Activities of Lucia ĎURIŠ NICHOLSONOVÁ related to 2020/2011(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies: combating negative attitudes towards people with Romani background in Europe
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies: Combating negative attitudes towards people with Romani background in Europe
Amendments (49)
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas 43 % of Roma are discriminated against when trying to buy or rent housing and are not sufficiently aware of their rights in terms of equality5 ; whereas the available data and outcome indicators from representative surveys from nine EU Member States suggest that the situation in housing remained largely the same between 2011 and 2016, with only some improvements in access to water and basic amenities in some countries; _________________ 5European Commission, 2019 Report on National Roma Integration Strategies: Key Conclusions, p. 6.
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas a significant proportion of people with Romani background in Europe live in marginal conditions in both rural and urban areas, and in very poor socio- economic circumstances; whereas some 80% of Roma in nine EU Member States with the largest Roma populations live below their country’s poverty threshold; whereas every third Roma lives in housing without running water, every third Roma child lives in a household where someone went to bed hungry at least once in the previous month and 50% of Roma between the ages of six and 24 was not in education;25 ; __________________ 25 FRA, Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey, Roma – Selected findings, 2016.
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas poverty is both an outcome and a driver of exclusion in education, employment, health and housing; whereas a key target of the EU 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth is to lift 20 million people, including people with Romani background, out of risk of poverty;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. Whereas the misdiagnosis of Roma children as having special educational needs is still a common discriminatory practice leading to a disproportionate number of Roma children attending 'special' schools, thereby separating them from the mainstream school system and often receiving inferior education;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. Whereas the life expectancy and health status of Roma minority remain significantly lower than for non-Roma in all European countries;1a __________________ 1aClosing the life expectancy gap of Roma in Europe, 2018, Study, epha, 12/2018
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. Whereas the current EU funding instruments addressing the socio- economic challenges of Roma fail to address anti-gypsyism as a specific phenomenon; whereas combating anti- gypsyism through the existing anti- discrimination legislation is not sufficient;1a __________________ 1a Open Society Foundations, Post 2020 EU Roma Strategy: the way forward, 2019
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that EU budget planning is firmly linked to the Roma inclusion process at EU level; highlights to that end the need for systematic collection of robust data disaggregated by gender and age to inform needs and context analysis, help in setting targets and impact indicators in order to ensure the best outcome in terms of matching needs with planning and budgeting, at both national and EU level;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission to carefully evaluate the impact indicators of Roma integration for the 2014-2020 period and to identify the best practices as well as shortcomings; recalls that the monitoring of the Roma integration was to be improved on the basis of the ESF Investment Priority 9 (ii), the relevant specific objectives in the ESF and the ERDF operational programmes and the use of the ESF common output indicator for participants as well as programme specific indicators and targets;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Recalls that the role of local and national governments, strong partnerships and commitment of local stakeholders, such as local municipalities and school inspectorates, is decisive for the sustainability of Roma integration;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the need for an urgent and thorough commitment by the relevant state authorities to the desegregation of Roma pupils in schools, as Roma children are often educated in segregated environments, while; deeply regrets theat misdiagnosis of Roma children as having special educational needs is still a common discriminatory practice leading to a disproportionate number of Roma children attending 'special' schools, thereby separating them from the mainstream school system and often receiving inferior education;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Emphasizes that segregated school settings discourage social and economic inclusion; recalls to that end the relevant decisions by the European Court of Human Rights as well as the infringement proceedings, relating to Roma school discrimination, against three Member States, namely the Czech Republic (2014), Slovakia (2015) and Hungary (2016); calls on the Commission to evaluate the respective corrective measures and their impact on Roma children;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Underlines that barriers to health care services and lack of basic heath awareness add to the widespread segregation of Roma students at school; in addition the widespread anti-gypsyism in the societies the Roma live in, the structural disadvantages they face in terms of pre-school enrolment and social exclusion constitute the root causes of segregated schools and discrimination against Roma children leading to a vicious cycle of unemployment and poverty; addressing, to that end, these root causes while also raising awareness is of paramount importance;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Highlights the importance of parents involvement in school and educational activities as well as the importance of raising their awareness in terms of the significance of pre-school education, children's enrolment and school attendance; regrets that despite the importance and benefits of pre-primary education on further educational paths, Roma children in some Member States still encounter limited access to pre- primary education and care compared to the majority of population leading to striking differences in the overall participation of Roma children in pre- school facilities;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the diversity among Roma must be far better reflected in the post- 2020 EU Strategic Framework, taking into account the internal heterogeneity of the community and the situation of various groups of people sharing fairly similar cultural characteristics and history of persistent marginalisation in European societies, while ensuring that no-one is left behind.
