Ana Rozanova – Page 3

Breaking the Cycle: Roma Families Trapped in Multidimensional Poverty

This is an article presenting the research prepared by Integro Association, Bulgaria, given the subgrants under the ERGO sub-granting scheme 2024, funded by the EU

For many Roma families in Bulgaria, poverty is not just about the lack of income—it is a web of deprivation that extends into education, healthcare, housing, and employment. A new research report by Liliya Makaveeva, an ERGO Network member in Bulgaria Integro Association, based on case studies from ten municipalities, reveals the stark reality of multidimensional poverty among Roma communities and calls for urgent, integrated policy solutions.

The study, conducted between March and July 2024, combines in-depth interviews with Roma families, local mediators, and municipal representatives with statistical data from the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023. The findings paint a grim picture: 65% of Roma in Bulgaria live below the poverty line, compared to 14.3% of ethnic Bulgarians. However, income alone does not explain the depth of hardship Roma communities face.

This project was implemented using a grant from ERGO Network’s financial support to third parties through its Annual Work Programme ‘Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2025’, funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Commission.

Read the full report here

More Than Just Money: The Poverty Trap

The research highlights that poverty among Roma is multidimensional—it encompasses poor housing conditions, exclusion from social services, lack of access to quality healthcare, and systemic discrimination in education and employment. While many families rely on social benefits, the support is minimal and often comes with strict conditions that fail to reflect the reality of their struggles.

For example, children from low-income Roma families are regularly sanctioned with reduced social assistance when they miss school, even if absences are due to extreme poverty—such as lacking shoes or winter coats. A 36-year-old mother from Novi Pazar explains: “My daughter missed school because she had no coat. When I finally got a loan to buy one, it was too late—they had already cut our benefits.” Instead of helping families escape poverty, punitive measures further entrench their exclusion.

Housing Without Security, Healthcare Without Access

The lack of legal housing status exacerbates the crisis. Many Roma settlements exist outside regulated urban areas, meaning residents have no formal ownership and cannot access basic utilities such as running water or waste collection. The consequences are dire: entire neighbourhoods rely on makeshift water sources, and open sewage drains pose severe health risks.

Healthcare access is another major challenge. Many Roma lack health insurance due to irregular employment or the inability to pay past contributions, leaving them unable to see a doctor. Even those with insurance face discrimination in medical facilities. The study documents cases where hospitals refuse to acknowledge severe disabilities, preventing individuals from accessing state support. One man with a colostomy was repeatedly denied disability certification, trapping him in a cycle of poverty and medical neglect.

Employment Barriers and Generational Poverty

Employment services are failing Roma communities. The report finds that while many Roma are registered with Employment Offices, they rarely receive job offers, training opportunities, or meaningful career support. Many Roma rely on precarious, informal jobs with no contracts or security.

Even when work is available, discrimination remains a significant barrier. Employers frequently reject Roma applicants or impose unnecessary education requirements for low-skilled jobs. Women, particularly mothers, face additional barriers due to the lack of childcare options and rigid work schedules.

Urgent Call for Change

The report concludes that Bulgaria’s current social policies are not only failing to alleviate Roma poverty—they are actively reinforcing it. The study’s authors call for a radical shift:

Tailored, long-term support instead of punitive sanctions
Legalising and improving housing conditions in Roma settlements
Ensuring universal healthcare access, regardless of insurance status
Combating labour market discrimination and providing real employment pathways
Creating integrated social services that address the multiple dimensions of poverty

Poverty in Roma communities is not a personal failure—it is a systemic issue. Without immediate policy changes, the cycle of deprivation will continue for generations. As the report clarifies, breaking this cycle requires more than financial aid; it demands a fundamental shift in how Bulgaria approaches social justice and equality for all its citizens.

Read the full report here

If you have any further questions about this application, drop us an email at info@ergonetwork.org.

Mother-Tongue Education Should Empower Roma Children—Not Segregate Them

International Mother Language Day is a celebration of linguistic diversity and the right to education in one’s native tongue. For many minority communities, learning in their mother language is not just about education—it is about identity, self-esteem, and cultural survival. This is especially true for Roma children, whose language and culture have long been marginalised across Europe.

