Roma in Europe: Challenges, Progress, and New Opportunities for Education and Social Inclusion

In 2011, the European Commission approved for the first time the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, with the aim of improving the living conditions of this vulnerable community by 2020.

The evaluation of the implementation of this framework highlighted that education was the area with the most significant progress, particularly through the reduction of early school dropouts and the increase in participation in early childhood and compulsory education.  However, new problems have also emerged, such as the increase in cases of segregation of Roma students in schools. Furthermore, access to employment for Roma has not improved, and the percentage of young Roma who are neither working, studying, nor engaged in training has risen.

These findings, along with the new challenges, prompted the European Commission to adopt, in 2020, a new EU Strategic Framework for roma Equality, Inclusion, and Participation.

This new framework enriches Roma integration policies in three main directions: equality, inclusion, and participation. It no longer limits itself to a social inclusion approach but also focuses on combating discrimination, promoting development, and fostering participation of the Roma community.

Regarding education, while the 2011 Framework aimed to ensure that all Roma children completed primary education, the new framework aims to ensure that, by 2030, the majority of young Roma complete at least secondary education.

This ambitious goal marks a significant step forward in improving the educational attainment of the Roma community.

A survey conducted in Bulgaria in 2019 by the Trust for Social Achievement highlighted that, between 2012 and 2019, the percentage of Roma attending secondary education doubled, while the number of Roma entering university increased sixfold.

This progress is also evident in the 2021 Bulgarian census data: in 2011, only 9% of Bulgarian Roma had completed secondary education, while by 2021, this percentage had risen to over 14%.

The new EU Strategic Framework for Roma also places particular emphasis on reaching the most vulnerable groups within the Roma communities themselves. Among these are women, who face multiple forms of discrimination based on both gender and group affiliation.

Other vulnerable segments of the Roma community include children and young people. The European Commission has urged Member States with significant Roma populations to adopt specific measures for these groups, treating them not just as part of a general approach but as a standalone priority. Consequently, some countries, such as Bulgaria, have included dedicated sections for Roma women in their National Strategic Frameworks.

However, as highlighted in the Evaluation Report of Member States’ National Strategic Frameworks for Roma published by the European Commission on January 9, 2023, only a few countries have effectively adopted this recommendation.

Furthermore, in March 2022, the European Council approved the Council Recommendation of March 12, 2021, on Rom Equality, Inclusion, and Participation.

This is a “soft” but mandatory regulation for all EU Member States, further developing and consolidating the priorities already indicated in the European Strategic Framework.

Conclusions

Increasing the educational level of the Roma community and supporting access to university education are key factors for their development and the progress of European society as a whole.  

In particular, reaching Roma girls and women and supporting their university education is fundamental to ensuring that the inclusion process is effective and sustainable over time.

National governments should therefore introduce targeted incentives to increase the number of Roma, particularly Roma women, accessing higher education. This could include scholarship programs and other targeted initiatives.

EU Member States can leverage European Funds (notably the European Social Fund), EEA Funds, the Swiss Contribution, national funds, and other resources to finance these initiatives, promoting equality and inclusion for Roma communities in Europe.

Contribution by AMALIPE, Bulgarian partner of the ACADE-ME project.