“Discrimination and exclusion:

Voicing the experiences and struggles of older Roma”

To support EU action on Roma and as a contribution to the European Convention against Poverty and Social Exclusion on 17-18 October 2011, AGE and ERIO have launched a joint paper outlining the views and experiences of older Roma in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Poland. The paper draws on research commissioned by AGE in summer 2010. Over 120 older Roma provided testimonies of their situation, many of whom face unacceptable levels of poverty, exclusion and discrimination which obstruct their ability to enjoy their fundamental rights and prevents their integration in society.

“Despite new interest at EU level in tackling the exclusion and discrimination faced by Roma with the adoption of an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and a targeted approach for Roma inclusion in the areas of education, employment, health and housing, older Roma remain a much neglected group in this political discourse”, observed Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General. “Little attention has been paid as yet to identifying how the needs of this growing group of older Roma can be met and AGE hopes that these interview findings will help steer the debate so that decision-makers and public authorities will start to take better account of the needs of this vulnerable group of citizens,” she added.

ERIO and AGE believe that the struggles that older Roma face should be highlighted and actively addressed. This is even more important in the light of the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations in which we are calling on all stakeholders to take concrete commitments to promoting active ageing among all older EU citizens and efforts should be increased to promote an inclusive Europe for them throughout and beyond this European Year.

Ivan Ivanov, ERIO’s Executive Director stated: “The recently adopted European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies by the European Commission should be considered by Member States as a minimum standard to build their own national strategies which should add a specific focus on each disadvantaged group within the Roma community, including Roma elderly people.”

To access the joint AGE-ERIO paper on older Roma:

http://www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EN/position_paper_age_erio_oct2011_final.pdf