At the Plenary Session of the Parliament held on 9 March, MEPs voted on a Resolution calling for the establishment of binding targets to enhance access to employment, education, housing and health of the nearly 12 million Roma currently living in the EU. The resolution lays down the MEPs priorities regarding the EU strategy on Roma inclusion, which the Commission is extected to present in April. These key elements include the protection of fundamental rights and use of European funds.

In their Resolution of the European Parliamente on the EU strategy on Roma inclusion, which was adopted by 576 votes to 32 with 60 abstentions, MEPs highlight that Roma people have suffered systematic discrimination and are struggling against an intolerable degree of social, cultural and economic exclusion as well as human rights violations, and experience severe stigmatisation and discrimination in public and private life.

The Parliament considers that true integration of the Roma is possible only by means of mutual recognition of the rights and obligations of the communities concerned, and call on the Commission  adopt priority areas for the Strategy, including above all fundamental rights and in particular non-discrimination, equality and free movement, as well as education, vocational and lifelong training; culture; employment; housing, including a healthy environment and adequate infrastructure; healthcare and political and civil participation of Roma civil society, including young Roma.

In the Parliament's point of view, as already emphasized in the conclusions of the Civil Liberties Committee by mid-February, the EU executive and Member States should promote the fight against undeclared work, as well as supporting the access of Roma to public administration, increasing the number of  Roma teachers and facilitating Roma children's access to education in their own language.

The respect for Roma fundamental rights

MEPs also acknowledged the repatriations and returns of Roma that have been taking place in several Member States, and were often accompanied by the stigmatisation of Roma and general anti-Gypsyism in political discourse. For that reason, the EU Strategy on Roma Inclusion must  address all forms of violations of the fundamental rights of Roma – including discrimination, segregation, hate speech, ethnic profiling and unlawful fingerprinting, as well as unlawful eviction and expulsion. Furthermore, the Parliament calls on the Commission to facilitate dialogue between local authorities, judicial bodies, police and the Roma community in order to abolish discrimination in the judicial sphere, improve confidence and combat ethnic profiling.

The Parliament recalls that European programmes and funding are available and can be used for the social and economic integration of the Roma people but that improved communication is needed on all levels within the local authorities, civil society and the potential target groups so that Roma people are informed about them. It also encourages the use of existing EU funds for building new houses or renovating existing ones, improving the engineering infrastructure, local utilities, communication systems, education, measures for access to the job market, etc.

The Commission is expected to present its proposal on 5 April and the European Council should adopt it at its meeting on 24 June. Roma inclusion is one of the Hungarian Presidency's priorities.