The European People's Party (EPP), the strongest political faction of the European Parliament, approved a strategic document sponsored by Slovak MEP Peter Pollak (OLaNO) on the European inclusion of Roma on Thursday. EPP leader Manfred Weber stated that Pollak's effort received "full support" from the faction.
"We must realise that only fleeting progress has been achieved over the recent decade relative to the enormous financial resources, particularly under European Funds, that have been provided to member states in order to improve the living standards of their Roma citizens. We've got millions of Roma in Europe, living in poverty, in catastrophic conditions, without access to potable water, plumbing or basic infrastructure. They're uneducated and hence with little chance of finding employment on the labour market," stated Pollak, who is himself of Roma ethnicity.
According to Pollak, the European Commission should place more emphasis on results and efficiency in the use of allocated resources. "The emphasis should be put on countries with inefficient Roma inclusion processes that bring about macroeconomic problems and retard the process of European cohesion. There are scores of studies that establish that the economic inclusion of Roma on the labour market would boost economic productivity and, concurrently, reduce welfare costs while increasing state budget incomes," claimed Pollak, adding that more inclusion would also serve to lower regional disparities and improve mutual cohabitation.
Source: TASR
