Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategy in Spain : Assessing progress in key policy areas of the strategy.
Date: 2022-07-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers
Subjects: EU strategy, European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, Roma, Spain, anti-discriminatory measure, civil society, dropout, education policy, ethnic discrimination, operational programme, report, social integration

Civil society monitoring report 
on implementation 
of the national Roma integration strategy 
in Spain 

Assessing the progress 
in four key policy areas  
of the strategy 

Prepared by: 
Plataforma Khetane 
Fakali 
Kamira 
Fagex 
Kale DorKayiko 
October 2018 

Justice 
and Consumers 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers 
Directorate D — Equality and Union Citizenship 
Unit D1 Non Discrimination and Roma Coordination 

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Civil society monitoring report  
on implementation  
of the national Roma integration strategy 
in Spain 

Assessing the progress in four key policy areas of the strategy 

Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers 
2020 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 

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doi:10.2838/194802 
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© European Union, 2020 
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This  report  has  been  prepared  by  the  NGOs  Khetane  Platform  (KHETANE),  National 
Federation  of  Roma  Women’s  Associations  (KAMIRA),  Federation  of  Roma  Women’s 
Associations (FAKALI), Federation of Extremadura Roma Associations (FAGEX) and Kale 
dorKayiko (KDK). 

The authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Iñaki Vazquez and Mr. Pedro Aguilera for their 
engagement and coordination efforts in preparing this report and Mr. Pedro Aguilera Martín 
for his commitment to translating this document into English. 

The report has been prepared as part of the Roma Civil Monitor pilot project, ‘Capacity-
building  for  Roma  civil  society  and  strengthening  its  involvement  in  the  monitoring  of 
National  Roma  Integration  Strategies’. The  pilot project  is carried  out  for  the  European 
Commission, DG Justice and Consumers. It is coordinated by the Center for Policy Studies 
of  the  Central  European  University  (CEU  CPS),  in  partnership  with  the  European  Roma 
Grassroots  Organisations  Network  (ERGO  Network),  the  European  Roma  Rights  Centre 
(ERRC),  the  Fundación  Secretariado  Gitano  (FSG)  and  the  Roma  Education  Fund  (REF) 
and implemented with around 90 NGOs and experts from up to 27 member states. 

Although the Roma Civil Monitor pilot project, as part of which the report was prepared, is 
coordinated  by  CEU,  the  report  represents  the  findings  of  the  author  and  it  does  not 
necessarily reflect the views of CEU. CEU cannot be held responsible for any use which 
may be made of the information contained therein.  

5 

 
CONTENT 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... 7 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 8 
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 12 
EMPLOYMENT ........................................................................................................... 13 
Improving access to labour market and effectiveness of employment services ............. 15 
Fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in employment ................................... 17 
HOUSING AND ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES .......................................................... 19 
Access to basic amenities ..................................................................................... 20 
Access to secure and affordable housing ................................................................. 21 
Effectiveness of housing benefits and social assistance to maintain housing ................ 23 
Fight against residential segregation, discrimination and other forms of antigypsyism 

in housing ................................................................................................. 23 
Improvement of housing conditions and regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods ....... 24 
IMPACT OF HEALTH CARE POLICIES ON ROMA ......................................................... 27 
Ensuring equal access to public healthcare services .................................................. 27 
Fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in health care ..................................... 30 
EDUCATION .............................................................................................................. 33 
Access to quality early childhood care and preschool education .................................. 35 
Improving quality of education until the end of compulsory schooling ......................... 36 
Fight against discrimination, segregation and other forms of antigypsyism in education

 ................................................................................................................ 38 

LOCAL  CASE  STUDY:  NAVARRA  –  PROGRAMME  „HEALTH  PROMOTION  OF  ROMA 

ETHNIC MINORITY” .......................................................................................... 40 
RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................ 43 
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 45 

6 

 
 
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 

BOE 
CEPG 
ECRI 
FAGA 
FAGEX 
FAGIC 
FAKALI 
FRA 
FSG 
KAMIRA 
KHETANE 
MSCBS 
MSSSI 

State Official Newsletter 
National Advisory Council for Roma People 
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance 
Federation of Roma Associations of Valencian Community 
Federation of Extremadura Roma Associations 
Federation of Roma Associations of Catalonia 
Federation of Roma Women’s Associations 
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights 
Fundación Secretariado Gitano 
National Federation of Roma Women’s Associations Kamira 
Khetane Platform 
Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare 
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality 

7 

 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The  National Strategy for Social Inclusion of the  Roma Community in  Spain  2012-2020 
(NRIS), aligned with the recommendations of the European Commission, establishes four 
action areas for Roma –employment, housing, health and education. This report aims at 
assessing the results achieved by the Spanish government in the implementation of the 
NRIS in these areas and their impact on the situation of the Roma people, pointing  out 
some successful experiences from working with and for the Roma population. 

Employment 

Unemployment remains one of the unsolved issues regarding Roma inclusion in Spain and 
the financial crisis of 2008 has further complicated their access to the labour market. The 
crisis had three key factors that affected the society as a whole, while the most vulnerable 
groups, including Roma, being affected the worst. The onset of the crisis led the Roma to 
be among the first groups excluded from the labour market. This fact, as well as the Roma 
low level of qualification, makes it even harder for them to re-enter the labour market. As 
a consequence, the underground economy without any type of contract and regulation has 
increased,  mainly  in  the  sectors  such  as  construction  or  restorations,  cleaning,  people 
care, unregulated sale.  

In  2017,  the  Ministry  of  Health,  Social  Services  and  Equality  published  an  interim 
evaluation  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  Spanish  National  Roma  Integration 
Strategy  (NRIS).1  This  evaluation  highlights  a  lack  of  information  regarding  the 
achievements of the two specific goals in the field of employment. According to the report, 
there is no updated information on the employment situation of the Roma population. The 
last study was published in 2013 containing data from 2012. 

One of the main and traditional ways for Roma to enter the labour market is the itinerant 
trade.  The  evolution  of  street  markets  in  recent  years  has  not  been  studied  (the  last 
available studies have been conducted before the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis). 
However, authors’ research and interviews with Roma who work in such markets, made 
by the editors of this report, emphasize the hardships they encounter and must overcome 
in  order  to  survive  in  this  professional  activity.  Among  other  findings,  these  studies 
highlight  the  lack  of  interest  on  behalf  of  the  authorities,  especially  municipalities, 
regarding  the  expansion  and  promotion  of  itinerant  trade  in  their  cities.  Additionally, 
research has found a heavy competition represented by other cheap retailers such as large 
chains  that  lower  the  prices  drastically.  A  law  protecting  itinerant  trade  could  help  the 
situation of Roma depending on this type of income generating activity.  

