Tietoa lausunnosta 

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



- notes that discrimination and forms of social exclusion persist in some Member States; recognises that the health and socio-economic conditions experienced by the Roma are generally worse than those of other ethnic minorities, and that they have lower levels of school attendance and higher unemployment rates;

- recognises that generally there is no lack of European funds available for programmes aimed at Roma inclusion but points out that these are not utilised in a sufficient, sustained manner at national and/or regional and local level, and that one obstacle to their use is the low level of involvement of Roma communities in planning;

- considers that the EU Platform for Roma Inclusion would be more effective and would yield greater results if the coordination mechanisms were formalised, involving the Commission and all Member States and ensuring closer cooperation with local authorities and NGOs;

- considers that: a) local authorities should not be left on their own when addressing social inclusion policies for the Roma community; b) there is a need for territorially integrated regional policies and cooperation arrangements with the countries of origin of Roma migrants; and c) local policies can only be conducted in the context of properly operational European mobility and European and national anti-discrimination policies;

- is committed to working with the Commission, European bodies and Member States in order to nurture policy coherence and harmonisation, consolidate best practice and disseminate the results achieved, promote greater awareness among local administrations and strengthen local authorities' planning capacities, with a view to implementing projects that remove all forms of discrimination and segregation with respect to the Roma and promote their inclusion.