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05.04.2011 @ 17:37 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A freshly launched EU policy framework for national Roma strategies is "disappointing", as it leaves it up to member states to deal with the discrimination of this minority - something governments like the one in Hungary are not really willing to follow up on, grassroots activists say.
member states so far have dragged their feet in allocating proper resources - with only €100 million earmarked for Roma projects out of the €26.5 billion available (Photo: Council of Europe)
"We are really disappointed that the framework does not set out any concerted approach to tackle the discrimination of Roma. It only talks about the response of member states to have projects for social inclusion," Matthias Verhelst from the European Roma Grassroots Organisation Network told this website on Tuesday (5 April).
He highlighted the racist treatment of Roma in Hungary, where the centre-right government seems to tolerate torch-lit marches through Roma ghettos and hate speech of the extreme-right Jobbik party and its affiliated vigilante groups.
"There is a contrast between the proposal that came out today and what needs to be done in the member states, something that was very well illustrated in the incidents in Hungary this past weekend," Verhelst said.
His comments during the EUobserver talk show came just a few hours before the European Commission launched its "Framework for national Roma strategies", aimed at better "guiding" member states in tackling discrimination, poverty, health and unemployment issues of Europe's largest minority.
"There is no evidence that strong and proportionate measures are in place to tackle the social and economic problems of Roma," justice and fundamental rights commissioner Viviane Reding said during a press conference in Strasbourg.
While admitting that member states so far have dragged their feet in allocating proper resources - with only €100 million earmarked for Roma projects, out of the €26.5 billion available, the commission has no real tools available other than naming and shaming, but is reluctant to do even that.
"This is not a beauty contest," Reding said when asked which countries were worst in implementing Roma programmes. "It's about solving problems, and problems are different in Bulgaria where you have hundreds of thousands of Roma and in Luxembourg, where there are only a few hundred."
She stressed the need to close the education gap, as only 42 percent of Roma children complete primary school, compared to an EU average of 97 percent. "This is especially relevant since Roma are a young population, with an average age of 25, compared to other Europeans, who are on average 40 years old."
Back in August last year, Reding made a name for herself when standing up to France over the sudden clampdown on Roma camps and paid repatriations to Romania and Bulgaria.
"What happened last summer was a wake-up call. Everyone in Europe was reminded that there are rights that have to be implemented," she said.
The Brussels-Paris spat ended after several outbursts of anger from President Nicolas Sarkozy and the promise to change the national legislation which transposes an EU law on freedom of movement.
Separately, Roma organisations have taken the government to court for discrimination, banned under French law.
As for the "alarming news" from Hungary, social affairs commissioner Laszlo Andor, himself of Hungarian nationality, said during the same press briefing: "The rise of certain xenophobic and sometimes explicitly racist tendencies in recent years is a major concern and it undermines the social and political stability in certain neighbourhoods and regions."
"This has to be confronted. In a democratic system, which is based on human rights, there can be no tolerance for racism. We really have to have a campaign against xenophobia ... and eliminate such danger that sometimes is life threatening," he added.
Roma rights activist Matthias Verhelst speaks out against the EU Roma framework
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS / EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (5 March 2011) Disappointing, out of touch with the reality of anti-Roma discrimination in Hungary - this is how NGOs view the latest EU framework policy on national Roma strategies
Watch more EUobserver videoes here
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The ETF wins the ‘Oscars’ of communications
8 April 2011 Lida Kita The European Training Foundation(ETF) has won the 2011 Gold Quill Award of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). This leading association for communication professionals recognised the ETF’s innovative programme of activities 'Social media for social inclusion' during the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion in 2010.
This is the first time a prestigious Gold Quill, the ‘Oscar’ of communications, has been given to an agency of the European Union.
