European Economic
and Social Committee
“Roma entrepreneurship: a possible solution to labour market discrimination and exclusion?”
"With its 12 million inhabitants, the Roma are the largest ethnic minority in the EU, but also one of the most disadvantaged. Many of them face prejudice, intolerance and discrimination and often live in very unfavorable socio-economic conditions", Georges Dassis declared at the conference on Roma entrepreneurship, which was co-organised by the European Economic and Social Committee together with ERIO (European Roma Information Office) and took place in the EESC premises on 8 June 2017.
The aim of the conference gave an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship as a potential tool to facilitate Roma's empowerment and access to the labour market. During his opening speech the president of the EESC stated that the Committee recommends making inclusion of Roma an important issue in national reform programs in the context of the EU2020 Strategy and recalled that improving employment opportunities of the Roma will benefit everyone in the context of Growth strategy, contributing to social cohesion and thus support for stability and democracy.
Mr. Dassis concluded that "the Committee, in its work on long-term unemployment, takes into account the specific problems of the Roma and recognizes that discrimination against Roma and anti-Gypsyism are the main obstacles to the employment of the Roma".
Main EESC Opinions on Roma
Socio-economic integration of Roma
Roma – Societal empowerment and integration