Housing and essential public services 

Spain is the EU country that has made further progress regarding the residential inclusion 
of the  Roma population.2 However, despite these achievements, 2.17 per cent of Roma 
families (2,273 households) live in slums and 2.78 per cent of the neighbourhoods where 
the Roma population lives are segregated settlements. 8.63 per cent of the dwellings do 
not comply with the minimum housing requirements and conditions, the total number of 
dwellings bellow the standard containing 9,000 houses. 

1 See: Interim Evaluation Report of the Roma National Strategy (2012-2016), available at: 

https://www.fresnoconsulting.es/upload/14/78/2017_InformeEvaluacionIntermediaEstrategiaPoblacionGitana.p
df  

2 Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality (2018) Estudio-Mapa sobre Vivienda y Población Gitana, 

2015 Informe Septiembre de 2016. Available at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/29/29/informecompletoe-
mobreviviendaypg.pdf 

8 

 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The interim evaluation report on the NRIS implementation depicts an improvement in the 
housing situation. The NRIS contains two goals related to housing – eradication of shanty 
towns and substandard houses and improvement  in the quality of housing of the Roma 
population. In both areas, the evaluation demonstrates that progress has been made. The 
report emphasises an ostensible improvement in the residential overcrowding levels, from 
29.4  per  cent  (starting  point)  to  8.9  per  cent,  despite  the  NRIS  itself  including  a  more 
modest target of 25 per cent only. However, the causes of this substantial improvement 
are not clear. 

On the other hand, the problem of residential segregation is included in the Spanish NRIS 
in a clearly insufficient way. Although the interim evaluation report considers this to be a 
persisting problem, there are no objectives or indicators that would allow for the evaluation 
of the implementation of public policies in this field. 

Health policies impact on Roma People 

According to the “Second Survey on Minorities and Discrimination” published by FRA EU-
MIDIS 2016, Spain is on the first place in terms of the coverage of the basic national health 
insurance system and/or additional medical insurance among the nine countries analysed. 
According  to  the  same  survey,  98  per  cent  of  the  respondents  declared  having  basic 
medical  coverage  in  Spain.3  Public  universal  health  coverage  is  the  most  widespread 
option, while  private insurance providing higher  quality medical services  is preferred by 
the better-off minority, including some Roma families who can afford it.  

According  to  the  National  Health  Survey,4  during  the  last  few  years,  the  health  of  the 
population  has  gotten  worse  due  to  the  economic  situation:  data  indicates  a  higher 
decrease  in  the  health  of  the  Roma  population  than  in  the  health  of  the  worst  socio-
economic groups of in the country. 65.3 per cent of Roma men and 55.5 per cent of Roma 
women reported that their health status is great or very good, compared to 77.7 per cent 
and 70.4 per cent, respectively, of the Spanish population. Regarding the self-perceived 
health  status  of  the  Roma  population  aged  from  35  to  54,  there  were  no  significant 
variations between 2006 and 2014 (65.6 per cent of Roma men and 55.6 per cent of Roma 
women defined their  health  status as good and very good in 2014). These ratios reach 
80.3 per cent (men) and 73.4 per cent (women) for the respondents to the National Health 
Survey for the same age group, between 35 and 54 years old. 

Despite  improvements  and  differences  found  in  the  surveys  on  health  and  the  Roma 
population, Roma life expectancy is 15 years less than the average life expectancy of the 
rest of the population.5 The evaluation of NRIS confirms that the government has failed to 
reduce  persisting  health  inequalities,  and,  thus,  to  include  among  the  issues  of  an 
unhealthy  lifestyle,  the  prevention  of  accidents  and  the  prevention  of  and  treatment 
options  chronic  diseases.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  improvements  in  the  level  of 
awareness among Roma families on the importance of health promotion and prevention 
and also an improvement in the general access to healthcare services. In particular, Roma 
children’s  access  to  dental  healthcare  and  Roma  women’s  access  to  gynaecology 
healthcare have improved. 

3 The survey is available at: https://publications.europa.eu/es/publication-detail/-/publication/d1e36336-

3168-11e8-b5fe-01aa75ed71a1/. The figure can be found at page 33 of this publication. The survey was 
carried out in nine European Union countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, 
Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia. 

4 See: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/encuestaNacional/encuestaNac2017/ENSE17_pres_web.
pdf 

5 See the article at: https://www.cuartopoder.es/sociedad/2017/11/11/la-poblacion-gitana-a-la-cola-de-

la-esperanza-de-vida-en-espana/ 

9 

 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

Education 

The Education Law in Spain stipulates that the educational system will welcome all children 
of compulsory school age, recognising its cultural diversity as an inherent characteristic of 
the  society  in  which  they  live.  The  young  Roma  population  is,  in  general  terms,  less 
educated than the young  Spanish population. According to official  reports and research 
from third-party entities, 64.4 per cent of Roma aged from 16 to 24 have not achieved 
the mandatory Secondary Education (ESO) degree. This means that approximately seven 
out of ten young Roma between the ages of 16 and 24 do not satisfactorily complete the 
compulsory education level in Spain.6 

The integration of Roma students into secondary education is still an important step to be 
made  by  schools  and  Roma  families.  Before  the  adoption  of  the  “Organic  Law  for  the 
General Planning of the Educational System of Spain” (LOGSE), almost all Roma students 
terminated their studies at the age of 14. Although this fact is disregarded, there is still a 
lack of regular attendance and high school absenteeism at this stage. 47 per cent of the 
entire Roma population has obtained the Graduate degree in ESO and 24.7 per cent have 
completed non-compulsory secondary education.7 

Despite the available statistics published in 2013, that authors of this report concur that 
the  inclusion  of  Roma  students  into  compulsory  education  must  be  done  gradually  and 
firmly. 93.2 per cent of Roma students are enrolled in school when they turn six years old, 
the compulsory school age. It would be desirable if, at six years old, 100 per cent of Roma 
children  were  enrolled  in  primary  school.  However,  an  optimistic  view  for  the  nearest 
future stems from the fact that 84.5 per cent of Roma families enrolled their children in 
school or kindergarten before the age of six years old in 2013 (compared to 79 per cent 
in 1994).  There are different  factors that caused this increase in school  enrolment over 
the  years,  such  as  family  involvement  in  the  educational  process,  social  initiatives 
implemented  by  different  NGOs  promoting  the  importance  of  formal  and  non-formal 
education  for children and the support  received  from schools, families, civil society and 
different public authorities in order to raise the number of Roma pupils enrolled compulsory 
education.  

