ERGO Network response to the Spring Package 2022 – What’s in it for Europe’s Roma?

European Commission releases Spring Package 2022 – What’s in it for Europe’s Roma?

On 23 May 2022, the European Commission published the so-called Spring Package, comprising the 27 Country Reports, 27 Country-Specific Recommendations, and the accompanying Communication on the Spring Package, in the framework of the 2022 European Semester. This marks a return to the 2020 European Semester procedure, as – exceptionally – 2021 did not feature Country Reports or Country-Specific Recommendations. ERGO Network and its national members have reviewed the Package, to see to which extent it explicitly mentions Roma rights and inclusion, as well as ethnic minorities, discrimination, racism, and the role of civil dialogue.

Access the full analysis here.

Key Findings

  1. The accompanying Communication highlights the Roma as one of the most affected groups by the Covid-19 pandemic and speaks of improving their labour market inclusion.
  2. 7 Country Reports include references to the Roma (BG, HR, CZ, HU, RO, SK, SI) in 2022, which is one more than in 2020, but still insufficient as Roma live in 26 EU Member States.
  3. Only one Country-Specific Recommendation (HU) mentions the Roma, a slight improvement from 2020 (the first year with no Roma CSRs since 2012), but less than pre-2020.
  4. Ethnic minorities, discrimination, and racism are absent from both sets of documents, with only discrimination mentioned twice each in the Country Reports for 3 countries (BE, HR, IE).
  5. Civil society organisations were not associated to the drafting of the Country Reports, and the Spring Package references to their role are few and vague (7 Country Reports, 1 CSR).

Overall, while our members welcome references to Roma communities in some countries, they lament that most of the Spring Package 2022 doesn’t explicitly mention them, whereas the Roma are present in all Member States except Malta, and experience rates of poverty and social exclusion of over 80% in all of them except the Czech Republic. This situation was exacerbated by the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the rising cost of living and energy price spikes. As the Package itself highlights these very challenges, it would have warranted more attention paid to one of Europe’s most left-behind communities.

The recurrent focus on supporting just transitions and mitigating the consequences for vulnerable groups is very positive, however it is our members’ experience that, unless the Roma are explicitly named as key target beneficiaries of support measures, mainstream initiatives and dedicated national and EU funds end up not reaching them. Europe’s Roma must be specifically prioritised in the EU’s Recovery Package and associated funds, if the EU is serious about delivering on its commitments for Roma equality, participation, and inclusion.

Our members equally express disappointment that issues of discrimination and antigypsyism are not present in the Package, as these have increased in recent years, and even more so during the pandemic. The fact that the country analyses and recommendations do not seek to establish explicit synergies with the EU and national Roma Frameworks is a tremendous missed opportunity.

Finally, they deplore the lack of recognition and support given to civil society organisations in the documents, given that most of them are not only on the frontlines, providing essential support to communities in need, but they equally possess the knowledge, expertise, and direct links to beneficiaries which are needed to inform the design of public policies and ensure both ownership and effectiveness of interventions.

For more information about ERGO Network’s work on the European Semester and associated frameworks (European Pillar of Social Rights, Sustainable Development Goals etc), please contact Senior Policy Adviser Amana Ferro.

ERGO meets EC desk officers

ERGO members meet European Commission desk officers

On 10 September 2020, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network facilitated an online exchange meeting between its national members in 5 key countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia) and their counterparts in the country desks of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and DG Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO).

The meeting served as a space to update each other on the preparation of National Roma Integration Strategies in the specific countries, as well as on Roma participation in the process of designing measures to target Roma under the European Funds. The participants also discussed the possibility to introduce Roma indicators in the funds, connecting them better with the Roma strategies. Finally, in view of the upcoming European Semester Country Reports 2021, the European Commission urged ERGO Network members to feed Roma realities and proposals, in particular with a view to the pandemic and recovery.

ERGO Network director Gabriela Hrabanova pointed out that the exchange was very timely, as we are now living a crucial moment where dots need to be connected to ensure that Roma rights and inclusion are delivered on. She stressed the importance of having a Roma-specific indicator, to ensure that the impact of measures and funds on Roma communities can be measured, and lessons learned. Investment is also needed in civil society, to build capacity and strong coalitions in order to effectively put forward the voice of the Roma. She reminded that ERGO Network is also actively monitoring the European Semester and wishes to see better alignment between these processes and the EU Roma Strategic Framework.

