An interview with Livia Jaroka, the second Romani (but the first Romani woman) ever elected to the European Parliament.
Your father is of Romani ethnicity and your mother is Hungarian. How do these ethnic roots have influenced your political career?
Indeed, my father is of Roma origin and worked as a waiter, whereas my mother is majority Hungarian and worked as a dressmaker. I owe a lot to them and to my grandparents for having provided me such a balanced and inspiring family background that I could dedicate my time to learning and developing. Also, unlike many of my Roma peers, I was not put in segregated education, because there were only six of us Roma pupils in my classroom and the attitude of my father, the dignity towards his ethnic origin, the openness and composure of my parents gave me security and self-confidence. Luckily, I also got a completely free hand from Fidesz as the only Roma Member of the European Parliament: it has never been loyalty that they demanded from me, but professionalism. They asked me to be the voice of Roma in the European Parliament, which is great responsibility given the serious underrepresentation of Roma.
The Romanì people can boast an extraordinary cultural outcome. Why do you think in Europe when it comes to this ethnicity, in the majority of cases, it is widely spoken with reference to problems or negative facts? It is curious to know why nobody mentions, for example, the Romani culture!
The present picture of Roma in media is likely to intensify already existing prejudices. To improve this situation, mainstream media should dedicate much more effort to covering positive examples within Roma communities, presenting the achievements and activities of Roma, by which they contribute to the growth of majority society. The vast majority of electronic media and press also lacks proper connections with Roma society and presents Roma as a homogenous group in most of their coverage. Since analyses show that the general rules of legitimacy and political correctness are insufficient in combating negative stereotypes, the professional and ethical principles of minority-related coverage must also be developed. Some experts in this regard propose to adopt a code similar to that of the BBC on minorities. In order to promote a positive image of Roma community on a non-discriminatory basis, it is important to encourage and support communication projects that impartially present the cultural heritage of Roma.
What is your opinion on the recently adopted EU Recommendation by the 28 member states to promote the social inclusion of Romanì people?
I highly welcomed the adoption of the Council Recommendations which will hopefully strengthen the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Inclusion Strategies, which is so far the most promising initiative to foster Roma inclusion. However, there are a range of fundamental weaknesses that need to be remedied so that the Framework can trigger tangible improvement until the end of the decade. First, national strategies must be brought closer to reality, which means allocating enough financial assets to fulfil their policy commitments, clearly specifying the division of tasks and responsibilities among stakeholders and adding outcome indicators, baselines and numerical headline targets to national strategies, as it is the case in Hungary. Second, national strategies must be brought closer to Roma, namely, Roma organizations and local NGOs must be involved in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the strategies. Third, national strategies must better target Roma, which means that the most deprived micro-regions must be targeted by integrated multi-sector development programmes that mobilize all available CSF Funds and other EU instruments. Fourth, national strategies must protect Roma, which implies that the efforts aiming to improve the socio-economic status of Roma must go hand in hand with the fight against discrimination and anti-gypsysm. Fifth, the Framework should reach Roma outside the EU as well, meaning that accession countries – with special regard to the Western Balkans – must be involved into the European level pursuit of Roma integration, through the Instrument for Pre-Accession and the Stabilisation and Association process.
What is the actual situation of the Romanì people in Hungary?
Roma communities face very similar problems throughout Europe. Persistent joblessness, segregated education, unhealthy living conditions, terrible health care situation, political underrepresentation and geographical isolation are characteristic to Roma in almost every country with a significant Roma population, and so also in Hungary. However, a lot of goof initiatives have started since my party took office in 2010. For example, the Fidesz government has been highly praised internationally for fully committing itself to developing an EU Roma strategy at the highest level. Also out of the more than 140 parties of the 27 Member States represented in the EP, it was only Fidesz to delegate an MEP of Roma origin, and it prompted the European People’s Party to launch an internship programme for young Roma intellectuals and to form a Working Group on Roma Inclusion. Also, Hungary was the first to present its national action plan on Roma inclusion and the Hungarian government is so far the only one to have signed a detailed agreement with the Roma self-government, containing specific, numerical headline targets. Of course decade’s long failures cannot be remedied overnight, but I believe that we are on the right track.
In your studies, you have certainly had the possibility to deepen your knowledge on the Romanì culture. Is there any element that makes you most proud of? Which is it?
Roma communities have been part of European history for several centuries and we have contributed to the prosperity and growth of almost all nations. And there is a huge social and economic potential in mobilizing unemployed and marginalized Roma communities. The socio-economic inclusion of Roma is therefore not only a moral imperative, but an economic necessity for our ageing continent and stumbling economies. If the figures of Roma could approach the regional average, it would not only respond to the demographic challenge of the increasing elderly and decreasing working age populations, but could also trigger a substantial economic growth. And it may also contribute to a cultural shift among Roma, from a cluster of closed, defensive and disparate communities to an open, self-aware and integrated European minority.
In South we trust 