Europe's largest minority, numbering more than ten million people, continues to be discriminated against and marginalised in many Member States of the European Union. Human rights NGOs and EU policymakers who gathered at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) warned that, in many cases, police continue to use ethnic profiling against Roma people. A public hearing on "Addressing anti-gypsyism in ethnic profiling practices" took place during the third EU Roma Week, held by the EU institutions in Brussels from 8-12 April.
It was stressed that the most significant problem for Roma communities, particularly in central and eastern Europe, remained their inadequate integration into society, which in the majority of cases resulted in poverty. The speakers also drew attention to increased ethnic profiling linked to counter-terrorism measures and strengthened border controls due to migration, pointing out that Roma were among the groups affected by this relatively new trend. (ia)