Methodological and data infrastructure report on Roma population in the EU

This paper aims to contribute to the policy discussion on the challenges of mapping the realities of Roma living conditions, and attempts to propose cross-country comparative, relevant indicators of Roma inclusion, which are acutely needed for evidence-based policy making. The reason for the special attention devoted to the situation of the Roma population is clear: a large group of EU citizens, 10-12 million people is living in much worse conditions, and with fewer opportunities for upward mobility, than their peers or neighbours. If these people remain excluded, uneducated, jobless and mired in deep poverty, it not only blights their own lives and determinates the possibilities of the next generations, but also has a significant impact on life for the majority, through burdens imposed on the welfare system and the reduced capacity of the local labour markets. Social indicators based on statistical and survey data are essential to provide clear and comprehensive evidence for policy makers. At present, evidence-based policy making aimed at Roma inclusion faces serious limitations, because basic information is lacking about Roma people’s social and economic situation. The paper addresses issues related to measuring Roma inclusion and the outcomes of EU wide and national policies aiming at this population. In this effort the paper first outlines the political and conceptual framework and describes availability and limitations of data on Roma populations. In a next section it comparatively overviews indicators of Roma inclusion applied by National Roma Inclusion Strategies in 16 EU Member States and critically assesses them. Finally, it proposes alternative indicators that reflect challenges of Roma inclusion in a comprehensive, multidimensional way and discusses the possible data sources as well as gaps in available data.