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Regrets that results in education and employment show that the EU and its Member States are far from reaching the goals set by the EU Roma inclusion framework, especially for specific and critical indicators, such as the share of early school leavers, associated with the limited access to inclusive education at the primary and secondary level1a, inadequate educational and career guidance services and lack of supportive measures; _________________ 1aProportionate rates of Roma vs. majority population in preschool education - in the Czech Republic was 34% (compared to 86% of the general population), in Poland 42% (compared to 94% of the general population), in Slovakia 34% (compared to about 77% of the general population). Source: EPRS - Roma Communities in Slovakia, 2020
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)
Paragraph 4 f (new)
4 f. Strongly recommends to continue training and employment of Roma as youth mentors and mediators to support transitions in education and to the labour market; highlights the need to target Roma, both youth and women, more explicitly with active labour market policies, including the Youth Guarantee and to systematically monitor and fight discrimination with regard to labour market access and at the work place;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Is of the opinion that vocational education and training is still insufficiently recognised as a priority and a solution that offers a means of mobilising and providing opportunities for Roma young people and guaranteeing their economic independence; emphasizes hat that programmes working best are those providing targeted VET with adequate support at local level;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas there is a strong need to strike a balance between equality, inclusion and participation of people with Romani background in the post-2020 EU Strategic Framework;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas under COVID-19 lockdowns, the situation of marginalised communities of people of Romani background in overcrowded compounds and settlements is very difficult; whereas people of Romani background do not have access to adequate healthcare, sanitation and food, and are particularly at risk; whereas the Member States must deliver emergency support and medical care in order to limit the spread of the virus; whereas racism, exclusion and discrimination against people of Romani background is worsened with the COVID- 19 outbreak and should be urgently addressed by the Union and its Member States;
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls the fact that the Racial Equality Directive6 provides protection and guarantees for equal treatment with regard to access to and supply of goods and services, including housing, which is primarily within the remit of national and regional governments; highlights that poor access to housing and public utilities has a negative impact on education, employment and health outcomes and adversely affects social inclusion; _________________ 6 Article 3(1)(h) of Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22.
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recommends that in the area of targeted housing interventions, the existence of a participatory process engaging the Roma from the beginning is important; suggests that the housing policies should be based on the notion of cost sharing or beneficiary contributions for housing and utilities where Roma beneficiaries could organise to deploy their own initiatives and participate in the planning of their settlements1c; _________________ 1cA Meta-Evalution of Interventions for Roma Inclusion, Joint Research Center, 2019, Publications Office of the European Union
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Emphasizes that health care services and lack of basic health awareness add to the widespread segregation of Roma students at school; notes in addition that, the widespread anti-gypsyism in the societies the Roma live in, the structural disadvantages they face in terms of preschool enrolment and the social exclusion constitute the root causes of segregated schools and discrimination against Roma children, leading to a vicious cycle of unemployment and poverty;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Member States to promote spatial desegregation and engage Roma beneficiaries in the design and implementation of housing projects, to reduce and prevent forced evictions and to provide sufficient and appropriate halting sites for non-sedentary Roma; finding solutions to evictions by engaging different institutions is key while actions addressing Roma housing should be integrated into broader national activities and legislative initiatives focusing on social housing or assistance programmes;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Recalls that the Racial Equality Directive1a provides protection and guarantees for equal treatment in access to and supply of goods and services; highlights that poor access to housing and public utilities, such as clean water and sanitation, has a negative impact on education, employment and health outcomes and adversely affects social inclusion overall; nonetheless considers that, given the existing evidence of wide- spread discrimination against Roma, the Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EU) is not sufficient in addressing the wide- spread discrimination and negative attitudes against people with Romani background; __________________ 1a Article 3(1)(h) of Council Directive2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L 180, 19.7.2000,p. 22–26
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. While condemning discrimination when renting a house or applying for a job, recalls Member States’ obligation under the Racial Equality Directive 1e to designate a specialised body for the promotion of all persons without discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin; _________________ 1e Article 13 of Council Directive2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatmentbetween persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L 180, 19.7.2000,p. 22–26
