma inclusion policies varies significantly from country to country. The latter role in relation to communication with the EC tends to be fulfilled by national Roma contact points (NRCPs), established in all Member States and characterised by a diversity of institutional placements ranging from strong (Prime Minister’s office and/or government presidency, key ministries), medium strong (equality bodies) to weak (institutions with a relatively weak mandate and inadequate resources). Although National Roma Platforms, promoted by the EC as participatory venues modelling the European Roma Platform mechanism, are valued for their political and symbolic potential, these instruments are too young to be assessed. There is a diversity of approaches to formal recognition, which depends on whether or not the legislature in a given country conceptualises ‘ethnic’ or ‘national’ minorities. Some Member States recognize Roma as a distinct social and/or ethnic group (including with respect to the Roma Holocaust) insofar as they recognize other national and/or ethnic minorities. There, formal recognition has been important for symbolic reasons, as well as in terms of unambiguous legal protection from discrimination. Nonetheless, representing the interests of Roma by way of formal recognition does not automatically translate into having elected Roma representatives at the European, national, regional or local level. And vice versa: the presence of Roma in governments alone does not guarantee the interests of Roma being represented (this also applies to those Member States that guarantee parliamentarian representation to recognised ethnic minorities). Additionally, where Roma have been included into the electoral lists of mainstream political parties, they have seldom succeeded in getting elected. Across the EU, low political participation by a sizeable number of Roma remains a problem, partially attributable marginalisation and/or alienation from public, social and political life. Despite the ongoing political underrepresentation of Roma at the central level, the past few years have seen the numbers of Roma candidates running in local elections and elected as municipal councillors or mayors increase. While data on Roma and other ethnic and racial equality data has been generated by the adoption of the EU antidiscrimination directives and the NRIS framework, there remains a stubborn dearth of ethnically disaggregated data in most countries. States tend to view ethnic data collection as a violation of data protection legislation, whereas civil society organisations often argue for gathering anonymized ethnic data to devise effective measures to tackle discrimination and segregation. As for the issue of intersectional or multiple inequality, Roma women, youth and children are the most developed categories. Additionally, civil society and scholars have recently articulated the specific needs and experiences of migrant Roma. Even though several NRISs acknowledge the relevance of gender in intra-group relations in Roma communities and also in the nexus between Roma and non-Roma, this dimension is much more modest in NRIS implementation, if it appears at all.

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Quality of the National Strategic Frameworks for Roma Equality, Inclusion, and Participation in the European Union

A Synthesis of Civil Society's Reports on the Quality of the National Strategic Frameworks for Roma Equality, Inclusion, and Participation in the European Union PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789268031650
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This synthesis document is based on the monitoring reports about the quality of EU Member States' new post-2020 National Roma Strategic Frameworks (NRSF)1 developed by civil society organisations (CSO) participating in the Roma Civil Monitor 2021-2025 (RCM) initiative.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Latvia

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Latvia PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789279977091
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In recent years, at the political level no significant changes in regards to the representation of the Roma interests have taken place. The standard of living and integration of the Roma has somewhat improved; however, faster and more purposeful solution of the existing problems is being significantly slowed down by the lack of horizontal cooperation within ministries and government institutions. Barriers for the Roma integration in the labour market over the past few years have not decreased, which is the result of the lack of awareness about the impact of positive discrimination on the development of the community and the economic growth of the territory. The activity and willingness to participate in the activities implemented within state and EU programmes and projects is low. The Ministry of Culture is the responsible authority for the coordination of the national Roma integration policy planning and implementation, yet several line ministries have not been granted particular responsibilities in working with the Roma community. There are no purposeful programmes for the Roma as the direct target group; the existing EU and state programmes are directed to a wider target group, including the Roma, and the goal of such programmes is the inclusion of social risk groups and the elimination of discrimination. Positive is the tendency of the recent years in terms of the availability of state financial sources for the Roma civil society organizations.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Austria

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Austria PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789276083351
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Roma inclusion policies have been in place in Austria since the Roma were recognised as a national minority in 1993. Before, civil society was active to fight discrimination and gain the status as a national minority. Following the EU framework on national Roma integration strategies (NRIS) in 2011, a National Roma Contact Point (NRCP) was established in the Federal Chancellery. This NRCP then presented the already existing programmes as an integrated set of policy measures for Roma inclusion and founded a dialogue platform on Roma inclusion to foster exchange between the administration and the Roma civil society. In 2016, a National Roma Integration Strategy was issued and open for consultation. In 2017, the NRIS was revised by the NRCP and adopted by the government. The strategy is dedicated to improving the situation of Roma by addressing education, employment, fight against antigypsyism, empowerment of women and youth, empowerment of Roma civil society and enhancing participation. The areas of health and housing are not included in the NRIS. The process of the dialogue platform and the development of the NRIS brought an increased interest in and more awareness on the situation of Roma in parts of the administration, especially on the national level. To some extent, Roma inclusion gained increased priority. Despite this, the NRIS did not set ambitious objectives and did not bring a significant change in Roma inclusion regarding education, housing and health care. In employment, the NRIS led to a Roma targeted ESF-programme which enabled civil society to extend support activities and develop new projects for Roma. For this report, the available public resources on the NRIS and Roma inclusion policy were analysed. Further, the relevant existing data on the four policy areas employment, housing, health and education were examined and are presented in the report. The perspective of civil society is represented through publications, the documentation of the NRIS process, interviews with civil society representatives and the long-term experience of Romano Centro.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Luxembourg