ERGO Network members expressed their concerns regarding the situation in their countries. For Bulgaria, Liliya Makaveeva and Kadrin Hasanov from Integro Association, stressed that civil society organisations were not involved in the consultation processes for the elaboration of the post-2020 National Roma Integration Strategy. The situation was better when it came to the working groups for most Operational Programmes, where civil society is present and can put forward proposals – even if those are not always taken into account. It is equally important to ensure that the Roma feature prominently in the upcoming Country Reports 2021.

In Czech Republic, Michal Miko from RomanoNet, Jelena Silajdžić from Slovo 21, and Nikola Taragoš from Romodrom agreed that they felt that their country was on the right path to have a good Strategy with positive measures, although there is always room for improvement. For the first time, Roma NGOs and the Roma Council are able to negotiate with different ministries to achieve good quality Operational Programmes, and hopefully deliver real inclusion for the Roma in the Czech Republic.

For Hungary, András Nun from Autonómia Foundation and Melinda Kassai from Butterfly Development informed that, unfortunately, civil society is not being involved in any process, and drafts have not been shared. The state of democracy in Hungary is dire, and civil society is systematically disempowered and kept out. There are no open calls, funding is allocated behind closed doors, without competition, participation, or transparency. A few well connected actors receive all the opportunities.

For Romania, Florin Botonogu from the Policy Center for Roma and Minorities and Daniel Grebeldinger from Nevo Parudimos indicated that the next national Strategy looks like a good document on paper, and – very importantly – has budgetary allocations attached. Civil society has been very involved in the drafting process, this was the closest cooperation in the history of the national Strategy. Both organisations have closely followed both this process, as well as the consultations around EU funds, which was however a much poorer engagement process. It was very difficult to ensure the delivery of Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) during the pandemic, as .community participation was not feasible in online meetings.

For Slovakia, Zuzana Havírová from the Roma Advocacy and Research Center shared that the country now had a new Head of the Plenipotentiary Officer for Roma Communities, which means that the process for the preparation of the Strategy was much more open to Roma people and the civil society organisations working with them than previously. This is a very encouraging step, however more can be done to improve participation, ownership, and transparency.  

Konstantinos Niafas, from the Romanian desk in DG REGIO, noted the process of regionalisation currently taking place in Romania, which means that some of the EU Funds will be channelled through regional Operational Programmes in the next programming period. While the negotiation processes for the planning of the period 2021-2027 are ongoing, there is a parallel open channel to discuss the recovery and resilience funds, a process which is still being designed. The Commission is hoping to receive the National Recovery Plans from Member States by October – this is a process coordinated by the Secretariat General of the European Commission, together with DG ECFIN. However, he stated, a lot of coordination was needed, with all these processes taking place at the same time, so such exchange meetings are welcome.

Ştefan Păduraru, working in the Romanian desk in DG EMPL, also noted that addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities, including Roma, was an important priority for the European Commission in the ongoing negotiations on the next programming period. As these negotiations are not finalised, however, it would be difficult to comment on specific future interventions. Grassroots organisations such as the ERGO Network members are encouraged to proactively contribute to this process through, for example, the consultation process undertaken by the Romanian authorities on the draft Operational Programmes.

Pavel Tychtl, working for the Czech Republic desk in DG EMPL, highlighted that sensitive, intelligent solutions needed to be found at both EU and national level to collect disaggregated information on Roma without infringing data privacy. This would enable having a concrete and specific indicator, which would allow all parties to evaluate the impact of the measures. It is important to keep in place the explicit, but not exclusive, principle when designing specific Roma targeted measures. Regarding civil society engagement in the Czech Republic, the overall feeling is that there is good cooperation, relevant actors work together. Even where voices are diverse, the message is strengthened. Information from the ground is incredibly appreciated and valuable, and national meetings are also open to civil society actors.

Andor Ürmös, from DG REGIO, stressed that the debate on a Roma-specific indicator was a very important one, as such as indicator would help improve Roma participation in the big Programmes. However, he expressed concern that such an indicator, if used improperly, might lead to segregation, and that social and economic inclusion of the Roma would be seen as a separate side-process.

