Europe's promises have not been kept to its Roma citizens
Twenty years since Slovakia entered the EU, the country’s Roma have not seen their lot improve.
Grey clouds darken the sky overhead as Rišo points to privately owned land not 50 metres away where the Roma residents of Nižná Myšľa are not welcome. “We are not allowed to go there,” he tells us visitors. As if on cue, rays of light cut through the clouds to cast a natural spotlight across the territory he refers to.
Rišo and his neighbours do not covet the adjacent property for commercial purposes. They simply want their children to be able to play there. It’s easy to understand why. Where we are standing is a garbage heap. Where Rišo is pointing, the grass is very green.
But the private property owner refuses to give an inch. And the local mayor and village council have not provided an alternative solution.
At that moment, one of Rišo’s neighbours walks out from her shanty home, throws a plastic bottle on the garbage heap, and returns inside.
A boy lingering with us is silent. But his red and black sweatshirt may unintentionally summarise either how the local Roma community feels, or how their non-Roma neighbours perceive them, or both. It has one word across the front: “REBELS”.
Whatever the emotions, the fact is that Nižná Myšľa’s Roma community now comprises nearly one-third of the village’s 1,800 residents. But they have never had a single Roma representative on the nine-member village council. They are a large minority of the population, yet they have no voice in local governance.
Nižná Myšľa is a village in eastern Slovakia, 15 kilometres southeast from Košice, the country’s second largest city. This scene is a microcosm for what hundreds of thousands of Roma citizens experience across Slovakia and the wider region of central and eastern Europe.
Eight countries in this region will mark the twentieth anniversary of their accession to the European Union on May 1. But the Roma communities of Slovakia, Czechia, and Hungary say they have little to celebrate.
On the contrary, Regina, one of Rišo’s neighbours in Nižná Myšľa, is very clear: life for Roma was better under Communism than it is today. Then, she says, the government in Prague offered support in the form of jobs and housing.
Regina’s views may be contrarian, but our colleague Tomáš Matta, a 23-year-old school teacher, understands her perspective. He says conditions for the Roma community of Nižná Myšľa are no better than when he was a child there.
Government studies show that members of marginalised Roma communities live an average of six years less than the general population. Infant mortality is almost three times higher among children from marginalised Roma communities than it is for children from the majority population.
The challenges are complex and the roots of the dilemma are deep. Local authorities have access to limited resources. To put the responsibility solely on the local mayor and the city council would be to absolve of accountability many others who have more power.
Zooming out, it is clear that Slovakia has failed its most marginalised Roma communities. And, by extension, Europe has so far failed them. Twenty years since Slovakia entered the EU, the country’s Roma have not seen their lot improve. On the contrary, Tomáš says it is far worse.
But change is possible. It starts with political representation. Until the Roma citizens of Nižná Myšľa or other communities are able to vote for candidates who can understand their needs, they will not be inspired to vote.
Fortunately, Slovakia’s Roma have increasing numbers of role models. Already 52 municipalities across the country are governed by Roma mayors. Representation, however, is not enoughto advance social inclusion in the 21st century. We need to train community representatives in policy making processes in order to achieve true political responsiveness.
It does not end there. In order for all Slovaks, including Roma citizens, to have equal opportunities to thrive, we propose to actively promote inclusivity and fight discrimination in the following ways:
Guarantee equal access to workplace opportunities without discrimination and sanction enterprises that do not comply with inclusive employment.
Introduce an EU-wide anti-discrimination law that extends the existing protections in the area of employment to other areas such as social security, education and the supply of goods and services, including housing.
Support the development of an inclusive and high-quality educational system that is free of charge, accessible, and offers every child the opportunity to achieve their potential, including by providing extra educational support for teachers and extra social support for children with all kinds of disabilities.
Develop extensive (re-)training and allow each person to get lifelong learning and easier pathways to change careers.
Support and fund innovative housing models, such as co-housing, rent-to-own and lifelong renting programmes, to reduce the concentration of housing wealth and ease the financial barriers to home ownership.
Earlier the same day that we visited Nižná Myšľa, we also visited Luník IX, the district of Košice which is home to Slovakia’s largest Roma community, where Tomáš teaches. As we heard from another teacher there, “Without the children, there is no Luník IX.”
Since Slovakia joined the EU, twenty years have passed. Not enough progress has happened. Much more is needed. For the children of Luník IX and Nižná Myšľa, it is not too late.
Rick Zedník and Mikuláš Lakatoš are candidates for election to the European Parliament from Volt Slovensko.
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