Menu
work

Pathways to Progress? The European Union and Roma Inclusion in the Western Balkans

The EU must hold potential member states accountable if they fail in their commitments to their most vulnerable and excluded citizens, according to this report.

The countries of the Western Balkans—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia—all aspire to membership in the European Union and have the status of "candidate country" or "potential candidate country" in the EU accession process. The process has opened opportunities for the EU and governments to address the situation of Roma, the region's most disadvantaged ethnic group.

The European Union should increase funding and monitor its impact on Roma inclusion, and increase opportunities for Roma to participate in the policy process. The EU also must hold prospective member states to account if they fail in their commitments and obligations to their most vulnerable, deprived and excluded citizens. These are the broad conclusions of Pathways to Progress? The European Union and Roma Inclusion in the Western Balkans, a report commissioned by the Open Society Roma Initiatives.

Pathways to Progress? analyzes the approaches to Roma inclusion of the European Union and the Western Balkans countries, and provides an overview of Roma political representation and participation by Roma in policymaking. The report concludes with recommendations regarding policy development, reporting and measuring progress, and participation by Roma in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of initiatives that target Roma populations.


This report was originally published on opensocietyfoundations.org.

Author(s)

Zeljko Jovanovic

President

Share this article
Send

The latest

Read about our work and the issues we are addressing.
Photo: POLITICO Europe
Voices

Video: Europe's Quest for Competitiveness

23 May 2025
Watch the full video of "Europe's Quest for Competitiveness", our event with POLITICO Europe in Brussels on 19 May 2025.
Photo: Gabriel T. Balanescu
Press

Roma Voters Delivered a Decisive Margin in Romania’s Presidential Runoff

21 May 2025
Roma for Democracy reports a dramatic return of Roma voters to the ballot box in the second round of Romania’s presidential election.
Roma students in Slovakia. Photo: Akos Stiller
Facts

The Ten Billion Euro Opportunity: Unlocking the Potential of Roma Youth

19 May 2025
Nearly two million workers will exit the EU labour market annually over the next 15 years. At the same time, millions of young Roma—Europe’s youngest demographic—are excluded from economic life.

Browse by category

Campaigns

We are on the ground with our network to bring Roma power where it matters.
Campaigns

Events

Information about events from the Roma Foundation for Europe and its network members.
Events

Facts

Briefings, explainers and analyses that explain and highlight complex issues.
Facts

Press

Media coverage of our work, press releases and information for journalists.
Press

Voices

Perspectives, experiences and narratives from the community.
Voices
Offices
BrusselsBerlinBucharestBelgradeSkopje
Sign up for news

Sign up here so you don’t miss out on campaign updates, upcoming events and other news from the Roma Foundation for Europe and our network.

Sign up for our newsletter