Despite various EU initiatives, the situation of the Roma population in the Western Balkans has hardly improved in recent years. It is time for a radical rethinking in Berlin and Brussels: both need to recognize antigypsyism as the root cause of discrimination against Roma, develop new measures to fight it and create concrete prospects for Roma in the local labor market.
Antigypsyism characterizes the situation of the Roma in the Western Balkans
The following data on the situation of the Roma give an insight into the ineffective policies of recent years at both national and EU levels and demonstrate the need for a radical change in course. Data on the younger Roma population was deliberately selected, as the younger population should in theory have benefited most from the investment of recent years, including the extensive investment in educational measures.
In 2017, 78% of young Roma (ages 18 to 24) in Albania were not in education, employment or training (NEET). In Bosnia and Herzegovina the share is 86%, in Kosovo 78%, in Montenegro 82%, in North Macedonia 74% and in Serbia 73%.
For the majority population in the Western Balkans, the respective percentage of young people is between 33 and 59 per cent; in the EU, the average rate is 14.3%, while in Germany the rate is only 8.6%.
Of young Roma between the ages of 18 and 21, between 31% (Montenegro) and 69% (North Macedonia) have completed their compulsory education; by contrast, 93% to 96% of the majority population in all Western Balkan countries graduated.
Link: https://peacelab.blog/2019/12/roma-in-the-western-balkans-a-radical-shift-in-policy-is-needed