After the opening plenary, participants split into breakout rooms according to countries, in order to be able to exchange bilaterally more in detail about specific national concerns. Some of these bilateral discussions during the meeting have led to the setting up of more such follow-up meetings, so that the two sides can keep each other involved.

Once participants reconvened once more in the main virtual room, Jamen Gabriela Hrabaňová, ERGO Network Director, ended the meeting by reassuring desk officers that ERGO Network national members and staff stand committed, willing, and able to provide all necessary input and feedback from their work directly at grassroots level, to make sure that the voice of the Roma is being heard.

EU Recovery plan – the case of Roma

The effects of Covid-19 on Roma communities in EU Member States and Enlargement and Neighbourhood Countries

Throughout Europe, most governments have failed to design or implement specific measures to address the vulnerability of Roma during the coronavirus pandemic. With Commissioner’s Dalli statement on the importance of prioritising the protection of fundamental rights and racialised minorities during Covid-19, and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus and EU Solidarity Fund, Member States were provided the needed support to address the impact of the pandemic crisis on the economy and society, including the most vulnerable.

Despite the massive lack of data on the situation of Roma during the pandemic, reports from our members and partner CSOs indicate a huge, disproportionately negative impact of both the pandemic and the security measures associated with it on Roma communities across Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Countries, aggravated by long-term systemic discrimination and antigypsyism.

ERGO Network has issued two papers addressing this situation:

The first, “EU Recovery Plan: The case of Roma in the Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Countries” offers a set of concrete policy measures both urgent and mid-term to the European Commission.

The second document provides insights into the situation of different Member, Enlargement and Neighbourhood States.

ERGO Network will continue to closely monitor the impact of the crisis.

ERGO Network response to the Winter Package 2020

ERGO Network response to the Winter Package 2020

On 26 February 2020, the European Commission published the so-called Winter Package, comprising the 28 Country Reports 2020 (including the United Kingdom), and the usual Communication on Country Reports, in the framework of the 2020 European Semester.

Download the response here

ERGO Network meets new EU Commissioners

ERGO Network meets European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, and is part of the Social Platform delegation to meet Executive Vice Presidents Frans Timmermans (cabinet) and Valdis Dombrovskis

In the first months of 2020, ERGO Network took the opportunity to get to know three of the new EU Commissioners who are essential for our work towards fostering social inclusion of Roma and combatting antigypsyism and to convey our key messages.

On 28 January 2020, a delegation of 14 ERGO Network member organisations met with the new European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, to commemorate the Holocaust Remembrance Day, as well as to discuss about the challenges faced by Roma civil society organisations in fighting antigypsyism and advocating for Roma rights and inclusion, and a meaningful and participatory post-2020 Roma Strategy. “Roma people have been living in Europe for more than 700 years and have massively contributed to the richness of the European heritage. Yet, for centuries, European societies have turned a blind eye to racism and widespread discrimination of Roma people. We have to change that”, committed Commissioner Dalli. Topics discussed included:

  • combating antigypsyism as horizontal and stand-alone priority, in all its forms and manifestations, including through strong legislative measures;
  • a comprehensive, binding, EU Strategy for Roma inclusion that includes enlargement countries on equal footing, with concrete minimum standards, ambitious targets, and common monitoring at the EU level;
  • capacity-building, support and channels for Roma civil society to meaningfully engage in the design, implementation, and monitoring of public policies that affect them;
  • prioritising Roma inclusion in the next MFF programming period, ensuring that Roma communities are involved in the delivery of European funds at the national and local level.

On 19 February, the ERGO Network was part of the Social Platform delegation to meet with the cabinet of European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, to put forward the Roma rights perspective in discussions about how to put social inclusion at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal in post-2020.

On 25 February, the ERGO Network was part of the Social Platform delegation to meet again with European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. We reiterated the importance of Roma-related indicators and data, the need for a specific investment priority on Roma, the importance of diversity, especially of including LGBTQIA+ Roma in the next EU Roma Framework, and the need to work together with civil society.

On 6 March, the ERGO Network was part of the Social Platform delegation to meet with European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, in charge of an Economy that Works for People. We stressed the importance of ambitious targets, common indicators, and a strong EU monitoring process for the post-2020 Roma Integration Strategies, and for poverty reduction and social objectives in general.

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European Commission – ERGO Network

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