Bildung "Schlüssel" für Roma-Minderheit in Europa[en] 

The Roma people are a sizeable ethnic group in Europe and trace their origins to medieval India. There are many Roma subgroups.

According to the current census, 535,000 Roma live in Romania, 370,000 in Bulgaria, 205,000 in Hungary, 89,000 in Slovakia and 108,000 in Serbia. Some 200,000 Roma are estimated to live in the Czech Republic, the same number are estimated to reside in Greece and an estimated 500,000 are in Turkey.

Many Roma from Eastern Europe moved to the West following the EU's enlargement, creating tensions in particular in Italy (EurActiv 30/06/09).

Although the Czech Republic has a sizeable Roma population, the Roma issue did not feature among the priorities of the country's EU presidency in the first half of 2009.

The European Platform for Roma Inclusion gathers around 70 stakeholders from different levels, including governmental and non-governmental actors.

The platform was set up following the conclusions of the General Affairs Council in December 2008, which followed the first European Roma Summit on 16 September 2009 (EurActiv 16/09/08).

The first meeting of the platform took place on 24 April 2009 in Prague and issued a list of ten 'Common basic principles for Roma inclusion '.

The integration of Roma communities is considered to be the joint responsibility of member states and the EU. The European Commission is determined to act, particularly by ensuring that EU legislation like the Race Equality Directive is properly enforced.

NGOs have repeatedly called on the European Commission and on member countries to refrain from preaching empty words in tackling the problems faced by Europe's Roma population. 

Christer Hallerby, state secretary at the Swedish Ministry for Integration and Gender Equality, said "education is a key issue to fight against exclusion and discrimination of Roma".

Hallerby, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, was speaking after a meeting of the second European Platform for Roma Inclusion in Brussels.

Indeed, a high proportion of Roma have never been enrolled in an education system, according to the Roma Education Foundation (REF). "This lack of good education can lead to a vicious cycle of unemployment, poverty, poor housing and bad health," said Vladimír Špidla, the EU's commissioner for employment and social affairs.

Moreover, in several EU member states or candidate and potential candidate countries, Roma children are disproportionately placed in special education systems. In Slovakia for instance, 60% of pupils in special education are Roma, the REF study found.

In other countries like Hungary, children are deliberately placed in separate classes, which is a form of discrimination. In Serbia, school-age children are even placed in adult educational schools. All of this "widens the gap between the Roma minority and majority communities," deplored Sweden's Hallerby.

The second European Platform for Roma Inclusion discussed ways to facilitate access of Roma people to mainstream education, and thereafter employment and housing.

The Swedish case of "mainstreaming education" for Roma was presented at the gathering. "Sweden has probably the same number of difficulties as other EU countries, but a governmental commission is working on Roma issues and many projects are implemented at local level," said Hallerby.

"Education policy is not only a responsibility for the authorities but also for the parents," he stressed. "We need to establish trust relations between parents and social actors."

"The response mainly remains on the national and local levels," insisted Commissioner Špidla, "but we can give a value from EU level".

"The Commission can provide political commitment and leadership, enforce a modern non-discrimination legislation and provide financial support," added Špidla, stressing the need for "coherent action".