Years of progress in employment and housing has done little to close the gap between Roma communities and the rest of the population. More than three-quarters of Roma children in the EU remain at risk of poverty. Nearly half attend schools where most or all pupils are Roma. A new European Commission assessment warns that governments are falling short of their 2030 inclusion targets.
“Too many Roma children still face barriers at school,” Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said as the Commission published its assessment on Tuesday. The report examines how governments are implementing their national Roma strategies and where their efforts fall short. It draws partly on a 2024 survey whose main findings were published last year.
Better employment, persistent barriers at school
Paid employment among Roma and Travellers rose from 43 per cent in 2016 to 54 per cent in 2024, according to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights survey. Housing conditions also improved: 47 per cent lived in damp, dark homes or housing without proper sanitation, down from 61 per cent. Nevertheless, both measures remained substantially worse than those for the general population.
Education shows how early those inequalities emerge. Participation in early childhood education increased from 42 per cent to 53 per cent, but remained far below the general population’s 95 per cent. Only 32 per cent of young Roma and Travellers completed upper secondary education, compared with 84 per cent generally. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of children attended schools where all or most pupils were Roma or Travellers, limiting progress towards inclusive education.
Weak coordination between national and local authorities remains a major bottleneck. — European Commission report
The consequences extend into family finances and future opportunities. The Commission’s report finds that 77 per cent of Roma children were at risk of poverty. It warns that disadvantages accumulating from an early age can carry exclusion into the next generation. Employment is currently on track towards the framework’s objectives, while progress remains insufficient to meet most other EU-level goals by 2030.
National strategies struggle to deliver locally
The Commission identifies difficulties turning national commitments into changes in schools, housing, and public services. “Weak coordination between national and local authorities remains a major bottleneck,” the report states. It says municipalities sometimes avoid politically sensitive measures, including desegregation, in favour of shorter-term actions that provoke less opposition.
Better monitoring alone has also proved insufficient. The assessment recognises Czechia, Slovakia, and Spain for developing strong monitoring frameworks aligned with EU indicators.
Yet Czechia showed limited or no progress towards its national 2030 targets, while Spain lagged in education despite reaching some targets relating to anti-Roma prejudice. These differences underline why the Commission wants clearer responsibilities and stronger accountability for results.
The EU framework dates from 2020, and this assessment introduces no new funding package. The Commission points to approximately €1.8bn already available through the European Social Fund+ for targeted support to marginalised communities, including Roma, in 15 member states during 2021–2027.
It wants governments to strengthen implementation before its next report in 2028. “A fairer future for Roma is essential for the whole of the EU,” Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu said in the announcement. The remaining challenge is ensuring that improved employment and national strategies bring equal opportunities in classrooms and everyday life.