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Luxembourg PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789276199557
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Following the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 guidelines issues by EC in 2011, Luxembourg has opted for an integrated set of policy measures within broader social inclusion policies for implementing its equivalent of a National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS). To date, Luxembourg failed to report on the implementation of the NRIS. The EC available assessments from 2012 and 2014 were unable to indicate their impact in education, employment, health, housing, anti-discrimination and funding on Roma specifically. According to the government, ethnic data collection is forbidden and therefore all actions referenced in the integrated set of measures apply equally to all community citizens and their family members without any distinctions. According to the Council of Europe statistics, the Roma community in Luxembourg is very small in size (approx. 300 persons), but diverse and dispersed across the country. There is little to no data about the situation of Roma communities in Luxembourg; there are no registered Roma NGOs or community leaders to represent the interests of Roma communities at national level. When Luxembourg drafted its NRIS, no prior needs assessment or consultation with Roma representatives was conducted. In these conditions, the NRIS adoption appears as a formal compliance with the EU requirements, which cannot produce any real effect for the target group.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Austria

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Austria PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789279977299
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In Austria, Roma are recognised as a national minority since 1993. This status is limited to the so-called autochthonous Roma and Sinti, which have been living in the country from the 15th century onwards (in particular Burgenland-Roma, Sinti, Lovara). Other Roma communities, who migrated to Austria since the 1960s, do not enjoy this status. Roma organisations agree in their estimation that the latter represent the vast majority of Roma in Austria today. However, the National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS) does consider all Roma living in Austria. The consideration of all Roma living in Austria has to be seen as a very positive measure as it allows to use funding to address the needs of both migrant and autochthonous Roma. There is no reliable data available on the size of Roma in Austria. Still, according to estimates by the Council of Europe the number or Roma is believed to be between 20,000 and 50,000,1 while some estimations by representatives of non-governmental organisations go up to 150,000. All those estimates lack an empirical basis. There is little research and statistical data available about the situation of Roma in Austria. The National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS) is mainly guided by the National Contact Point (NCP) in the Federal Chancellery. The NCP does outreach and awareness raising through the dialogue platform, which increases contacts between the national level authorities and civil society. However, this process does not ensure mainstreaming of Roma issues within other relevant policy sectors. At the local level there is little awareness about the NRIS and little awareness about the responsibility for local level implementation. The policy on Roma integration in Austria evolved and was extended in the last years, as well as in efforts from federal authorities, as seen also in the number of acting organisations and the availability of public funding dedicated to Roma integration. However, there is much more to be done to improve the situation of Roma in Austria significantly. There is a strong focus on the field of employment in the strategy, while the other areas do have lower priority. More attention has to be dedicated to the efforts to improve the situation in the field of education. Significantly, funding for the ethnic groups did not increase in the last 20 years. The main funding programme under the NRIS is limited to the area of employment, while in other areas of the EU framework there is little or no specific funding for Roma. Mainstream funding programmes do not explicitly target Roma nor do they refer to the NRIS. Although some research was conducted, there is still a lack of knowledge and data on the situation of Roma in Austria. The policy on Roma integration is therefore mostly not evidence-based and it is hardly possible to measure progress if there is no data.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Bulgaria

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategies in Bulgaria PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789279854552
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
As in previous years, the period of 2016-2017 does not mark any significant advances in the implementation of the NRIS. Improvements have been observed in the usage of EU funds for Roma inclusion (especially ESF and partly ERDF funds, while the engagement of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) remains problematic) and for education (especially in reducing early school leaving and increasing participation in different levels of education, although segregation remains a problem). Deterioration is obvious in the fields of governance (especially regarding the legitimacy of the National Roma Contact Point (NRCP) and the consultative process with civil society) and antigypsyism (with a significant rise in anti-Roma rhetoric, publications and even actions). Serious challenges, however, remain in all fields. The overall political context for Roma integration has encountered controversial developments over the last year. On the one hand, the parliamentary majority established both before and after the general elections in March 2017 and the governing coalition for the past eight months include nationalist parties known for their anti-Roma rhetoric. On the other hand, some current mainstream policies of the current Government have a real opportunity to accelerate Roma integration, especially in the field of education. The period of 2016-2017 marked the full collapse of the legitimacy of both the NRCP and the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues (NCCEII), which have been fully abandoned by the Roma NGOs and cannot implement their consultative and coordination roles. The policy dialogue between the Government and the Roma organisations is not terminated but occurs through other consultative formats (such as the Monitoring Committees of the EU co-funded Operational Programmes) and direct dialogue between NGOs and institutions. The usage of EU funds for Roma inclusion has increased significantly during this period. Combined with absent or low state budget investment and the crises of the NCCEII, this has gradually converted the use of these funds from technical means to ones that combine policy design and policy implementation.

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Slovakia

Civil Society Monitoring Report on Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in Slovakia PDF Author:
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ISBN: 9789279854507
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
A The report focuses on the structural and horizontal preconditions for the successful implementation of national integration strategy in Slovakia: governance and overall policy framework, fighting discrimination, addressing antigypsyism and education. The report also includes case studies of two localities to illustrate the potential and limits of Slovakia’s Roma inclusion policies in practice. The report notes that despite relatively slow progress overall, we can trace palpable results, mostly through several active municipalities and through the projects of NGOs. Additionally, at least in areas such as housing, health and employment, we can see the efforts of the action plans of the NRIS to scale up successful local municipal or NGO-run projects using ESIF funds. As we argue throughout the report, nevertheless, significant efforts must be invested into actual implementation of plans into practice in all areas. Moreover, in the area of non-discrimination, especially when it comes to maltreatment by police, residential segregation and segregation in education, there appears to be limits even in the state recognition of troubling practices as a precondition for any meaningful action.