INTERNATIONAL ROMANI UNION (IRU)
FROM DECLARATIONS OF COMMITMENT TO GENUINE ACCOUNTABILITY
An institutional position on European Roma policies, financial transparency and measurable results
The 19th European Platform for Roma Inclusion, held in Dublin on 5 November 2026 under the theme “Breaking barriers, building futures: Participation in education and employment”, once again brought together European institutions, national authorities, civil society organisations and Roma representatives to discuss the challenges facing Roma communities across Europe.
The International Romani Union (IRU) recognises the importance of these meetings and the efforts made by institutions and organisations working towards Roma equality and inclusion. However, after decades of conferences, strategies, declarations, action plans and funded programmes, it is necessary to move beyond repeating commitments and begin a serious discussion about their actual implementation and results.
“After all the funds invested, strategies adopted and years of institutional activities, who can demonstrate what has concretely changed in the lives of Roma people?”
This question should be the starting point of a genuine discussion about European Roma policies.
The issue is not whether Europe has adopted enough strategies or organised enough conferences. The essential issue is whether these commitments have produced measurable and sustainable improvements in the everyday lives of Roma people.
- FROM DECLARATIONS TO MEASURABLE RESULTS
For many years, European institutions have adopted strategies and recommendations addressing Roma inclusion, education, employment, housing, healthcare, political participation and the fight against antigypsyism.
Nevertheless, the situation of many Roma communities remains deeply concerning.
The International Romani Union believes that the time has come to establish a clear link between political commitments, financial allocations, implementation and measurable results.
It is no longer sufficient to report how many meetings have been held, how many projects have been approved or how many reports have been published. European institutions and national governments must also demonstrate:
- How much funding was approved and how much was actually allocated?
- How much money was paid to implementing organisations and how much was ultimately spent?
- What concrete results were achieved?
- How many Roma people and communities directly benefited?
- Which laws, policies and institutional practices changed as a result?
- Who is responsible when programmes fail to achieve their objectives?
Without such information, it is difficult to assess the real effectiveness of European Roma policies.
- THE €400 MILLION EU GRANT PACKAGE FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS
The Tirana Declaration of 6 December 2022 announced a package of €400 million in EU grants approved to finance 12 investment projects, with a total investment value of €1.2 billion.
The IRU does not present this package as funding specifically intended for Roma communities. It was a broader regional investment package for the Western Balkans.
However, this raises an important question: to what extent have these substantial regional investments contributed to improving the living conditions of Roma communities, particularly in areas such as housing, infrastructure, access to public services, employment and social inclusion?
The European Commission and the relevant national authorities should provide transparent information about the projects financed, their geographical distribution, their beneficiaries and their actual impact on Roma communities.
Roma inclusion must not remain separate from broader development policies. Where public investment affects areas with significant Roma populations, its contribution to reducing inequality should be identifiable and measurable.
III. EU FUNDING FOR ROMA INTEGRATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
According to the European Commission document “EU Support to Roma Integration in the Western Balkans”, more than €87 million from the EU budget was allocated to support Roma integration in the Western Balkans between 2014 and 2022.
At the same time, other references and summaries have mentioned figures exceeding €130 million for Roma-related support in the Western Balkans and Turkey over a broader period.
The IRU does not wish to present these figures as directly comparable without clarification. On the contrary, this difference makes it necessary for the European Commission to provide a consolidated and transparent financial overview explaining:
- The exact programming periods covered by each figure.
- Which EU programmes and funding instruments are included.
- Whether the figures refer to commitments, allocations, contracts or actual payments.
- How much funding reached final beneficiaries.
- Which projects were completed and what results they achieved.
- Whether independent evaluations of these programmes have been conducted.
The public should be able to understand precisely how much has been invested, where the money has gone and what has changed as a result.
- ROMA INTEGRATION III AND RARE II: WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?
The IRU also wishes to draw attention to specific regional programmes supporting Roma inclusion.
