The Situation of Roma in an Enlarged European Union
The Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission contracted the production of this report; which was jointly prepared by the European Roma Information Office, European Roma Rights Center and Focus Consultancy.The study was funded through the Community Action Programme to combat discrimination and social exclusion, was carried out over a period of 10 months, beginning in November 2003, and was based on extensive research in eleven countries.
The execution of the study was also facilitated by the holding of a Conference on the situation of Roma in an enlarged EU in Brussels in April 2004, at which representatives of Roma organisations and other interested parties made valuable contributions to policy discussions. The main focus of the report is to identify and highlight the implications of enlargement for the European Union⿿s policies on anti-discrimination and social inclusion in relation to Roma
Research has examined and explored in particular the nature of discrimination against Roma, identified the factors militating against their social inclusion, and described policies and practices that demonstrate good and best practice. Researchers have identified and compiled existing data on the situation of Roma in sectoral fields of relevance to EU social inclusion policy, and sought to identify areas in which such data may be missing. The findings have attempted to assess the current situation in relation to the existing EU and domestic government policies on anti-discrimination and social inclusion, with appropriate policy recommendations.
