World Bank and Open Society Institute urge faster pace at November 17-18 meeting

A high-level meeting to review progress on improving the lot of Europe’s Roma minority heard calls for faster progress in speeding the economic and social well-being of this discriminated-against community. The meeting, held in Bucharest November 17-18 under the chairmanship of Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu, marked the second time governments, Roma civil society, and international agencies have met since the launch of the Decade of Roma Inclusion in February 2005.

The Decade is an unprecedented effort by eight Central European and Balkan countries, which are home to large Roma communities, to improve living conditions and opportunities for what constitutes the most disadvantaged group in Europe today. With the support of the European Commission, the Open Society Institute, the World Bank, UNDP, and other international partners, the eight Decade countries have now adopted national action plans that set out concrete policies and measures to improve the living conditions of Roma.

The Bucharest meeting ended November 18 with the adoption of a governance structure for the Decade’s Presidency and International Steering Committee, which meets regularly to share experiences across countries and monitor progress.  Participating countries also agreed to contribute €20,000 each to a new trust fund established with the World Bank, which will provide finance for technical support and training as countries move ahead with implementation of their action plans. The Open Society Institute will also support the trust fund.

World Bank Vice President Shigeo Katsu credited participants with progress on the Roma agenda but said movement was uneven. While some countries have made important strides, others have adopted a slower pace. Katsu called on governments to move beyond plans that may look good on paper but require action if the goals of the Decade are to be achieved.

“The disorder in cities across France provides dramatic testimony to the consequences of exclusion among minority groups left for too long on the fringes of society,” he said. In dealing with the exclusion of the Roma, he underlined the central importance of the Decade’s goals of decent education, health care, housing and employment in creating the conditions necessary to end centuries of prejudice.

George Soros, whose Open Society Institute has played a major role in supporting Roma initiatives, said that no society could thrive as long as it harbored so disadvantaged an underclass. While some Roma have made a better life for themselves, the vast majority remain in the trap of poverty and discrimination. “We know what needs to be done—now let us get on and do it,” he said.

With the adoption of the governance structure, the meeting marked a shift from resolving bureaucratic matters to exchanging experience on substantive issues in implementing the action plans. Reports from national delegations provided a picture of achievements matched by considerable challenges.

Czeslaw Walek, representing the Czech Republic, reported on progress in garnering budget support from the Ministry of Finance. Cooperation here is central to the success of the Decade in all participating countries because national budgets must underwrite the bulk of financial needs. Hungary, meanwhile, reported progress in improving housing for Roma with the first round of community development projects throughout the country slated for completion next summer.

The Czech Republic is having greater difficulty in engaging with local government officials who provide social services. Walek said local electoral politics were partly to blame because they drive segregation and enlarge social divisions. Serbia, in contrast, reported good progress, with mayors and other officials in more than 20 municipalities working hard on translating Serbia’s national Decade plan into actionable programs at the local level.

Participants also heard a presentation on the results of a qualitative public opinion survey undertaken in the eight Decade countries in June. The survey, financed by the Open Society Institute and the World Bank, shows that attitudes towards the Roma continue to be steeped in prejudice and disdain. Meanwhile, the Roma fear that any measures in their favor under the Decade might be viewed as unfairly preferential and could actually increase inter-communal tensions.   

One of the most potent messages to emerge from the survey, which will be followed up with a quantitative survey in early 2006, is that non-Roma see Roma as fully accountable for their situation. If Roma did more to help themselves, say majorities of non-Roma, their quality of life would improve. Roma, in contrast, point to decades of discrimination, inequity and humiliation as the factors driving their exclusion.

The Romanian Decade Presidency plans to hold the next Decade International Steering Committee meeting in Brussels in the new year and to focus discussions on how to better access EU Structural Funds and pre-accession funding.

For Vice-President Shigeo Katsu's speech, click here.

For the Prime Minister of Romania, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu's speech, click here.

Click here to read the press release.

For more information on the Decade of Roma Inclusion, visit its website.