Ministers from all candidate countries in the Western Balkans met last week in Skopje, North Macedonia, to advance the integration of the Roma in the enlargement process.
This was the fourth ministerial meeting, following the adoption in July 2019 of the "Declaration of the partners from the Western Balkans on the integration of Roma". The declaration, called the Poznan Declaration, was adopted in July 2019 at the Poznan Summit in Poznan, Poland, by the Western Balkans Prime Ministers.
The Poznan commitments cover the fields of education, employment, health, housing, civil documentation, fight antigypsism, data collection and inclusion of the Roma dimension in EU’s green and digital agendas. All Western Balkan region partners have also approved new Roma inclusion Strategies/Action Plans for the next 5 to 10 years.
The ministers called on the Council of Europe to provide an independent assessment of the implementation of the Poznan commitments for the next ministerial meeting in 2024 in Serbia. A data-driven approach will enable the governments to identify gaps, make necessary adjustments and ensure accountability.
The latest evaluation by the European Commission was carried out in 2015, with a follow-up report available from 2018.
“Four years ago, we specifically included the integration of Roma people in the € 30 billion worth of European Investment Plan for the Western Balkans and ever since, we have called for attention and action,” Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told the ministers at the meeting. “The Roma population, the Roma youth, is an asset.”
“But certainly, more needs to be done. And this annual Ministerial is a perfect example of our joint political commitment to make progress. We all know that Roma people still live so often in a marginalized position; therefore, we must redouble our actions.”
A challenge in planning and promoting the integration of Roma in society is that demographic figures of the Roma minority groups in Western Balkans are uncertain and disputed.
Official data show that there is around 275,000 Roma in the six Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia), and around 700,000 in Turkey, representing over 1% of the total population.
However, average estimates based on unofficial sources suggest that the Roma community in the region is over 3.5 million, thereof 2,7 million in Turkey, representing over 4% of the total population. The numbers are multiplied, in Serbia from ca 150,000 to 600,000, in North Macedonia from ca 50,000 to close to 200,000, and in Albania 12,000 to over 100,000.
Are more funding and investments required to reach the goals outlined in the Poznan Declaration?
“The funding that the EU has put at the disposal of the governments is a potent resource for investment,” Zeljko Jovanovic, Director of Open Society Foundations Roma Initiatives Office who participated in the meeting, told The Brussels Times. “The challenge is how to use it best to advance on the goals of the Poznan Declaration.
“Roma integration should not be treated as a public burden, but as public investment that benefits all. Investing in the Roma population which has a far younger demography compared to aging Europe; and who are largely working in the informal economy, would help unlock immense potential which will directly impact the GDP of the country.”
How can social stigma be addressed?
“The integration process has been built on the problems that social stigma and deep poverty have created. In response, the initiative is focused on lifting up the Roma community towards economic development. We see a chance to address the social stigma by promoting the image of Roma community through its economic potential and a case of investment not only for the benefit of the Roma but the regional economy.”
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