“We have seen times and times again how mother-tongue education can strengthen cultural identity and increase self-confidence. When children are taught in a language they understand, they are more likely to engage with lessons, perform better in school, and stay in education longer. Not to mention that the Roma, who faced centuries of discrimination, deserve a right to a structured and well-supported system of Romani language education.” – says Gabriela Hrabanova, director of the ERGO Network.

Slovakia’s recent move to establish a Roma minority school in the municipality of Rakúsy appears, at first glance, to be a step in this direction. The Slovak government argues that Roma children deserve education in their language, just like other minority groups, such as the Hungarian community. They also point to international commitments, such as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which encourages the inclusion of minority languages in education.

But there is a crucial difference between meaningful mother-tongue education and policies that, intentionally or not, reinforce segregation. Unlike the Hungarian minority, whose schools are well-resourced and integrated into the national education system, Roma children in Slovakia already face systemic barriers to quality education. Many are placed in separate or lower-quality schools, often justified by claims about their linguistic or cultural needs. The concern is that the establishment of Roma minority schools could institutionalise this segregation under the guise of cultural preservation.

The problem is not mother-tongue education itself but how it is implemented. International human rights standards make clear that minority education must be voluntary, equal in quality to mainstream education, and provide the choice of integration. However, in Rakúsy, Roma representatives were not formally consulted before the school was established. Roma rights organisations fear that rather than empowering Roma children, this initiative could limit their access to mainstream education and future opportunities.

More concerning are Slovakia’s plans to amend legislation on minority schools. If any school incorporating minority language instruction is reclassified as an “ethnic school,” it could legitimise existing segregated schools rather than address the root causes of educational inequality. Instead of truly supporting Roma children, these policies risk deepening exclusion.

“We are not disputing the right to education in one’s mother tongue, but we are disputing how this right is implemented in Slovakia. First and foremost, the initiative should come from the representatives of the Roma minority and not from the position of the Slovak Ministry of Education. There is reason to be concerned that the recent change in legislation on minority schools in Slovakia may lead to the covering up of segregation behind minority schools”, says Zuzana Havirova, director of Roma Advocacy and Research Centre, Slovakia.

At its core, this issue is not just about language or education—it is about antigypsyism. The long history of discrimination against Roma, not only in Slovakia but all across Europe, means that even well-intentioned policies can be manipulated to maintain systemic exclusion. What should be a tool for empowerment—education in one’s mother tongue—can become a means of segregation if not implemented with genuine inclusion in mind.

Antigypsyism turns the meaningful act of mother tongue education into yet another instrument to further persecute and discriminate Roma and perpetuate the vicious circle of lack of education, poverty and exclusion. Minority language education should not come at the cost of quality of education and inclusion.

The aim is not to reject mother-tongue education but to implement it in a way that strengthens Roma children’s identity while ensuring they receive the same quality of education as their non-Roma peers. The governments must engage meaningfully with Roma communities, ensure minority language education does not come at the cost of integration, and address the deeper structural discrimination that continues to hold Roma children back.

Mother-tongue education should be a right that uplifts, not a policy that excludes. Ensuring that Roma children have access to both their language and equal opportunities in education is the real test of Europe’s commitment to minority rights.

Equality betrayed: Commission unilaterally gives up on anti-discrimination law

European Civil Society condemns the European Commission’s announcement to withdraw the proposed Directive on anti-discrimination as a betrayal of fundamental rights at a critical moment for democracy and equality in the EU.

On 12 February, the Commission publicly announced its intention to withdraw the proposal for the Equal Treatment Directive. This legislative measure aims to close legal gaps in EU anti-discrimination law. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and EU Treaties prohibit discrimination based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation. However, existing EU anti-discrimination legislation results in a hierarchy of protection where some forms of discrimination are more comprehensively addressed than others. The Equal Treatment Directive sought to harmonise these protections, ensuring a horizontal approach to equality.

This week’s decision severely undermines the EU’s commitment to building a Union of Equality at a time when marginalised communities require greater protection than ever. The withdrawal of the proposed Directive leaves a glaring gap in EU law, failing to protect young people, older persons, LGBTIQ+ persons, persons with disabilities or those facing discrimination based on religion or belief when accessing goods and services, housing, healthcare, social protection or education. It also does not sufficiently protect individuals who experience discrimination on the basis of race or ethnic origin and sex/gender in combination with these grounds.

