Wednesday

7th Jun 2023

Roma 'at heightened risk' from corona crisis

  • 80 percent of Roma people already live at risk of poverty (Photo: NGO World Vision Romania)

The EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has warned that the longstanding neglect of Roma makes them one of the most vulnerable groups to the current coronavirus outbreak, ahead of the International Roma Day (8 April).

Governments across the bloc have ordered citizens to maintain physical distances, self-quarantine and regularly wash their hands to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

However, the FRA previously reported that one-third of the Roma community does not have access to clean water and the large majority of Roma communities live in cramped neighbourhoods with overcrowded housing that make it difficult to follow social distancing measures.

Buying medication and protective equipment, such as masks or gloves, is also identified as a major challenge for the largest ethnical minority in Europe - as 80 percent of Roma people live at risk of poverty.

Besides the health problems caused by the coronavirus, an estimated 10 to 12 million Roma who live in Europe - about six million within the EU - still suffer from poverty and social exclusion.

"Already before the pandemic, many member states failed to bring about a real noticeable change for Europe's Roma communities," said on Tuesday FRA director Michael O'Flaherty.

However, the lockdown and physical distancing measures put in place across member states are likely to push many Roma further into poverty due to the lack of income and reduced access to social benefits.

The Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir said governments "have an important and urgent responsibility to develop comprehensive and inclusive plans of support [for Roma people] and make sure they are implemented".

The Strasbourg-based watchdog, the Council of Europe, also highlighted that "Roma have been scapegoated and targeted by hate speech in different places in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic" and call on member states to respect the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Besides general measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some member states have introduced additional restrictions targeting Roma communities.

In Bulgaria, for instance, some politicians and media referred to Roma people as "a threat to public health" that require special measures, such as police checkpoints around Roma settlements to enforce quarantine measures.

But similar responses have also appeared in other member states, including Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

"We are worried to learn that the provision of food aid and the disbursement of welfare benefits are endangered and that some politicians blame Roma for the spread of the virus," the secretary-general at the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the commissioner for equality, Helena Dalli, said on Tuesday that "the commission will present a reinforced strategy for Roma equality and inclusion in European society" to tackle the negative stereotypes and prejudices associated with this community.

"Greater efforts must be put in place now to ensure that Roma people are included in society and that they have equal access to the basic needs, thus ensuring their protection against infection," she added.

Romania: Inside the EU's worst healthcare, as virus hits

The country's lack of investment in the medical system, widespread corruption, politically-appointed hospital managers and staff shortages (as droves of doctors and nurses left to work in other European countries), severely weakened Romania's ability to deal with an emergency.

Inequality, anti-Roma racism, and the coronavirus

As citizens are urged to self-quarantine and wash their hands with soap and warm water, what if there's nowhere to hide, if you live in an overcrowded site or shanty-town, and don't have access to clean water and sanitation?

Policy input goes online after coronavirus hits Roma Week

The European Commission is preparing a new post-2020 EU policy on Roma inclusion as part of "A Strong Social Europe for Transition". This new EU Roma inclusion policy is scheduled to take effect in the final quarter of 2020.

Feature

Pandemic: Roma at receiving end of racist policing

The reports we have received at the European Roma Rights Centre of extreme hardship, police violence, ethnic profiling and hate speech against Roma since the pandemic hit Europe, highlight the need for extra vigilance when governments adopt emergency powers.

Analysis

Final steps for EU's due diligence on supply chains law

Final negotiations on the EU due diligence law begin this week. But will this law make companies embed due diligence requirements in their internal processes or incentive them to outsource their obligations to third parties?

Latest News

  1. Israeli settlers encircling Jerusalem, EU envoys warn
  2. No clear 'Qatargate effect' — but only half voters aware of EU election
  3. Part of EU middle class 'being squeezed out', MEP warns
  4. Migration commissioner: Greek pushback film 'clear deportation'
  5. In 2024, Europe's voters need to pick a better crop of MEPs
  6. ECB president grilled over €135bn interest payout to commercial banks
  7. EU political ads rules could be 'hotbed for retaliatory flagging'
  8. Final steps for EU's due diligence on supply chains law

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us