MINELRES: Publication: The Role of the Union in Integrating the Roma: Present and Possible Future
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[email protected]
Wed Aug 10 12:22:02 2005
Original sender: EDAP <[email protected]>
The Role of the Union in Integrating the Roma: Present and Possible Future.
This is the title of the most recent issue in the European Diversity and
Autonomy Papers.
Authors of this profound analysis are Olivier De Schutter (Professor of Human
Rights Law at the University of Louvain (Belgium), Member of the Global Law
School Faculty at New York University, and the Co-ordinator of the EU Network
of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights) and Annelies Verstichel (who
worked as an Associated Expert to the EU Network of Independent Experts on
Fundamental Rights on Thematic Comment No. 3: "The Rights of Minorities in the
European Union", March 2005).
The paper describes the important contribution Council Directive 2000/43/EC of
29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons
irrespective of racial or ethnic origin has made to improve the situation of
the Roma in the Union. It also highlights, however, the insufficiencies of that
instrument, when confronted to the specific needs of the Roma and to their
situation in the Union. The paper therefore suggests that Article 13(1) EC
could be relied upon by the European legislator either to improve further on
that Directive, for instance in order to extend its scope of application to the
delivery of administrative documents, in order to explicitly include
segregation as a form of prohibited discrimination, or in order to adopt another
instrument, complementary to the Racial Equality Directive, addressing in a
more focused manner the specific needs of the Roma, while remaining attentive
to the preservation of their traditional lifestyle for those wishing not to
renounce it, and ensuring that such a measure is based on a consultation of the
Roma themselves. Article 13(2) EC could be relied upon to encourage the Member
States to share the best practices they are developing in order to accelerate
the integration of the Roma, and to monitor, better and more systematically
than they do at present, the situation of the Roma in fields such as housing,
education, employment, or health care, where the Roma are not specifically
considered in the national action plans or the social inclusion plans of most
Member States at present.
The paper can be downloaded at
http://www.eurac.edu/documents/edap/2005_edap02.pdf
With best regards
EDAP team
http://www.eurac.edu/edap
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