The Commission’s intention to withdraw it, without consulting with civil society and without presenting any alternative plan on how to better ensure comprehensive protection against discrimination outside the labour market in the EU, sends the wrong political message.

Furthermore, this withdrawal goes against EU’s fundamental values enshrined in its treaties and disregards the support of the European Parliament, civil society, Equality Bodies and international organisations. It is also at odds with the European Commission’s repeated commitment to building a “Union of Equality” and undermines the Polish Presidency’s priorities.

Scrapping this directive without introducing a stronger and more comprehensive alternative at such a critical time when discrimination and rights violations are on the rise undermines the EU’s credibility as a global leader in human rights. It sends a clear message that those living in the EU will not be shielded from the worldwide backlash against equality, democracy and fundamental rights. It is not enough for the Commission to reverse its course. Member States must also step up and finally agree on an ambitious law that fights discrimination.

It is especially concerning that while the far-right is on the rise everywhere in Europe, the Commission chooses to sacrifice the human rights of citizens in what appears as a dangerous political gamble. In times of hatred and fear-mongering, we need more human rights protection, not less.

For this reason, we urge the European Commission to:

Reconsider its intention to withdraw the Equal Treatment Directive;
If the withdrawal proceeds, immediately propose a more robust and comprehensive legislative proposal that takes an intersectional approach, along with a clear timeline;
Immediately engage in meaningful consultation with the European Parliament, civil society, Equality Bodies and EU citizens to determine the necessary action to achieve true equality;
Make an unequivocal commitment to making the Union of Equality a reality for all of us.

We also call on:

The Polish Presidency to hold an urgent and public Council meeting for the Commission to explain this decision
The European Parliament to hold a public hearing with the European Commission on the decision and future steps to ensure protection against discrimination for all people living in the EU

Signatories:

Eurocentralasian Lesbian* Community (EL*C)
European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network)
Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V. (OII Europe)
The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation (IGLYO)
European Network against Racism (ENAR)
ILGA-Europe
European Disability Forum (EDF)
AGE Platform Europe (AGE)
Trans Europe and Central Asia (TGEU)

Download the joint statement

Response to the Competitiveness Compass and the Autumn Package 2025

The Competitiveness Compass and the draft Joint Employment Report 2025 – What’s in it for Europe’s Roma?

The Autumn Package kick-starting the European Semester 2025 was released by the European Commission in two batches, on 24 November and on 18 December 2024. While the latter batch included the usual draft Joint Employment Report, none contained the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey. This is the first ever since the establishment of the European Semester in 2011. There was only a brief accompanying communication of two and a half pages. Instead, the European Commission put forward a new document, entitled the Competitiveness Compass, on 29 January 2025.

Read our full response to the Competitiveness Compass and draft Joint Employment Report here!

The Competitiveness Compass is a programmatic framing document aimed to “guide the work in the coming five years” and listing “priority actions to reignite economic dynamism in Europe.” This approach means that most – if not all – other policy areas, including social and environmental policies, are subsumed to competitiveness goals. The vision seems to seek competitiveness at any price since it outlines no red lines or areas to be spared in this quest. The lack of attention to social issues is a significant step back even from the previous Annual Sustainable and Growth Surveys (itself primarily an economic document), and the narrative of the Competitiveness Compass leaves little doubt as to the low priority assigned by this Commission to equality and inclusion.

There was also no place for Roma, ethnic minorities, racism, or discrimination anywhere in the Competitiveness Compass. This is another missed opportunity compared to the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey where, more often than not, the Roma were mentioned, or at the very least there was a commitment to the Union of Equality – also absent from the current document. The Compass includes one sentence about taking pride in Europe’s anti-discrimination laws, a sentiment that many human rights organisations would like to question. Vulnerable groups are only mentioned once in the entire text.

