The position of the Roma, with poor living conditions and uncertain prospects for education and work, has not improved despite the goals set by the European Union (EU), according to the report published today by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), in which, in addition to the members of the Union included the candidates for membership, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Roma everywhere "continue to face shocking levels of marginalization and discrimination," FRA director Michael O'Flaherty said in a statement, adding that national policymakers should make "every effort to combat these intolerable situations."
The report, based on almost 8,500 testimonies of Roma in ten European countries, highlights "insufficient and too slow progress".
According to the Vienna-based FRA, 80 percent of members of the Roma community live in poverty, while the average for the rest of the EU population is around 17 percent. This data was the same when the last study on this topic was conducted in 2016.
More than half live in damp, dark housing units without adequate sanitation (up from 61 percent in 2016), and 22 percent have no running water (up from 30 percent six years ago).
Only 43 percent of Roma in the EU have a paid job, while the average employment rate in the Union is 72 percent.
Life expectancy for Roma women is 71 years and for Roma men 67 years, compared to 82 and 76 years for the general population in the EU.
When it comes to education, the numbers are dramatic as 71 percent of young Roma leave the education system early, while the average is only 10 percent among 18-24 year olds in the EU.
The report is based on the data collected by FRA during 2021 in the EU members – Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, as well as in the two candidate countries Serbia and North Macedonia.
In Bulgaria and Slovakia, the data were collected by the national authorities with the support of the FRA.