In the field of education, however, one can identify particular structural problems. Firstly, 
the  evaluation  of  the  NRIS  implementation  was  confronted  with  difficulties  in  obtaining 
reliable  data  that  would  allow  for  the  assessment  of  educational  policies  targeting  the 
Roma population. Secondly, the Spanish NRIS does not consider school segregation to be 
one of the main problems.  According to  the authors’ opinion, this is probably the  most 
important  issue  related  to  education  of  Roma,  because  it  is  arguably  one  of  the  main 
causes of their school failure in Spain; though the NRIS ignores this problem. 

Case Study: Navarra, “Health Promotion of Roma Ethnic Minority” 
Programme 

The  authors  of  this  report  have  chosen  the  health  promotion  programme  for  the  Roma 
minority because it was one of the first programmes that were implemented as a practical 
and real response for decreasing the health and social inequalities the Roma population 
faces.  The  programme  began  in  1987  and  involved  collaboration  between  third-sector 
parties and the public administration. In 1987 the programme targeted four basic health 
areas and in 2005 it was extended to 15 areas, while having direct contact with more than 
half of the Roma population living in Navarra. The programme currently includes 24 basic 
health  areas  and  covers  32  locations  and  their  corresponding  health  centres,  to  which 
some  more  must  be  added  on  demand.  The  programme  has  been  implemented  in  the 
areas with the largest Roma population.  

6 See full document at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/42/08/EstudioSecundaria_InformeEjecutivo.pdf 

7 Idem. 

10 

 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The programme has one main objective that is to reduce health inequalities and improve 
Roma’s health through four instruments: 

•  Training Roma health mediators, 
•  Coordination and collaboration with local and central authorities, 
•  Peer education, 
•  Roma empowerment and participation. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

There have barely been 40 years of policy development in favour of Roma in Spain; the 
first public policy  is known as the  „Roma  Development  Plan”. In addition to the actions  
developed at national level, since the beginning of the century, so-called „comprehensive 
plans  for  the  Roma  population”  have  extended  to  the  regional  level,  because  the 
responsibility of implementing the majority of social policies in Spain is transferred to the 
regions  (in  Spanish  terminology:  Autonomous  Communities),  including  the  areas  of 
education, housing, participation, the empowerment of women, youth, etc. These policies 
have gone through different stages, depending on the socio-economic status of the country 
and the interest of regional authorities in promoting comprehensive plans for the Roma. 

After  the  enactment  of  the  “European  Framework  for  National  Roma  Integration 
Strategies” in 2011, the Spanish Government launched the “National Strategy for Social 
Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain 2012-2020” (NRIS).8 This strategy has been 
included in several biannual “operational plans”, the first plan was prepared for the period 
2014-2016 while the latest plan was approved for the period 2018-2020. These operational 
plans  allow  Spain  to  adapt  the  objectives  and  planned  results  of  the  NRIS  to  changing 
needs.  

In the process of preparing this report, the authors used several research techniques. The 
most important method was conducting in-depth interviews with key actors  involved  in 
the development and implementation of the NRIS , such as policymakers from the Ministry 
of  Health,  Social  Services  and  Equality  of  Spain  (MSSSI),9  representatives  of  several 
associations, foundations and Roma federations, the National Advisory Council for Roma 
People (CEPG), public officials from different state levels and other professionals who have 
volunteered to be interviewed by our team.  

The  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  Roma  organisations  that  are  part  of  the  working 
group that prepared this report and the coordination work carried out by Khetane Platform 
have been valuable, both for facilitating the interviews and for the documentary archives 
they have provided. 

8 The National Strategy for de Social Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain 2012-2020(NRIS) 

available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/roma_spain_strategy_en_1.pdf 

9 During the preparation of this report, a change of Government took place in Spain, leading to a change 

in the nomenclature of the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare (MSCBS). This is the reason 
why both nomenclatures are used in this report in order to refer to the ministry responsible for Roma-related 
issues. 

12 

 
 
 
EMPLOYMENT 

The  financial  crisis  of  2008  has  defined  the  access  to  the  labour  market  for  the  Roma 
population  in  recent  years.  In  Spain,  the  crisis  had  three  key  factors  that  affected  the 
society as a whole, while the most vulnerable groups, including Roma, being affected the 
worst.  On the one hand, the economic engine of the last 15 years was brought to a halt, 
a fact known as the burst of the real state bubble. On the other hand, the financial crisis 
led  the  state  to  request  the  bailout  of  the  Spanish  banking  sector  by  the  European 
Commission. Finally, the unemployment rate increased to such high levels only seen before 
at the beginning of the Spanish political transition, the oil crisis  (the crisis following the 
1992 Olympics in Barcelona) and the Universal Expo in Seville. 

The following graphic shows the evolution of unemployment in the last ten years: 

Nº UNEMPLOYED IN SPAIN

0
0
0
1
2
0
6

0
0
0
5
3
9
5

0
0
0
7
8
2
5

0
0
0
7
5
4
5

0
0
0
9
7
7
4

0
0
0
2
0
7
4

0
0
0
5
3
3
4

0
0
0
7
3
2
4

0
0
7
6
6
7
3

0
0
0
6
0
2
3

0
0
0
2
4
9
1

2 0 0 7

2 0 0 8

2 0 0 9

2 0 1 0

2 0 1 1

2 0 1 2

2 0 1 3

2 0 1 4

2 0 1 5

2 0 1 6

2 0 1 7

Source: Prepared by the authors, data from Wikipedia 

The unemployment situation in Spain has been the cause of great unease in the Spanish 
society  in  recent  years.  Unemployment  highly  affected  young  people,  immigrants  and 
Roma.  During  the  worst  part  of  the  financial  crisis,  the  average  level  of  Roma 
unemployment was 42 per cent,10 while for immigrants it was 39.16 per cent.11 But the 
worst statistic data  was registered in 2013 when more than 57 per cent of young people 
between the ages of 18-25 were unemployed.12 Imagine the situation in which you were 
part of both groups, being young and Roma. 