Roma Integration III
The European Commission identifies a programme worth €2.7 million, implemented in cooperation with the Council of Europe. Its third phase began on 1 May 2023 and was planned for a period of 36 months.
The programme addresses areas including national Roma strategies, combating antigypsyism, housing, education, employment, healthcare, civil registration and institutional capacity.
The IRU considers it important that a comprehensive evaluation be made available, showing what was achieved during this period, which institutions and communities benefited, and whether the programme contributed to lasting changes.
RARE II – Regional Roma Education Programme
The IRU also calls for transparent information concerning the RARE II programme, with a reported funding amount of €4.5 million, supported by the European Union and the Roma Education Fund.
The public should be informed about the distribution of these resources, the organisations and institutions involved, the number of beneficiaries, the educational outcomes achieved and the independent evaluation of the programme.
In both cases, the central question remains the same: what measurable improvements have these investments produced in the lives of Roma children, young people, families and communities?
- THE €100 MILLION COMMITMENT OF THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS AND THE ROMA FOUNDATION FOR EUROPE
The IRU also recognises the announcement made by the Open Society Foundations in September 2023 concerning a commitment of €100 million to support the empowerment and development of Roma communities in Europe through to 2030.
The commitment was intended to be implemented through the Roma Foundation for Europe, based in Brussels, building on partnerships with several Roma-led initiatives and organisations.
This is a significant private philanthropic commitment and must be clearly distinguished from funding provided by the European Union and public institutions.
Precisely because of its scale and importance, the IRU believes that transparent information should be available concerning:
- How much of the announced €100 million has been distributed and how much has actually been paid out?
- Which organisations and initiatives have received funding?
- What criteria and procedures are used to select beneficiaries?
- How much funding reaches local Roma organisations and communities?
- What independent monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place?
- How are possible overlaps between projects financed by different donors identified and prevented?
The IRU does not make allegations against any organisation or individual. These are legitimate questions of public interest concerning transparency, equal access to resources and accountability.
It is also important to ensure that European Roma funding does not become concentrated within a limited circle of organisations, while smaller, local and independent Roma initiatives remain excluded from meaningful opportunities.
The objective should be to create a fair and transparent funding environment in which access to resources is based on clear criteria, demonstrated capacity, public interest and measurable results.
- FRA REPORTS, ERGO RECOMMENDATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) regularly publishes data and reports on the situation of Roma communities in Europe. Civil society organisations, including the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network, have also repeatedly raised concerns about the effectiveness of funding, the implementation of policies and the need for greater transparency and accountability.
At the Dublin Platform, data presented on education and employment again highlighted the significant gap between Roma and the general population.
For example, the figures presented indicated that only 32% of Roma aged 20–24 had completed at least upper-secondary education, compared with 84% of the general population. Paid employment among Roma aged 20–64 was reported at 54%, while the figure for Roma women was 38%.
Such figures should not simply become another part of conference presentations or institutional reports.
The IRU therefore asks:
- What concrete measures are taken following the publication of FRA reports?
- Which European and national institutions are responsible for implementing the recommendations?
- How are these recommendations translated into legislative and policy changes?
- Are governments required to report publicly on progress?
- What consequences follow when states repeatedly fail to implement their commitments?
Reports are important, but reports without institutional action cannot change the situation.
The same applies to recommendations made by civil society organisations. Their value must be measured not only by their publication, but by the extent to which they lead to concrete institutional responses and improvements.
VII. WHO REPRESENTS ROMA IN EUROPEAN POLICY PROCESSES?
Another important question concerns the representation of Roma communities in European decision-making processes.
Roma people are not a single organisation, network or group of selected representatives. They are diverse communities with different experiences, priorities, political views and expectations.
The IRU believes that European institutions should ensure broad, inclusive and transparent participation of Roma representatives, including elected representatives, activists, intellectuals, young people, civil society organisations, cultural workers and independent experts.
No single organisation should be treated as the exclusive voice of Roma in Europe.
Representation must be based on democratic legitimacy, accountability, transparency and meaningful participation.
