NGOs call for EU response to substandard Roma and Traveller housing across the Union

20 October 2009

Brussels: The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Pavee Point Travellers Centre welcome the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights' report, "Housing conditions of Roma and Travellers in the European Union", launched today at a conference in Brussels. The findings of this study confirm that despite the efforts made on the part of some governments, the overall housing situation of many Roma and Travellers in the EU is dire.

In relation to improving the housing situation of Roma and Travellers the following conclusions hold strong in the report:

• Data collection: More action and data collection efforts are urgently needed. Many Member States have developed policy and programming responses to this situation, but the results are markedly insufficient and immeasurable because they are not based on accurate numbers of Roma living in a Member State or in a particular community, or on an accurate assessment of housing needs.
   
• Segregation: Government actions sometimes specifically aim at segregating Roma and Travellers. Other government efforts may contribute somewhat to improving housing conditions but often result in further segregation instead of promoting inclusion or integration. Consequently, the results until now fall short of Member State obligations under international human rights law.
   
• Forced evictions: The forced eviction of Roma and Traveller families is a recurrent problem which often results in de facto homelessness and violates Member State obligations under international human rights law.

While the overall picture is bleak the report also illustrates some examples of good practice resulting from direct Roma and Traveller participation in development of housing policy, the undertaking of comprehensive needs assessments as well as innovative design of sites by local authorities. EU Member States are encouraged to emulate these and other good practices highlighted in the report.

It is an important development that the European Commission requested that the FRA conduct this study in response to widespread housing rights concerns among Romani and Traveller communities. The ERRC and Pavee Point view this request as a clear commitment by the European Union to develop its competencies in the area of housing rights and non-discrimination and to bring its legal framework in line with other international standards in this area. The comparative report illustrates that Roma and Travellers across the Union experience grave violations in the area of housing rights; an EU level response is therefore necessary. The ERRC and Pavee Point support the FRA's call for the development of a European Framework Strategy on Roma Inclusion.

For more information please contact:

Ronnie Fay, Director, Pavee Point Travellers Centre, ronnie.fay@pavee.ie
Martin Collins, Assistant Director, Pavee Point Travellers Centre, martin.collins@pavee.ie
Robert Kushen, ERRC Executive Director, rob.kushen@errc.org
Sinan Gökcen, ERRC Information Officer, sinan.gokcen@errc.org

Background information

The ERRC and Pavee Point implemented this study and produced drafts of the reports under a service contract with the FRA. The final conclusions and opinions are the FRA's. This report concludes a research project, the aim of which was to study the housing situation of Roma and Travellers in the EU Member States, highlighting significant initiatives that improve their living conditions to support the development of conclusions and opinions to the Community institutions and Member States. Field research for case studies, undertaken by the European Roma Rights Centre and Pavee Point, is intended to assist the FRA in developing appropriate evidence-based policies and measures to improve the housing situation of Roma and Travellers.

The project consisted of several parts. Thematic country studies were developed by the FRA's RAXEN network of National Focal Points (NFPs) in 24 EU Member States. In-depth field research was undertaken to develop six in-depth case studies. A working paper was developed from the FRA's EU-MIDIS statistical survey data related to discrimination in access to housing. Finally, the data from all these portions was synthesised, analysed and developed into a comprehensive comparative report, presenting the main conclusions of the research. This data will be presented to relevant stakeholders, including EU and national level policymakers, government representatives of all levels working on housing issues and representatives of civil society at the roundtable.