Youth  unemployment  in  Spain  became  one  of  the  greatest  concerns  of  the  Spanish 
Government during the worst part of the financial crisis, that is from 2011 until 2015. The 
situation presents itself as a paradox because the majority of young people who were most 
prepared could not find work and many of those who held higher education degrees had 
to emigrate. It is estimated that the number of young people who emigrated from Spain 
during those years amounts to half a million people. Another negative effect of the financial 
crisis was that low-qualified workers had even lower chances of finding jobs since some of 

10 See „El Impacto de la Crisis en la Comunidad Gitana. FSG 2013“, p. 23. 

11 See table at: http://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=4249 

12 See: https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2013/04/25/economia/1366875658.html 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

the available low-skilled vacancies  were taken by people with higher qualifications than 
those needed to perform the job.13 

Regarding youth unemployment numbers, only Greece was worse than Spain during the 
most difficult years of the financial crisis. Youth unemployment rate was higher than 50 
per cent during the peak of the financial crisis (between 2012-2014), as one can see in 
the graph below depicting the youth unemployment rates in the last ten years. 

Youth unemployment rate (%)

54.83 54.89

51.8

48.14

42.73

38.81

46.25

42.92

37.47

28.97

18.66

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: Prepared by the authors on the basis of data supplied by INE. 

The authors of this report did not find any official data that would allow us to evaluate how 
and to what extent was the Roma population affected by the crisis. However, some studies 
do present some relevant data on Roma and the lack of job opportunities during recent 
years. 

In 2013, Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) published a study titled “The Impact of the 
Crisis  on  the  Spanish  Roma  Community”  [“El  Impacto  de  la  Crisis  en  la  Comunidad 
Gitana”].14 This study makes it obvious that unemployment is affecting the Spanish Roma 
more severely than the non-Roma population from Spain, which is another indicator of the 
fact  that  the  crisis  does  not  affect  all  people  equally”.  Between  2005  and  2011,  Roma 
unemployment  rate  increased  by  22.6  per  cent,  while  that  of  the  whole  population 
increased by 10 per cent only. 

The rate of self-employed workers increased by 11 per cent, reaching 34.7 per cent, and 
that of employees  decreased by 10.6  per cent. According to the analysis carried out by 
FSG, Roma unemployment rate in 2013 was 42 per cent. 

In 2011, the financial crisis had not reached its peak yet, so one can state that, based on 
the data provided and trends identified by the FSG study, Roma were affected the most 
by the economic crisis. In addition to the fall in  the employment rate for the rest of the 
population  (mainly  in  the  construction  sector),  the  crisis  affected  self-employment 
initiatives and companies that closed due to the fall in consumption. 

The decrease in the employment rate in the construction sector determined a decline in 
the services sector as well, leading to the rejection of thousands of people with low or no 
qualification  at  all  from  the  labour  market,  including  rejections  for  those  positions  that 

13 More information about the structural causes of the crisis on youth available at: 

https://www.empresascontralapobreza.org/blog/causas-estructurales-del-desempleo-juvenil-espana/ 

14 The report available at: 

https://www.gitanos.org/upload/09/50/el_impacto_de_la_crisis_en_la_comunidad_gitana.pdf 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EMPLOYMENT 

were  occupied  mostly  by  Roma.  In  addition,  the  lack  of  confidence  in  the  country’s 
economic  development  and,  consequently,  the  fall  in  the  consumption  rate,  forced 
thousands  of  companies  and  stable  businesses  to  close,  regardless  of  the  profit  these 
companies registered in previous years. 

The low qualification of many Roma makes the access to the labour market even harder, 
so  informal  economy  increased  again.  Informal  economy,  without  any  type  of 
regularisation or contract, such as construction or refurbishments, cleaning, people care, 
unregulated sale, etc. is highly controlled and monitored by the authorities. 

According to the same research, companies took advantage of the situation and people’s 
vulnerability  during  the  financial  crisis.  Precarious  working  conditions,  non-regularized 
jobs,  increasing  number  of  working  hours  while  decreasing  wages,  contracts  for  fewer 
working hours than previous employment contracts, higher effort and productivity demand 
and  employees  with  an  increased  level  of  flexibility  and  availability.  According  to  the 
Fundamental Rights Agency report,15 the situation of the Roma population and access to 
employment has not improved in 2016: 

•  63 per cent of males and 51 per cent of females, declared themselves unemployed. 

•  The rate for those Roma performing remunerated work aged between 20 and 64, 

including self-employment, was 13 per cent for women and 24 per cent for man. 

•  The young Roma population between the ages of 16 and 24, neither studying nor 
working, amounts to 81 per cent for women and 74 per cent for men, compared to 
16 per cent for the whole population. 

•  The  work  intensity  rate  (number  of  family  members  of  working-age,  excluding 
people  aged  between  18-24  who  are  enrolled  in  school)  registered  for  Roma 
households with members aged from 0 to 59 years old is 59 per cent, compared to 
the 17 per cent for the total population of Spain. 

On the other hand, the authors want to address the traditional way of entering the labour 
market  by  Roma,  which  is  selling  different  items  in  street  markets.  The  evolution  of 
itinerant trade market in recent years has not been studied yet (the last available studies 
are from before the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008). However, some research and 
interviews with Roma who work in such markets emphasise the hardships they encounter 
and must overcome in order to survive in this professional activity. Among other findings, 
these  studies  highlight  the  lack  of  interest  on  behalf  of  the  authorities,  especially 
municipalities, regarding the expansion and promotion of itinerant trade in their cities.  

In short, data is very clear and speaks for itself. Thus, one can state that the financial 
crisis still affects the Roma population and its access to the labour market. 

Improving access to labour market and effectiveness of employment 
services 

The NRIS set the following objectives regarding employment: 

•  Objective  1:  Improve  access  to  normalised  employment  and  reduce  job 

precariousness among the Roma. 

o  Specific objectives: 

1.1 Increase the employment rate of Roma population. 
1.2 Reduce the unemployment rate among Roma population. 
1.3 Increase  the  proportion  of  Roma  population  engaged  in  salaried 

activities. 