It is equally important that Roma organisations have equal opportunities to participate in consultations, policy discussions and funding processes, regardless of their size, institutional connections or geographical location.
The participation of Roma must be genuine and influential, rather than merely formal or symbolic.
VIII. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
The implementation of Roma inclusion policies cannot be left exclusively to civil society organisations or individual projects.
National governments have a direct responsibility to adopt and implement legislation, allocate national resources, strengthen institutions and ensure equal access to public services.
The European Union also has a responsibility to monitor the implementation of commitments, assess the effectiveness of its financial support and ensure that public resources produce tangible results.
The IRU believes that the next phase of European Roma policies must introduce stronger accountability mechanisms, including:
- Clear indicators and measurable targets.
- Publicly accessible information on allocated and spent funds.
- Independent financial and programme audits.
- Evaluation of the actual impact on Roma communities.
- Transparent selection and monitoring of implementing organisations.
- Measures to identify potential conflicts of interest and overlapping funding.
- Regular public reporting by national governments and European institutions.
These measures should not be understood as an attempt to weaken cooperation with civil society. On the contrary, they are necessary to strengthen public trust, protect the credibility of Roma organisations and ensure that resources reach the people for whom they are intended.
- THE THREE PRIORITY REQUESTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ROMANI UNION
In light of the above, the International Romani Union proposes that the European Commission and relevant European institutions consider three priority actions:
- Independent financial analysis and transparency
An independent and comprehensive financial analysis of EU funding allocated to Roma inclusion, with particular attention to the Western Balkans and relevant programming periods.
This analysis should distinguish between approved funds, commitments, contracted amounts, actual payments and expenditure, and should identify final beneficiaries and measurable results.
- An official institutional response to the IRU declaration
The IRU has previously submitted a declaration setting out its position and proposals concerning Roma rights and European policies.
We request official clarification on whether the declaration was received, which institutions considered it, whether it was included in any institutional discussions and whether any follow-up action was undertaken.
A substantive response would be an important demonstration of transparent and inclusive institutional dialogue.
- Independent evaluation of European Roma strategies and action plans
An independent evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of European Roma strategies and national action plans, focusing not only on activities and expenditure but also on measurable outcomes, legislative changes, institutional reforms and improvements in the everyday lives of Roma people.
- A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW EUROPEAN APPROACH
The International Romani Union believes that the time has come to move from repeated declarations of commitment towards a structured European mechanism for transparency, monitoring and accountability in Roma policies.
Such an approach should include:
- A consolidated public overview of European and other major funding allocated to Roma inclusion.
- Clear information on the organisations and institutions receiving financial support.
- Transparent data on payments, expenditure and final beneficiaries.
- Independent evaluation of the results achieved.
- Monitoring of the implementation of FRA recommendations and relevant European strategies.
- Assessment of national legislative and institutional progress.
- Equal opportunities for Roma organisations to participate in policy development and funding programmes.
- Stronger safeguards against conflicts of interest, overlapping funding and misuse of resources.
- Regular public reporting on the impact of investments on Roma communities.
- A meaningful institutional dialogue with a broad range of legitimate Roma representatives.
The IRU is ready to contribute to such a process and to cooperate constructively with European institutions, national governments, international organisations and Roma civil society.
FINAL MESSAGE
Europe does not lack declarations, strategies, conferences or recommendations concerning Roma inclusion.
What is still missing is a sufficiently transparent and accountable system that demonstrates how these commitments translate into real improvements in people’s lives.
The credibility of European Roma policies cannot be measured by the number of conferences organised, reports published or projects approved. It must be measured by the results achieved: better education, decent employment, improved housing conditions, equal access to public services, protection from discrimination and genuine participation in decision-making.
The question is therefore not whether Europe has invested in Roma inclusion.
The question is whether Europe is prepared to demonstrate, transparently and independently, what those investments have achieved.
The time has come to move from declarations of commitment to genuine accountability.
INTERNATIONAL ROMANI UNION (IRU)
Zoran Dimov
President
