Guest post: Roma inclusion - walking the talk
Gallina Vincelette, EU Director at the World Bank, shares her view on how European countries should do more to integrate the Roma communities and regard them as an asset to promote economic growth and shared prosperity, not a burden. She…
Romania Insider · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
Gallina Vincelette, EU Director at the World Bank, shares her view on how European countries should do more to integrate the Roma communities and regard them as an asset to promote economic growth and shared prosperity, not a burden. She visited Romania this week along with the World Bank Group President David Malpass and the Regional Vice President Anna Bjerde.
Less than a week ago, we marked International Romani Day to raise awareness of Roma cultures. We also reflected on the marginalization Roma face not just on one day, but every day. The exclusion faced by the Roma community is not only unfair, but also poor economics.
The latest data shows that about 80% of European Roma live in or are at risk of poverty. It is the largest ethnic minority group with at least 6 million people living across Europe, yet its communities and cultures remain among the most marginalized in the region. Without action on this issue, we are allowing more people to fall into poverty, and we are also losing an important source of innovation, productivity, and economic growth. To tackle the poverty issues and unleash the Roma productivity potential, a raft of social inclusion policies is needed to support communities at the domestic and European levels.
Three fundamental problems must be addressed.
First, we must overcome the inertia of marginalization and exclusion set in around the Roma. The issue has seen peaks and troughs of interest in the past few decades, but tangible improvements failed to materialize altogether. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed this apathy, as pre-existing vulnerabilities and disadvantages were amplified. Overcrowded homes and a lack of running water – 30% of Roma live in households without tap water in the home - made conditions during COVID-19 difficult for many. Roma, many of whom are low-skilled and informal workers, were more likely to lose their sources of income with little access to social security systems. School closures meant that Roma children stopped their human capital accumulation process altogether since they lacked the technology, access to the internet, and minimum conditions to learn at home.
Second, we must change attitudes in Europe toward Roma communities. Deeply rooted views that Roma communities are a burden on state resources and finances are mistaken, and political will is needed to shift the narrative. The reality is that the potential of the Roma is an asset to promote economic growth and shared prosperity. Roma represents a young, vibrant, and creative population in an ageing Europe. That’s why we have launched the Roma Sounding Board in Romania, a platform that gives a voice to the marginalized. It allows us to work with local stakeholders and leaders to forge partnerships and identify the grassroots changes needed to truly affect change at the community level.