15 The full report in English available at: http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2016/eumidis-ii-roma-

selected-findings 

15 

 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

1.4 Reduce temporary employment rate of Roma employees. 
1.5 Increase  the  proportion  of  Roma  professionals  and  self-employed 

Roma (non-salaried) contributing to Social Security. 

1.6 Reduce  the  proportion  of  Roma  population  that  is  dedicated  to 

collaboration with the family economic activity. 

•  Objective 2: Improve the level of professional qualification for Roma population. 

o  Specific objectives: 

2.1 Increase  the  proportion  of  Roma  performing  a  high  qualified  job, 

higher than an elementary occupation. 

Despite  these  objectives,  in  the  follow-up  report  of  the  NRIS’s  Operational  Plan  2014-
2016, there are no updated data on employment. According to the data published by the 
consulting firm responsible for carrying out the evaluation of the  Operational Plan, 61.2 
per cent of the implemented actions were in the areas of social inclusion, education, and 
employment. Employment is the area in which 42 per cent of the objectives were, at the 
time of the study, in the implementation phase. Seven actions out of those initiated during 
2015-2016 have been financed by the Government with a budget of 6,206,101.82 EUR for 
the entire duration of those two years. From the actions funded at the regional level, 21 
focused on insertion itineraries and four on professional/vocational training and education, 
with a total budget of 3,158,814.93 EUR. 

Nevertheless, it is useful to point out that access to employment at open labour market is 
still much lower than that of the population as a whole. On the other hand, the existence 
of  a  Youth  Guarantee  Plan  as  a  general  measure  and  strategy  for  the  entire  Spanish 
population, since its implementation started in 2014, is not rendering the expected results 
in  terms  of  the  impact  it  has  on  Roma.  Some  initiatives  promoted  by  NGOs,  such  as 
“Learning by doing”16 targeting the youth have been implemented in different regions. The 
qualification  and  training  rates  to  improve  employability  and  professionalisation  still 
register  lower  levels  than  those  for  the  rest  of  the  population,  the  number  of  Roma 
accessing professional or vocational training being very limited. 

During  the  peak  period  of  the  financial  crisis,  the  employment  promotion  mechanisms 
implemented by the public administration collapsed due to the need to serve a large pool 
of people, either to register them as job seekers, to carry out individualised itineraries for 
labour  market  access,  or  to  promote  training  for  employment.  In  order  to  be  able  to 
process all the requests received from Roma applicants, social organisations had to step 
up, design and implement projects for labour market access. There is also relevant data 
referring to the extent to which employment policies are linked to social services (social 
benefits), whether there are incentives for employers to hire disadvantaged groups, and 
whether this measure does indeed facilitate Roma’s access to the labour market. 

One  must  keep  in  mind  that  the  public  employment  services  and  policies  in  Spain  are 
managed  by  regional  governments.  It  is  important  to  note  the  collapse  suffered  by 
employment services during the crisis; however,  the analysis can be extended so as to 
include  the  role  of  public  employment  services  and  their  limited  role  of  intermediates 
between job seekers and companies. Also, it would be important to clarify that difficulties 
Roma  face  on  a  daily  basis  in  accessing  these  services  (active  employment  policies  in 
general)  and  to  what  extent  public  employment  services  have  concluded  collaboration 
agreements with private organisations (including NGOs) to carry out the missing role (and 
insure  the  most  disadvantaged  groups,  such  as  Roma,  actually  receive  support  in 
accessing job opportunities).  

In  the  autonomous  regions  during  2014-2016,  21  actions  were  implemented  targeting 
socio-labour  insertion  itineraries  and  four  actions  aimed  at employment training.  These 

16 See more info at: https://www.gitanos.org/que-hacemos/areas/employment/aprender_trabajando.html 

16 

 
EMPLOYMENT 

actions had an impact on 909 people in 2015 and 1,375 in 2016, according to data in the 
“Mid-term  Evaluation  of  the  Implementation  of  the  National  Strategy  for  the  Social 
Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain 2012-2020” and its operational plans. 

Social organisations are the ones that led initiatives in favour of promoting labour market 
access for Roma through various projects with the support of the public administration. 
Acceder  Programme  is  the  initiative with  the most  resources  and  highest  impact.17  The 
programme  has  reached  82,402  people,  27,059  of  them  were  trained  and  educated, 
15,775 men and 11,484 women, while 22,498 people were labour market insertions.18 

Successful stories have been recorded both at regional and local level by the Employment 
Council of the Junta de Andalucía through the “Programme of Professional Experiences for 
Employment”  developed  by  the  Federation  of  Roma  Women's  Associations  (FAKALI). 
Through this programme, 73 company internships were concluded, and 16 Roma women 
were employed during its last phase. Unfortunately, the programme did not continue due 
to funding cuts operated by the Junta de Andalucía. Personalised follow-up monitoring has 
been carried out by FAKALI in all cases to ensure that users have the opportunity to enter 
the labour market by taking advantage of the program. 

The  Federation  of  Roma  Associations  of  Catalonia  (FAGIC)  developed  the  “Kerav  Butji” 
initiative,  aimed  at  promoting  employment  and  job  placement  training  for  young  Roma 
through personalised itineraries, mentoring and training programmes in collaboration with 
private  companies.  In  2016,  312  people  were  assisted,  resulting  into  placement  of  74 
participants in the labour market. 

The initiatives described above are only a few examples of the actions carried out at a 
regional  and  local  level  by  Roma  organisations.  As  it  happens  in  other  areas  of 
intervention, these organisations have been the main actors in the fight against inequality 
in entering the labour market. 

Fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in employment 

Labour market access and its maintenance are two of the topics for which it is harder to 
obtain data on discrimination and antigypsyism. Firstly, because there are few reports of 
this  kind  on  Roma  people.  Secondly,  because  the  labour  law  allows  employers  to  use 
phrases  such  as  contract  termination  due  to  „failing  to  successfully  pass  the  probation 
period” in order to hide the real reasons for the termination of the contract. 

The “Discrimination and Roma Community” Report is published annually in Spain.19 This 
report  presents  and  analyses  discrimination  cases  from  different  areas  such  as  media, 
access to services, education, housing, and employment. 

The following graph shows the specific numbers of discrimination cases regarding labour 
market access recorded by the “Discrimination and Roma Community” Reports from 2010 
until 2018. 

