Last week, Eurodiaconia sent a letter to Věra Jourová – European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality – including some recommendations for a post-2020 EU Roma Inclusion Strategy.

The recommendations form Eurodiaconia latest publication “Towards a post-2020 EU Roma Inclusion Strategy” and follow the recent Commission Communication on the evaluation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.

The Eurodiaconia network has very much welcomed the 2011 Commission Communication on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies until 20201 and the following development of National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) in all EU member states. Eurodiaconia and its members consider that the EU Framework has been key to support first steps to improve Roma inclusion in several EU member states.

As the framework is coming to an end, the Commission has put forward some first reflections on the development of a post-2020 strategy in its 2018 Communication Report on the evaluation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 20202. Eurodiaconia members share most of the analysis presented in the evaluation report that has been published alongside the Communication. The following policy recommendations for a future EU Roma Inclusion Strategy are based on the input provided by Eurodiaconia member organisations working with Roma communities across the EU. They also take into account the results of the Commission Evaluation and react to the 2018 Commission Communication.

With these policy recommendations, the Eurodiaconia Network aims at providing some input to the ongoing reflections on a future EU Roma Strategy. Eurodiaconia and its members firmly believe that a follow-up strategy to the current EU Framework on NRIS is needed to continue efforts in Roma inclusion as this needs to be done on the long-term.

Eurodiaconia latest publication includes the following recommendations:

  • Increased efforts are crucial to achieving Roma inclusion;
  • Allocate adequate budgets to implement the strategy;
  • Capacity building at national and regional levels is needed for better implementation;
  • Strengthen Roma and pro-Roma civil society involvement;
  • Target specific groups;
  • Formulate precise targets on antigypsyism.

 

To know more about our policy recommendations for a post-2020 EU Roma Inclusion Strategy, please read the full publication.