EUROPOLITICS
Roma integration
Only 15 states have submitted national strategies
By Sophie Petitjean | Tuesday 10 January 2012
Only 15 of the 27 member states submitted their Roma integration strategies to the European Commission by the deadline of 31 December 2011. France, Romania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Slovakia, Poland and Malta are the only states that kept their commitment of 23-24 June 2011, when the European Council approved the EU framework for national Roma integration strategies.
Proposed in April 2011, the framework is meant to improve Roma integration through a specific agenda and clear guidelines. It calls on member states to facilitate Roma access to education, employment, health care, housing and basic related services, and also insists on better use of EU funds. More concretely, it asks member states, taking into account their respective differences, to develop a global strategy for Roma integration (either a completely new strategy or an improved existing strategy) before 31 December 2011.
As of 9 January 2012, 12 member states had not yet submitted their contribution. "The Commission hopes to receive the missing national strategies as soon as possible. It is essential that all states respect their commitment. Only by working together will we make progress on Roma integration," said the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Viviane Reding. The Commission, which plans to continue its calls for action, has no way of putting pressure on member states.
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