17 Acceder Programme has been considered as best practice by the European Commission and mentioned 
often during its 18 years of experience. For an in-depth presentation of the programme, check out its webpage 
where the results of  the last 15 years are presented:https://www.gitanos.org/que-
hacemos/areas/employment/acceder.html.en 

18 Data obtained from the report: https://www.gitanos.org/que-

hacemos/areas/employment/acceder.html.en 

19 See all annual reports at: 

https://www.gitanos.org/centro_documentacion/publicaciones/cuadernos_tecnicos.html.es 

17 

 
 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

Comparison between total cases of discrimination and cases of discrimination in 
the area of employment between 2010-2018  

Source: Discrimination and Roma Community Reports. Prepared by the authors 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
HOUSING AND ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES 

The right to housing is  stipulated  in the  Spanish Constitution. Article 47 states that  “All 
Spaniards  have  the  right  to  enjoy  decent  and  adequate  housing.  The  public  authorities 
shall promote the necessary conditions and establish the pertinent norms to enforce this 
right,  regulating  the  use  of  the  land  in  accordance  with  the  general  interest  to prevent 
speculation”.20  Furthermore,  there  is  a  division  of  powers  between  the  State  and  the 
autonomous regions, as indicated in articles 148 and 149, which stipulate that the State 
is responsible for coordinating the housing sector by promoting plans and actions, focusing 
on  housing  as  an  economic  sector,  in  the  framework  of  basic building  and  construction 
regulations. 

The State is responsible for the coordination of the housing sector as an economic sector 
and the housing tax policy  regulation, except for the provincial territories, in which the 
competence relies with the provincial councils.21 It is also responsible for establishing the 
basic  regulations  for  building  and  construction,  defining  eligible  actions  for  protection, 
regulating the housing budget, the protection level or the resource distribution.22 

The autonomous regions have limited competence according to their respective “Statutes 
of Autonomy”.23 In general, they are responsible for planning and managing urban areas. 
Additionally, they are responsible for: 

•  Elaboration of their own regulations regarding housing and spatial planning, 
•  Definition and development of the housing policy, 
•  Plan, execute, control and monitor public promotions,24 
•  Administrate their own real estate assets, 
•  Qualification of protection of private promotions,25 
•  Control  and  management  of  adequate  financing  for  social  housing  actions, 

rehabilitation or urbanisation of a land. 

Spain has made further progress in the field of residential inclusion of Roma, according to 
the  “Mapping of  housing and Roma  Population 2015” report.26 The results of this study 
show that 92.88 per cent of Roma live in urban areas and more than half of the houses 
are social protection houses (54.5 per cent). 44 per cent of the Roma population live in a 
rental house, but it is worth highlighting that the number of multi-family houses is 60 per 
cent  and  the  average  number  of people  living  in  a  household  is  4.74  people.  However, 

20 For a better analysis of Article 47 of the Spanish Constitution, see: 

http://www.derechoshumanos.net/constitucion/articulo47CE.htm 

21 Provincial Councils refers to the exceptions made in the “Foral” regime. In the regional system 
(applicable to the Autonomous Region of the Basque Country and the Autonomous Region of Navarra) the 
financing system is characterized by the fact that the Historical Territories of the Basque Country and the 
Autonomous Region of Navarra have the power to maintain, establish and regulate their own tax regime. It is a 
novelty of the Spanish autonomous system. 

22 Protected housing: term synonymous with officially protected housing (it represents the sum between 

social housing and other officially protected housing). In a broader sense, it encompasses all housing units 
(new and used) that are the object of some sort of protection (public assistance instrumented in any of its 
meanings and modalities), regardless of whether or not those homes are subject to protection or have been 
classified as official protection. Public housing is a real type of property that is regulated and managed bya 
governmental authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is a global term that refers to rental 
housing (rent) charged by and owned by the state, a non-profit organisation, or a combination of both, usually 
with the goal of providing affordable housing (note from the authors). 

23 Legislative competences of the different autonomous regions regarding the spatial planning of the 

territory: https://www.iberley.es/temas/competencias-legislativas-materia-ordenacion-territorio-62073 

24 Public Promotions refer to promotions for household construction made by public administrations. 

25 The protected housing that are privately promoted and others that are publicly promoted, but are both 

protected housing, what changes is the type of company that once built the house. 

26 Report available at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/29/29/informecompletoe-mobreviviendaypg.pdf 

19 

 
 
 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

despite the developments, the study also found that 2.17 per cent of Roma families live 
in  slums;  the  absolute  number  is  2,273  of  such  households.  2.78  per  cent  of  the 
neighbourhoods where the Roma live are segregated settlements.27 Finally, 8.63 per cent 
of  the  dwellings  do  not  comply  with  the  minimum  requirements  and  conditions  of 
habitability; the absolute number of infra-housing reported in the study is 9,000. 

In addition to the statistics previously presented, the terrifying effects the financial crisis 
had  on  Roma  must  be  highlighted.  The  report  “The  impact  of  the  Crisis  on  the  Roma 
Community” prepared by FSG in 2013 states the following: “In every autonomous region, 
a massive spiral of house loss among the Roma population is happening, in both the home-
ownership and the rental sector due to non-payment […] or because these house were 
given as endorsement28 for other houses and were finally evicted. There are families that 
get a public concession of a social house, under purchase or rent regime, but once it is the 
time to enter the house, they don’t have the mortgage or the bank guarantees required, 
or they do not have enough resources to afford the rent, therefore they have to renounce 
the concession.”29 

Access to basic amenities 

Regarding the access to basic services,30 more specifically housing amenities and public 
services,  data  shows  that  the  districts  studied  are  equipped  with  the  necessary 
endowments and basic public services, most of them having tap water, access to electricity 
and waste collection, with percentages close to or greater than 97 per cent. 

At this point, a distinction should be made, in terms of access to basic public services and 
the existence of necessary equipment in the neighbourhood. 

In relation to basic services, such as electricity and running water or heating, there is a 
gap  between  the  housing  conditions  of  Roma  households  and  that  of  the  general 
population. Recent developments have only been marginal, showing a slight improvement 
in access to water (from 95.57 per cent in 2007 to 95.83 per cent in 2015), a decrease in 
access to electricity (95.3 per cent in 2007 to 94.81 per cent in 2015), and a significant 
decrease in the access to heating (35.72 per cent of Roma households do not have any 
type of heating), with a drop of more than 8  per cent (from 35.72 per cent in 2007 to 
27.59 per cent in 2015), which represents the most significant factor of inequality between 
Roma  and  non-Roma  households  in  Spain.  According  to  the  qualitative  information 
collected, heating is the first service that families in a precarious socio-economic situation 
cut down once they find themselves in trouble. 