Amendment 141 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Encourages Member States to support successful projects such as microloans for Roma families to improve their living conditions;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Emphasises the importance of counterfactual impact evaluation methods in order to reduce the gap between policy frameworks and implementation on the ground; recalls that the ECA has concluded in 2016 that the monitoring and assessing the progress of the NRIS was a significant challenge for all visited Member States1a; reminds that a critical limitation for some interventions is the gap between the ambition and the capacity of the structure in place to achieve results, due to the lack of data based planning, insufficient budgeting, and emergence of new unforeseen needs; __________________ 1aECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 32 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Regrets the weak link between available funding tools and strategic plans and objectives related to the socio- economic development and inclusion of Roma; recalls that the one-off, short-term, single-focused interventions have little chance of success; emphasizes that the monitoring is especially important in order to foresee and mitigate any potential risks to the successful implementation of the intervention and would further support evidence-based policy initiatives1a __________________ 1aECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 74 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Emphasises the importance of counterfactual impact evaluation methods in order to reduce the gap between policy frameworks and implementation on the ground; recalls that in 2016 the ECA has concluded that the monitoring and assessing the progress of the NRIS was a significant challenge for all visited Member States1f; reminds that a critical limitation for some interventions is the gap between the ambition and the capacity of the structure in place to achieve results, due to the lack of data based planning, insufficient budgeting and emergence of new unforeseen needs; _________________ 1fECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 32 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission, and the Member States, to ensure a solid correlation between planning for the EU budgeting and the Roma inclusion process at EU level; highlights to that end the need for systematic collection of robust data disaggregated by gender and age to inform needs and context analysis, help in setting targets and impact indicators in order to ensure the best outcome in terms of matching needs with planning and budgeting, both at national and EU level;
Amendment 158 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Acknowledges that the transferral of interventions from one country to another is not a mechanic process; while the objectives, working methods and tools may be transferable, strategies and processes need to be adapted to the local setting and these conditions may relate to institutional capacity, the support of the different actors, or the local context; calls therefore on the Member States and the Commission to properly use the counterfactual impact evaluation methods and compare and explain the different Member States outcomes;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to ensure the equal participation of Romani and pro- Romani civil society organisations, experts and community members, including youth and those active at local and regional level, taking into account a gender perspective in both the policy debate and in decision- making adding to Roma communities’ empowerment and actual participation in the making of policies with a direct impact on their livelihoods; to that end, further attention and support should be given to the capacity-building of all actors involved in the management and implementation of the EU Framework NRIS;
Amendment 161 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Regrets the weak link between available funding tools and strategic plans and objectives related to the socio- economic development and inclusion of Roma; recalls that the one-off, short-term, single-focused interventions have little chance of success, especially when the needs are multidimensional and require integrated interventions; calls on the Member States to put in place more efficient monitoring and oversight mechanisms, a better consideration of Roma-specific criteria and explicit but not exclusive targeting of Roma people1g, to ensure that the funds allocated are properly spent and not misused; emphasizes that the monitoring is especially important in order to foresee and mitigate any potential risks to the successful implementation of the intervention and would further support evidence-based policy initiatives and more effective target setting and resource allocation; _________________ 1gECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 74 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf
Amendment 162 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9 d. Recalls that the ECA concluded in 2016 that the ESIF funds were allocated among the Member States according to indicators with no specific relevance to the Roma population, such as overall population, unemployment rate or GDP and expressed the opinion that these indicators are not the most appropriate way of determining how much EU funding for Roma integration should be allocated to each Member State1h; _________________ 1h ECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 42 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf
Amendment 163 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9 e. Underlines that the effects of the coronavirus outbreak are being felt mostly by the most deprived, including the Roma communities, across the EU; deplores that Roma communities are being further discriminated and marginalised due to the coronavirus pandemic; regrets that the coronavirus outbreak might lead to cuts in the next MFF 2021-2027, negatively affecting CSOs advocating for Roma communities and thus affecting outreach to Roma communities;
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 f (new)
Paragraph 9 f (new)
9 f. Encourages the Commission to build innovative, impact-oriented and data-based approaches as direct input to the next generation of programmes (2021- 27 Invest EU programme and ESF+ programming) and strategies (notably the post-2020 EU strategy for Roma Equality and Inclusion).
