UPDATES FROM ROMA TASK FORCE

1. Mid-term review of the EU Roma framework (2011-2020) The announced that 2017 will be devoted to a mid-term review of the EU Framework for the National Roma Integration Strategies. After five years of implementation, the Commission decided to assess the achievements and challenges of EU policy framework, legal and funding instruments relevant for Roma inclusion. DG Justice of the European Commission launched an internal consultation process to gather inputs from member states and the civil society organisations. The consultation, which ran until 24 March, also sought to identify priorities for a post-2020 EU approach to Roma integration. EUROCITIES collected inputs from its members to inform its response to the questionnaire on the mid-term review. The inputs will feed into the Commission’s public consultation on the topic. This, in turn, will inform the 2017 Commission’s assessment report (planned for autumn this year) that is expected to set the frame for the post-2020 EU Roma strategy. Read more about the mid-term review of EU Roma framework.

2. EU Roma week 2017 Roma week 2017 was held from 27 March to 3 April to mark the occasion of International Roma Day on 8 April 2017. Jointly organised by the and the European Commission, EU Roma week 2017 consisted of a series of workshops and events to raise awareness about issues that Roma people are facing. Over 100 Roma activists across Europe took active part in the EU Roma week, and EUROCITIES was also present. The three main objectives of the Roma week 2017 were: recognition of anti-gypsyism; mid-term review of EU Roma framework and input for post-2020 EU Roma policy; and establishing a Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (first celebrated on 27 January 2017). EUROCITIES met the assistant of the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup, who co- organised the EU Roma week, and discussed opportunities for collaboration. The possibility of organising an event hosted by the EP intergroup in autumn 2017 on the role of cities to make social rights available to all people and especially to those in vulnerable situations, such as Roma, was considered. See the programme of events at EU Roma week 2017

3. Roma in the European Semester 2017 country reports On 22 February 2017, the Commission published 27 country reports analysing the economic and social situation in each member state. Five reports had specific references to Roma integration (Bulgaria, Hungary, , Czech Republic and Slovakia). The reports highlight progress made in these countries in particularly through reforms of the education system. Such reforms aim at increasing Roma participation in mainstream education and stopping segregation in schools. For example, in Hungary, the proportion of Roma pupils attending “special” schools has declined in recent years. In Romania, sanctions (fines) are increasingly used to effectively enforce anti-discrimination rules. Despite these efforts, the gap between Roma and non-Roma in employment and poverty levels remains very large. For example, in Hungary and Czech Republic the risk of poverty for Roma is around six times higher than non-Roma. EUROCITIES has prepared a thematic analysis of the country reports with an overview of recent reforms in the field as well as the remaining challenges in the concerned countries. Read the country reports.

4. European Parliament prepares report on fighting anti-gypsyism On 16 March 2017, the European Parliament announced its own initiative to prepare a report on the fundamental rights aspects in Roma integration in the EU with a focus on fighting anti-gypsyism. The topics to be addressed in the report include: the rights of Roma people according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU; social inclusion, poverty and minimum income; equal treatment between persons and non-discrimination; and actions to combat racism and xenophobia. The report is being prepared by the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the rapporteur is MEP Soraya Post. The Committee on Employment (EMPL) will give its opinion. The report is still to be drafted and discussed in the committee, and could be adopted in 2018. EUROCITIES is in contact with the office of MEP Soraya Post to contribute with inputs from cities to this report on fighting anti-gypsyism.

5. Urban Partnership on poverty The urban partnerships launched in 2016 on inclusion of migrants and refugees, on urban poverty, and on affordable housing, continue their work in 2017. They will focus on developing actions for better regulation, better funding and better knowledge. The subject of Roma inclusion has been identified as one of the priority areas of the urban poverty partnership. As a result, some concrete actions on tackling the poverty and exclusion of Roma people are expected to be included in the action plan. The draft action plan is to be discussed by the members of the partnership in April and finalised by May. An external consultation on the action plan will be carried out between May and June and cities are invited to contribute with their inputs. The action plans will then be communicated to the ministers for urban development with the view to them discussing and potentially adopting them by the end of 2017. EUROCITIES is a member of the urban partnership on equal footing with EU institutions, member states, regions and cities in the urban poverty partnership coordinated by France and Belgium. As such, we aim at devising joint actions for improving the lives of citizens in urban areas. To do so, EUROCITIES is consulting with its members for inputs.

Upcoming meetings and activities:

. Meeting of the Roma inclusion taskforce, 5-6 April, Lisbon . Policy roundtable of the European Roma Information Office – July, . EU conference on Roma entrepreneurship – July, Brussels . EU conference on social economy and Roma communities – October, Brussels . Study visit and Roma taskforce meeting – Sep (tbc) . EU Roma platform – November, Brussels