Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-08-Speech-2-597-000"
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"en.20110308.28.2-597-000"2
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"Madam President, please allow me to begin by recounting a story. In 2009, József B and his wife were sentenced by a Hungarian court to 10 months’ imprisonment for the endangerment of minors. Their crime was that their two children did not attend school. While they had gone to school, however, the children had been sent home regularly because they turned up in muddy shoes and covered with dirt. In the Gipsy colony where they live, there are no paved roads, and so every day, the children had to cross a meadow and by the time they got to the school, their feet were covered in mud. They endured the humiliation of being scolded and sent home for as long as they could, and eventually chose to avoid school more and more often, for which their parents were sentenced to prison.
The children of József B and his wife did not miss school because they did not want to learn. Rather, it was their circumstances that did not allow them to learn. Without appropriate clothing and shoes, water and electricity at home, and without school supplies, they did not have a chance to finish even primary school. Helping communities with multiple disadvantages to catch up is a complex process, which can only be achieved step by step, in keeping with local needs and over the long term.
Europe can assist in this by setting goals based on real data, providing the necessary tools, calling the Member States to account for the accomplishment of the goals set, and monitoring the changes in the situation of the Roma. It is also designing less bureaucratic, quicker and more transparent methods than before, thereby supporting individual communities in the long run until they can truly provide for their own needs.
It is not enough to build a school for the children of József B. They also need work to make a living, and the parents need to be able to feed and clothe their children and have them educated. Suitable housing conditions are required, where children can prepare for class, and where they have lighting and heating. Passable roads are required, which provide access to school and the workplace. And there is also a need for compassionate words, which can efface the humiliations.
The European Roma strategy will not bring about immediate change, but will give an opportunity for change. The real question is whether we can create rules and conditions which can help those who are unable to compete for resources and who barely have the capacity to assert their own interests. Non-discrimination must be guaranteed, and not only in the labour market but in all areas of social life as well. Segregation in towns and schools must be eliminated, real opportunities must be created and Roma communities must be involved at European, Member State and local levels. And, above all, political commitment is required from everyone who can contribute to the improvement of the current situation at European level as well.
It is not enough to provide a framework for Member States’ Roma strategies; a proper European Roma strategy is needed, with European level responsibility, while, of course, not calling into question the responsibility of the Member States. I call on the Commission and the Council to fully incorporate the contents of the Parliamentary resolution into their documents and to regularly report on any progress to Parliament."@en1
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