Roma policy in Europe
Since most of the Central and Eastern European countries have joined the EU, the `Roma issue` became part of the internal affairs of the EU. However, the EU does not have a Roma policy that addresses the complex nature of the problems in an effective and sustainable manner. In recent years Western European countries were confronted with this issue. Many Roma from Eastern Europe migrate to North-Western Europe and try to make a living there. There are many push- and pull factors that make them decide to move. One of them is the increasing racist violence and anti-gypsyism tendencies in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Italy. Many Eastern European Roma that lived for some years in Italy, decided to further migrate to other EU countries like Spain and France. As the numbers of Roma in Western Europe are growing, the fear grows that this will create problems for stability and security in European member states, including The Netherlands.
Roma issues are only addressed the regular policies and programming on poverty, social exclusion and discrimination, by way of mainstreaming. There are no special policies for Roma issues; this means that no special attention is given to the complexity of the situation of the Roma. Although the opportunities are there, very few local authorities use EU Structural Funds to improve the position of Roma in their territory. This is caused by a lack of information and a lack of special mechanisms and incentives to apply for funding to address Roma issues. There is also a lack of political will to invest in the improvement of the position of Roma. Until now, this is a problem the European Commission has no answer for. European policy makers face difficulties to grasp the reality in the field concerning Roma, as communication channels between the grassroots and European level are almost absent. Bridging this gap is a major challenge for all stakeholders.
New video from our partner in Macedonia!
Take a look at what`s `Typical Roma` according to our Macedonian partner
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