EU presents plan to improve plight of its Roma minority

Europe's treatment of its Roma people has been “inexcusable" over the past decade, a top European Union official said Wednesday as she presented a 10-year plan to improve life for the large ethnic minority. This is inexcusable," European Union Vice President Vera Jourova said.

Europe's treatment of its Roma people has been “inexcusable" over the past decade, a top European Union official said Wednesday as she presented a 10-year plan to improve life for the large ethnic minority. Some 6 million Roma live in the 27-nation bloc, where the European Commission said 41 per cent experienced discrimination over the past five years and where 85 per cent of Roma children are at risk of poverty compared to 20 per cent of children overall in the EU.

“Simply put, over the last ten years, we have not done enough to support the Roma population in the EU. This is inexcusable," European Union Vice President Vera Jourova said. “We cannot accept it," Jourova said as she presented a ten-year plan to improve the plight of Roma.

Under the plan, EU nations will have to submit national strategies by September 2021 and the Commission will monitor progress toward the 2030 targets, which center on reducing discrimination, improving jobs access for Roma, reducing poverty and improving the quality of education for Roma children..