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to tackle anti-gypsyism across the key areas of the proposal for the post-2020 directive; calls to that end, for in-depth research applying comparable methodologies across countries in order to understand the complex drivers of anti-gypsyism and to inform policies to effectively address it;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls that the effects of the coronavirus outbreak are being felt mostly by the most deprived, including the Roma communities, across the EU and deplores that Roma communities are being further discriminated and marginalised due to the coronavirus pandemic; regrets that the coronavirus outbreak might lead to cuts in the next MFF 2021-2027, negatively affecting CSOs advocating for Roma communities and thus affecting outreach to Roma communities; calls on the Commission to effectively address this risk;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to build innovative, impact-oriented and data- based approaches as direct input to the next generation of programmes (2021-27 Invest EU programme); calls on the Commission to consider a new funding tool or sub- programme that should be linked to an existing EU educational and social funding programme, such as Erasmus Plus or the European Social Fund, for targeted and tailored support in quality education for pupils with Romani background between the ages of 3 and 18 who are contending with extreme poverty and do not have access to existing EU educational and social inclusion funding instruments;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to use all synergies and connect the Roma inclusion goals with key EU and international policy efforts of relevance for Roma inclusion, such as the Digital Agenda and the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls Member States’ obligation under the Racial Equality Directive1a to designate a specialised body for the promotion of all persons without discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin; __________________ 1a Article 13 of Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22–26
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Calls on EU Member States to develop concrete measures to tackle hate crime and hate speech motivated by anti- Gypsyism; such measures should ensure that Roma, like everyone else, are aware of and can benefit from the protection of the law against hate crime and hate speech, also ensuring that law enforcement applies effective hate crime recording practices based on the principles endorsed by the EU High Level Group on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance; considers that National Roma integration strategies should include an explicit component on measures to tackle hate crime and harassment caused by anti-Gypsyism by including specific actions that law enforcement in cooperation with equality bodies could take to foster an environment where Roma, like everyone else, feel confident about reporting incidents of hate crime and discriminatory treatment, including discriminatory ethnic profiling, in the knowledge that their complaints will be taken seriously and followed up by the competent authorities;1a __________________ 1aFRA, EU MIDIS II: A persisting concern: anti-Gypsyism as a barrier to Roma inclusion, p.10
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Calls on EU Member States to prioritise measures to combat anti- Gypsyism in education by eliminating any form of school or class segregation of Roma in line with the 2013 Council Recommendation, by implementing a wide range of measures actively involving local stakeholders, particularly Roma parents and children, as well as community organisations; highlights that awareness- raising actions on anti-Gypsyism should particularly target parents, teachers and children from non-Roma backgrounds;1a __________________ 1aFRA, EU MIDIS II: A persisting concern: anti-Gypsyism as a barrier to Roma inclusion, p.11
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9d. Calls on EU Member States to ensure equal access of Roma children to high quality education including though community service learning and life-long learning opportunities; stresses that particular attention should be given to early childhood education and care, given its critical role in avoiding disadvantages at the early stages and fostering positive learning habits and social skills;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9e. Calls on EU Member States to develop measures to improve access to good quality and affordable preventive and curative healthcare for Roma, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, and in particular for women, children, older people and persons with disabilities; reiterates that a key element in that regard is improving access to health services – both physical access and removing the intangible barriers among which prejudice plays an important role;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to develop more efficient and strengthened monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the funds allocated are properly spent and not misused; , a better consideration of Roma-specific criteria and explicit but not exclusive targeting of Roma people1a, to ensure that the funds allocated are properly spent and not misused; __________________ 1aECA, Special Report EU policy initiatives and financial support for Roma integration: significant progress made over the last decade, but additional efforts needed on the ground, 2016, p. 74 https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR16_14/SR_ROMA_EN.pdf