'We are grateful and very proud of this recognition, which is a great achievement for the entire organisation, because it involved staff across all functions and new audiences beyond our traditional partners,' says Bent Sørensen, Head of ETF Communication.The ETF will receive the Gold Quill Award at a ceremony in San Diego, USA, on 13 June 2011. In addition, the 'Social media for social inclusion' was awarded the EuroComm 2011 Emerald Award at an event in Turin on 7 April. The use of social media offered the opportunity to extend the duration, reach and impact of two institutional conferences of the ETF: “Women & Work” (7-8 March 2010) in Turin and “Promoting Social Inclusion” (2-3 December 2010) at the European Parliament in Brussels.Through blogs and intensive social media activities on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, the ETF added a strong online dimension to both events.'We gained the access to hundreds of voices on the ground that helped us understand the actual needs of our partner countries; we engaged with online influencers on their terms and we helped individuals committed to social inclusion to connect with decision makers and opinion leaders,' says Bent Sørensen.Internally, at the ETF, the activities demonstrated that social media can widen the outreach in individual countries and that it is an innovative way to listen to stakeholders, to collect content for institutional events, and event select speakers for conferences.Find out more
International Association of Business Communicators
Human Capital Development Specialist
Operations Department
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Commission President Barroso and Commissioner Füle start their regional visit to the Western Balkans
07/04/2011 European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Commissioner Štefan Füle started their regional visit to the Western Balkans on 7 April. During the visit they will meet with the leaders of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as civil society representatives, to stress the Commission’s support to the European perspective of the Western Balkans region and to encourage further necessary reforms in the countries concerned to help accelerate their progress on the road towards EU. Following his meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Kosor, President Barroso noted that "Croatia must tackle the last difficult reforms before the accession process can be concluded. Now is the time for Croatia to walk the final mile!"
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htmLida Kita
Human Capital Development Specialist
Operations Department
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On the occasion of the International Roma Day on 7 April, the European Commission has emphasized the need for stronger efforts for Roma inclusion in the EU and throughout the Western Balkans. To stress the commitment of the EU member states for Roma inclusion, the European Commission adopted a "European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies" on 5 April 2011.
The fifth meeting of the Integrated European Platform for Roma inclusion which is taking place today in Budapest on 7th (17.00-20.00) and 8th April 2011 (9.00-17.00), in the frame of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU. The meeting discussed "integrated actions in marginalized rural communities - impossibility to develop desegregation actions, ensuring equal access to resources and services", one of the priority areas identified within the Roadmap which sets the operational framework of the Platform. The discussions were based on a number of background papers drafted by the Hungarian Presidency and other EC and international organizations. The European Roma Platform meeting provided an opportunity for the presentation of recent EU milestones: the European Parliament resolution on the EU Roma Strategy adopted on 9th March 2011 and the Commission Communication on the EU Framework for national Roma integration strategies (adopted on 5th April 2011).
Commission is presenting “An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020” Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.The Communication covers also the Western Balkan and Turkey countries.The European Commission will organise a series of conferences in the region during 2011 to this aim.
"Despite some good intentions from national politicians, too little has changed in the lives of most Roma over the last few years," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner. "Member States have a joint responsibility to put an end to Roma exclusion – from schools, jobs, healthcare and housing. This is a serious challenge. That is why we are setting goals for Roma integration and why we now need a clear commitment from all capitals, regions and cities in Europe to put them into practice. Now is the time to move beyond good intentions and to take concrete actions. Most important to me is that Member States help ensure that all Roma children complete at least primary school."
This EU Framework will help guide national Roma policies and mobilise funds available at EU level to support inclusion efforts. The Framework focuses on four pillars: access to education, jobs, healthcare and housing. Member States are expected to set individual national Roma integration goals in proportion to the population on their territory and depending on their starting point.
The European Commission will organise a number of review conferences with governments in the Western Balkans and other international stakeholders throughout this year. These meetings will emphasize the need for a strong political commitment in the Enlargement region for Roma inclusion as a part of the European process.
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On April 4-5 2011, the ETF held a regonal workshop as part of continued support to the Western Balkan and Turkey regional policy on social inclusion through education and training. Among participants were stakeholders from the region, EU institutions and international partners.
