Romer

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  • This hearing will look at the state of play of the national Roma strategic frameworks in the Member States. It will look at some of the plans that these incorporate and discuss possible good practices.

  • The EESC's Thematic study group on the inclusion of the Roma is organising a remote public hearing on 5 April 2022.

  • The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in major economic and social impacts across the EU, worsening the already precarious situation of marginalised communities, amongst them the Roma. The hearing aims to look at the Covid situation for the Roma community living in settlements, as well as their access to services, particularly health services. It will then discuss the measures that are needed to address the situation, with the participation of organisations from various Member States.

  • Identifying the priorities and needed actions

    The current EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies runs till 2020 and is coming to an end soon.  A new initiative for Roma integration is currently being developed.

    To strive towards a more effective post-2020 initiative, a thorough evaluation of the current framework is necessary.  This hearing seeks to offer a platform to assess the current framework's shortcomings and achievements, with a view to identifying the areas that still necessitate action. It will also feature a discussion geared towards providing recommendations for the upcoming post-2020 strategy.

  • At its hearing on 11 June (10.00-13.00 in meeting room VMA3), the Study Group on the Inclusion of the Roma will be discussing the employment and recruitment situation for the Roma and the discriminatory practices they endure in this regard.

    The hearing will seek to discuss the existing forms of discrimination, their extent, as well as the effectiveness or otherwise of actions such as the public works' scheme in improving the Roma's situation in the labour market.  It will identify best practices undertaken in Member States and discuss recommendations to counter discrimination in employment and recruitment.

  • The PSG on the inclusion of the Roma will, at its 11 April hearing on "Addressing anti-gypsyism in ethnic profiling practices", be looking at ethnic profiling in relation to the Roma community. Roma face discriminatory practices by the police and in the court system, such as Roma-targeted police raids and proportionately more Roma people being charged than people who are not of Roma descent. Such practices contravene Article 21 (1) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which prohibits discrimination on any grounds, such as race and ethnic origin. The PSG would like to highlight cases of malpractice in this domain, discussing examples from Member States, and also bring to light examples of good practice and discuss the way forward to help alleviate these problems.

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    Roma still remain the most underrepresented group on the labour market, with high numbers of unemployment. Due to the combination of various factors, such as poverty and deprivation, low levels of education and skills and discrimination in both education and employment, there are still serious structural barriers for Roma. Therefore they do not benefit from mainstream or targeted measures/initiatives. The Roma Platform is a high-level event that will provide an opportunity to discuss education and employment for Roma.

  • The PSG on the inclusion of the Roma will in its hearing on 15 November deal with segregation in education of Roma. Roma are often placed in special schools for children with learning disabilities. The Commission has launched infringement procedures against the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary for school segregation As segregation has negative consequences on school attainment it severely affects the Roma though their entire life and maintain them in a situation of deprivation and poverty.

  • The hearing will explore EU funded projects and identify best practices and challenges. The main focus will be on the impact of funding on field work and on the design of projects and their implementation. Additionally, the sustainability of projects and absorption capacity will be discussed.

  • Ahead of the international Roma Day on 8 April, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a hearing on "Anti-gypsyism, possible responses", which will feed into the work of the EESC permanent study group on Roma inclusion monitoring the implementation the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.

    Anti-gypsyism is an important barrier to the effective implementation of the framework and national integration strategies, and the hearing wants to shed light on possible responses to this cross-cutting problem. The European refugee crisis acerbates problems with general racism, xenophobia which also affects Roma. A hearing on anti-gypsyism and other forms of racism and xenophobia will allow exchanging best practices on how to combat these phenomena.