The document features a small section on social fairness, which prioritises skills and jobs. Moreover, social aspects are viewed exclusively as an enabler of competitiveness rather than a goal in themselves. The European Pillar of Social Rights (Social Pillar) is mentioned once from the perspective of its role in shaping a competitive Europe. There is some positive language on quality jobs, adequate wages, inclusive labour markets and the welfare state, as well as references to welcome initiatives like the EU Job Quality Roadmap, the Affordable Housing Plan, and the EU Affordable Energy Action Plan – but no wording on the EU’s upcoming first Anti-Poverty Strategy. However, the overall approach is one of instrumentalising social policies for economic gains, where people are seen as bargaining chips in a race of global business interests.

The Competitiveness Compass also announces some very worrisome structural changes to EU processes and funds, such as aligning the new MFF with competitiveness objectives, raising great concerns that vital social funding will be cut or redirected. A new and streamlined European Semester is meant to focus on reforms and investments for competitiveness, but once again the worry is that social monitoring through the Semester might disappear or at least be significantly downsized.

We are very pleased to see Europe’s Roma acknowledged multiple times in the Joint Employment Report concerning issues such as their heightened risk of experiencing poverty and social exclusion (including that of children), early school leaving, and difficult access to services and the labour market. Additionally, strong links are made to the EU Strategic Framework on Roma Equality, Inclusion, and Participation as part of the Union of Equality. Very disappointingly, though, there is no mention of antigypsyism or racism and only four references to discrimination.

The references to civil dialogue are rather poor, as the Competitiveness Compass does not mention civil society, while social partners are mentioned three times. The accompanying communication of the second batch of documents of the Autumn Package includes one explicit reference to civil society about increasing ownership of the Country Reports. Finally, the Joint Employment Report fares much better, with multiple references to the role of civil society organisations in delivering impactful and inclusive policies.

ERGO Network will continue to advocate for a stronger focus on Roma rights and inclusion in the framework for these processes and for better synergies between the European Semester and the EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion, and Participation, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan, and the Union of Equality.

For more information on ERGO Network’s work on the European Semester, please contact Senior Policy Adviser Amana Ferro – a.ferro@ergonetwork.org

Small Grants for Big Change: ERGO Network Supports Member Research Projects

In 2024, ERGO Network supported three research projects as part of our Annual Work Programme, Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2024, funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Commission. These projects, implemented between May and November 2024, aimed to empower Roma civil society to address local challenges through evidence-based research.

Research Highlights

1. Integro Association, Bulgaria
Project Title: Child Poverty in the Roma Community—A Taboo Topic for Institutions and Society
This research explored the realities of child poverty in Roma communities by interviewing 10 families across five regions. Key areas examined include education, healthcare, and social inclusion. The findings aim to advocate for stronger implementation of the European Child Guarantee and better support for marginalised Roma families.

Target Audience: General public, Roma stakeholders, institutions, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy
Grant Amount: €4,000
Duration: 6 months

📄 Read the research summary with challenges and recommendations

2. Sastipen – Roma Center for Health Policies, Romania
Project Title: Assessing the Capacity of Roma Health Mediators in Romania to Recognize and Understand the Dynamics of Discrimination
This study highlighted the challenges Roma Health Mediators face, including institutional racism and lack of support. With over 65% of Roma beneficiaries reporting discrimination in healthcare, the research calls for urgent measures to empower mediators and tackle systemic barriers.

Target Audience: General public, Roma stakeholders, health institutions, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Work, Ministry of Youth, Family, and Equal Opportunities
Grant Amount: €4,000
Duration: 6 months

📄 Read the research summary with challenges and recommendations

3. Nevo Parudimos, Romania
Project Title: The Impact on Roma Inclusion of Applying the CLLD Principles in Romania
This project examined how principles of Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) enhance Roma inclusion. It found that CLLD’s participatory approach fosters tailored development and cohesion, recommending Roma-specific strategies and targeted policies for long-term impact.

Target Audience: Roma and pro-Roma CSOs, Ministry of Funds, national, regional, and local institutions
Grant Amount: €4,000
Duration: 6 months

📄 Read the research summary with challenges and recommendations

These small grants have enabled our members – Roma civil society organisations – to shine a light on critical issues affecting these communities. Furthermore, by turning research into advocacy, these projects may pave the way for greater equality, inclusion, and participation.