The report mentions initiatives such as segregated housing for Roma, residential institutions for children with disabilities, and reception centers for asylum seekers.
Hundreds of millions from European Union funds have been used in projects that violate the rights of marginalized communities. Thus claims a report, mentioning initiatives such as segregated housing for Roma, residential institutions for children with disabilities, and reception centers for asylum seekers. The report, based on information collected from eight NGOs from across Europe, examines 63 projects in six countries. Together, these projects are believed to have received more than 1 billion euros in funding from the European Union, revealing a “low understanding” apparently of fundamental rights across the bloc, according to one of the authors of the EU-funded report.
According to The Guardian, while the report focused on six countries, those behind the analysis suggested that similar projects were probably widespread across the EU.
“This is really just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ines Bulic of the European Network on Independent Living, describing it as “unacceptable” that funds provided by European citizens could have been used to amplify discrimination and segregation of communities that were already ranked among the most marginalized in the bloc. Meanwhile, she mentioned as an example a school in Greece for people with disabilities and special needs, which had been part of a broader EU investment in special vocational schools. “What we would like to see is investment in inclusive education, which is much needed throughout the EU, such as accessible schools, investments in support teachers, and other services that allow children to attend regular schools.”
Other examples highlighted in the report include the construction of social housing for Roma in Romania on the outskirts of a city. Far from any public service, the houses were built from shipping containers and do not meet the minimum requirements for thermal or acoustic insulation and sewage, the report notes.
Some reception centers for asylum seekers across Greece were also reported for their extremely remote locations and poor living conditions. Those behind the report mentioned several reasons to explain how millions of euros ended up being allocated to projects considered discriminatory. One was a “low understanding” apparently of fundamental rights in some governments and parts of the EU, said Andor Urmos of Bridge EU, the organization that had worked with various civil society groups across Europe to prepare the report.
“This is what we need to address in the future,” he said. “To have a common viewpoint, a common understanding that building a segregated school for Roma children is a violation of fundamental rights, just as building a residential institution for people with disabilities or locking people up in reception centers like what is happening in Greece.”
