Roma Community in Kosovo: Together we can make a difference

Today, on April 8, International Roma Day, I am taking the opportunity to reflect on the status of the Kosovo Roma community and talk about the challenges this community continues to face, including exclusion, prejudice, and discrimination. 

I am glad that back in June 2019, following the signing of the Declaration of Western Balkans Partners on Roma Integration within the EU Enlargement Process, known as the Poznan Declaration, the Government of Kosovo assumed a greater commitment to addressing these issues. A sign of that commitment is also the establishment of the Technical Group for the Protection from Discrimination of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, which now works to address many issues that adversely affect those marginalised communities.

The European Union, for its part, is also actively supporting the inclusion of the Roma community and working towards advancing their rights and bettering their position in society. Earlier through CARDS, and now through our Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance programs (IPA), the EU has been funding actions that directly benefited Roma, as well as Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

During my recent visit to Peja/Peć Municipality, I met a young Roma woman, Arlinda Muqa, a recent law school graduate, entrepreneur, and boxing champion. With the EU's assistance, she created her boxing and fitness club “Fighter”.

This remarkable young woman, who is an epitome of a world fighter, is breaking down stereotypes. She is an inspiration and a role model for all Roma girls out there, and she is proof that inclusion is possible.

 However, such examples are rare!

Notwithstanding actions taken by the Government to advance the inclusion of Roma in all spheres of public life in Kosovo and the EU support, it is heartbreaking to see that many Roma children are growing up in unhygienic settlements, exposed to diseases, unable to attend school, and working on streets in harsh conditions. 

These and many other challenges the Roma community continues to face, predominantly stem from the unsatisfactory level of the implementation of relevant Kosovo legislation and sectoral and community-specific strategies.

As a result, challenges persist in access to education, employment, healthcare services, and housing, and many members of the Roma community continue to be socially excluded, live below the poverty line, and face stigma and discrimination in their daily lives.

I was pleased to see that there have been some improvements in the areas of education. The EU-supported and NGO-run learning centres are helping ensure school attendance in primary and secondary schools, while the Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology is playing a very important role in the higher education of Roma by providing scholarships.

However, the vast non-enrollment of Roma children in pre, primary and secondary education is very concerning, as is the overall poor school performance of Roma students compared to students from other communities. The high level of school dropouts is particularly worrying.

As a direct consequence of the lack of education, job opportunities remain scarce for Roma, more so than for other communities, and they usually end up working as unskilled workers performing manual labour jobs in the realm of the informal economy. The proof of that is the unemployment rate of more than 60 per cent amongst Roma or double the rate of the general population in Kosovo. 

The Roma community also has limited access to healthcare services and continues to suffer from poor health. There are many intertwined reasons for such a situation, including poverty, inability to afford treatments and transportation to medical centres, as well as lack of awareness about diseases. Covid-19 has only widened this gap and made it more difficult for the Roma community to get adequate healthcare.

Last but not least, housing is also a big challenge. While some municipalities have allocated land for Roma community settlements, or have provided social housing, some still face difficult living conditions.

Whit all this said, it is evident that members of the Kosovo Roma community remain among the most marginalised communities in Kosovo, hindered by the low level of education, high unemployment rates, lack of access to health care and housing, and stunning poverty.

Urgent action is needed in all these areas, and we all have a duty and a role to play in improving the lives of Roma community members in Kosovo.

The starting point could be the swift adoption, and more importantly, the implementation by the Government of Kosovo, of the 2022-2026 Strategy and Action Plan for the Inclusion of Roma and Ashkali Communities in Kosovo Society, as well as the full implementation of relevant legislation by all levels of government.

On behalf of the EU, I want to reiterate our commitment to supporting the Government in implementing the Strategy and relevant legislation, both by providing advice and expertise and the funding needed to tackle challenges in priority areas.

Together we can make a difference!