In June 2011, the European Council, the EU’s highest governing body, gave the green light to the European Framework for National Roma Inclusion Strategies, a Commission initiative that the 27 EU Member States have translated into their respective National Strategies to be developed between 2012 and 2020.

This initiative established for the first time a common framework for the development of measures and policies at national level based on approaches, objectives and areas of work shared by all the Member States of the European Union. It also had the political and financial support of the EU and the 27 Member States and wqass part of a larger European strategy, EU 2020, with explicit objectives to reduce the poverty and exclusion that have afflicted the Roma population for centuries.

Basic Principles to achieve Roma People Social Inclusion

• Constructive, pragmatic and non-discriminatory policies.
• Specifical, but not exclusive focus on the Roma population.
• Intercultural approach.
• Aiming at a full inclusion of the Roma population into society.
• Awareness-raising on gender discrimination.
• Involvement of regional and local administrations.
• Involvement of civil society.
• Active participation of Roma people.

Presented at the European Platform for Roma Inclusion (Prague, 2009)

This is very relevant for the PROMA Project, as well as the Education Dimension of the Framework. Despite major advances in schooling, there are still serious problems, such as the very high dropout rates in compulsory secondary education. And although there is an increase in the number of Roma students in post-compulsory secondary and university, the percentages are still much lower than the average. We are still far from achieving a situation of educational normalisation for Roma pupils, specially women.