Regarding the existence of public services, the mapping report states that, although it is 
true that in the last eight years the general conditions have improved, this does not apply 
to  social  services,  as  their  physical  presence  in  the  territory  decreased.  Although  most 
basic  services  are  accessible  in  most  neighbourhoods  or  Roma  settlements,  there  are 
significant shortages in terms of equipment and resources such as public transportation, 
health  care,  secondary  education  centres,  recreation  and  cultural  facilities,  and,  as 
previously  mentioned,  social  services. This  may be  directly  linked  to the  public  funding 

27 An irregular settlement or substandard housing is a place where a person or a community is established 

that is outside the norms established by the authorities in charge of urban planning. Irregular settlements 
usually include communities or individuals housed in self-constructed housing in poor living conditions. They 
are formed by means of spontaneous occupations of land, public or private, without legal recognition, on 
marginal lands that are regularly at the outskirts of urban areas, or on land with high risks for the houses 
settled there. 

28 This refers to families that have offered their houses as a payment guarantee, so that other relatives 

can buy their own houses. When the first cannot pay for the latter, they lose their house. 

29 FSG (2013) The Impact of the Crisis to Roma Population, p. 19 and following. 

30 “Study-map of Housing and Roma Population of 2015” (Executive report, September 2016) available 

at: http://www.mscbs.gob.es/ssi/familiasInfancia/PoblacionGitana/docs/R-E-NGL-_ESTUDIO-
MAPA_SOBRE_VIVIENDA_Y_P.G.pdf 

20 

 
HOUSING AND ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES 

cuts of local entities as a consequence of the financial crisis (which affects especially the 
most vulnerable groups). 

This data coincides with the information collected in Spain for the “Second Survey of the 
European Union on Minorities and Discrimination”31 regarding Roma and their access to 
essential public services. From an international point of view, Roma in Spain have one of 
the  best  health  and  housing  conditions  compared  to  the  Roma  of  the  other  countries 
analysed. In Spain, only 2 per cent of Roma houses do not have tap water (in Romania 68 
per cent, in Portugal 14 per cent, and 30 per cent in all nine countries of the study).32 The 
Spanish Roma population reports that 1 per cent of the households lack access to indoor-
toilet  and  bathroom,  while  Romania  reports  79  per  cent  and  Portugal  17  per  cent.  The 
corresponding figure for all nine countries is 38 per cent.33 

Access to secure and affordable housing 

The  NRIS  forecasts  the  elaboration  of  multi-year  operational  plans  that  indicate  the 
measures and actions to be implemented in order to achieve the objectives set for 2020. 

In this context, the new “Operational Plan 2018-2020” stipulates guidelines for the actors 
to  be  involved  in  the  upcoming  years,  based  on  actions  taken  by  the  national 
administration.  It  also  suggests  an  action  framework  to  be  drafted  by  the  autonomous 
regions and local entities. The national administration sets the guidelines to be followed, 
and based on these, its own actions and those of the autonomous regions and local entities 
are  developed,  depending  on  the  competencies  that  each  of  the  administrations  have 
assumed. This framework can also determine social entities to achieve a greater alignment 
and  connection  in  terms  of  social  inclusion  and  access  to  basic  rights  for  the  Roma 
population. 

Point number  four includes actions to be  implemented between 2018-2020 for the four 
main  action  areas,  including  housing,  which  is  referred  to  in  section  4.3.  Thus,  section 
4.3.1 presents tips and guidelines for action, while section 4.3.2 discusses measures to be 
developed  by  national  administration  and  actions  to  be  initiated  by  the  autonomous 
regions and local entities. This section differentiates between measures to be developed 
by the national administration and actions to be implemented by autonomous regions and 
local authorities, in accordance with the general and specific goals set in NRIS regarding 
housing. 

The report “Study-map on Housing and Roma Population 2015” indicates an increase in 
shelter housing and other types of low-quality housing, compared to previous years. As 
such,  social  houses  represented  50  per  cent  in  1991  and  52  per  cent  in  and  2007, 
compared to 54.5 per cent in 2015; other types of  housing  tenures  represented 28  per 
cent  and  6.8  per  cent  in  2007,  compared  to  the  9.5  per  cent  in  2015.  The  executive 
summary  of  the  “Mapping  Study  on  Housing  and  Roma  Population  2015”  published  in 
September 2016, section C in “Conclusions”, referred to the means of access to housing 
and tenure regime and indicates an increase of 9.5 per cent in protected housing and for 
other  forms  of  housing  (self-made  shacks,  mobile  homes,  occupation  of  uninhabited 
buildings or uninhabited houses, etc.) compared to 28 per cent in 1991 and 6.8 per cent 
in 2007. On the one hand, the proportion of shelter housing was 50 per cent in 1991 and 
52 per cent in 2007, compared to 54.5 per cent in 2015. The obvious conclusion is that 
these variations indicate an increase in the difficulties Roma face when accessing housing. 
On the other hand, in Spain 80 per cent of the houses are in privately owned, whereas 
only 44.5 per cent of the Roma population are the sole owners of the house they live in.  

31 Link to the report at: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2016-eu-minorities-

survey-roma-selected-findings_es.pdf, pp. 38-40.  

32 EU Midis Survey: Second Survey of the European Union about Minorities and Discrimination – Roma 

population: main results FRA (2016). Figure number 17, p. 39. 

33 Idem. Figure number 18, p. 39. 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

An alarming fact is that, although housing and social policies have proved to be effective 
when it comes to Roma inclusion, it is no less worrying that the number of Roma families 
who, after receiving access to housing through the free market, have to resort to social 
assistance  or  look  for  other  alternatives,  which  represents  a  setback  for  all  the 
achievements  made  regarding  housing  access.  As  previously  mentioned,  a  significant 
improvement  was  registered  in  the  1991/2007  period,  between  the  first  study  and  the 
second one, while during the second period, between 2007 and 2015, a much shorter time 
period, Roma’s access to housing registered deteriorated. 

The  NRIS  establishes  several  general  and  specific  objectives  regarding  housing.  More 
specifically,  section  3.2.3  dealing  with  the  necessary  strategic  lines  of  action  related  to 
housing, mentions slum eradication, housing access and quality housing. 

Slum eradication: 

•  Promotion  of  the  category  of  „renewal  areas  for  the  eradication  of  sub-standard 
housing  and  slums”  in  the  case  of  slum  settlements  and  sub-standard  housing 
identified in studies. 

•  Encouraging  the  implementation    of  complex  intervention  programmes,  in  the 
process  of  re-housing,  with  an  emphasis  on  training  regarding  the  use  and 
maintenance of the housing, the involvement of persons affected in all phases of 
the process, labour occupation and the use of community and education services, 
as well increasing the use of structural funds (art. 7.2 of the ERDF Regulations). 

•  Search for decent and humane solutions for homeless or evicted families or those 

living in condemned buildings. 

In terms of access  to quality housing and accommodation, the Strategy establishes the 
following measures: 

•  Support  for  the  access  of  young  people  to  rental  housing  and  protected  social 
housing,  particularly  for  those  with  family  obligations,  as  well  as  Roma  people 
coming from sub-standard housing and slums. 

•  Focus  on  assistance  to  housing  rehabilitation,  intermediation  programmes34  to 
increase  access  to  housing  and  the  allotment  of  private  housing  for  public 
management. 

•  Adjustment of public housing leasing costs according to need. 

•  Encouraging information campaigns, particularly those targeting Roma, related to 

actions planned within the housing plans. 

•  Search for Roma-adapted formula when proof of minimum income is required by 
autonomous regions, in order to allow them access to housing in fair competition 
with the rest of the population. 

During  the  in-house  meeting  of  the  working  group  of  the  National  Advisory  Council  for 
Roma People (CEPG), Mr. Anselmo Menéndez Menéndez, Assistant Director of Policy and 
Housing Aid, presented the new “State Housing Plan 2018-2021”, RD. 106/2018, with an 
emphasis on mentioning to the factors that affected the Roma population the most. 

The action plan of the “National Strategy for Social Inclusion of the Roma Community in 
Spain  2012-2020”  having  as  a  first  objective  the  eradication  of  slums  and  substandard 
housing,  refers  to  the  promotion,  regeneration  and  renewal  of  urban  and  rural  areas, 
based on an agreement with each autonomous region in order to become operational. The 

34 Intermediation Programmes aim to facilitate the attainment of decent housing for people who live in 

precarious housing and who find themselves with serious problems in accessing decent housing. 
Fundamentally, information is provided to potential tenants as well as owners, people and families are 
accompanied in the necessary procedures and a mediation service is offered between all the parties involved. 

22 

 
HOUSING AND ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES 

available funds amount to 30,000 EUR for new housing, plus the contribution decided upon 
by each autonomous region, plus 2,000 EUR for urbanisation, 4,000 EUR for relocation for 
three years, and an additional amount of 1,000 EUR for management expenses. 

Comparing  these  figures  to  the  2013-2016  plan,  the  2018-2020  plan  represents  an 
increase  of  80  per  cent  in  the  funds  allocated  to  autonomous  regions,  amounting  to 
1,443,000 EUR, approved by the Council of Ministers on the 16 March 2018. 

In the framework of the action plan, housing assistance grants can be provided for up to 
three years (in the 2013-2016 plan such grants were awarded for one year only), and the 
40 per cent rent aid increases to 50 per cent, excluding the 2,400 EUR/year limit from the 
previous  plan  for  young  people  and  people  over  65.  The  programme  to  promote 
conservation, improve security of housing use and accessibility can be applied to a single 
dwelling  - energy efficient  housing  – (for comparison purposes: in the 2013-2016 plan, 
such measure could only be applied to an entire building),  and to a single-family; rural or 
urban housing are no eligible for upgrading, as well (these were not included in the 2013-
2016 Plan). 

The  “Programme  for  People  in  Eviction  or  Termination  of  their  Habitual  Residence 
Situations”,  due  to  their  inability  to  pay  the  mortgage  or  rental  fees,  is  an  important 
novelty. The aid can cover up to 100 per cent of the rent upon the discretion of the housing 
social services, and up to 400 EUR monthly rent. The share of state support can reach up 
to 80 per cent, which can be supplemented with the remaining 20 per cent by autonomous 
regional  contributions.  Agreements  with  financial  institutions  are  expected  to  be 
concluded,  allowing  the  use  of  available  houses  by  them  as  social  rental  housing  with 
rental fees up to 400 EUR, costs that can be covered entirely for three years. The main 
idea is to use the available empty houses belonging to these financial entities or those of 
any other owners. 

As an innovation  of the new plan, the “Programme for Elderly and Disabled People” has 
been approved. Aimed at promoting adapted housing to their specific needs, by public or 
private developers,  for a rental period of up to  40 years  length for those people with a 
limited income. 

Despite the housing-related objectives in the NRIS, the “State Housing Plan 2018-2021” 
does not include special measures aimed at the Roma population, a group that according 
to studies mentioned above, experience difficulties and inequalities in terms of accessing 
decent housing. 

Effectiveness of housing benefits and social assistance to maintain 
housing 

Housing  benefits  and  social  aid  are  meant  to  guarantee  affordability  of  housing 
maintenance costs.  

Regarding  the  rate  of  house  loss,  according  to  the  “Study-map  on  Housing  and  Roma 
Population 2015”, 25 per cent of the families that live in the districts studied have been 
evicted. It must be mentioned that Roma families that are in the process of losing their 
homes sometimes resort to alternative resources before the end of the eviction process, 
such as housing in extended family homes (parents or grandparents), which can cause 
overcrowding or, in the case of families included in the re-housing programme, or moving 
to shanty town settlements, from which they  originally left. 

Fight against residential segregation, discrimination and other forms of 
antigypsyism in housing 

According  to  Rosalía  Vázquez,  coordinator  of  the  National  Advisory  Council  for  Roma 
People  (CEPG),  the  housing  working  group:  “The  Roma  continue  to  live  in  stigmatized 
neighbourhoods  or  in  authentic  ghettos,  fact  that  causes  residential  segregation  [...] 
authorities should avoid residential segregation of the Roma population as a strategic line 

23 

CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

of action, establishing it as a priority in the implementation of housing plans and policies 
at both national and regional levels.” 

The NRIS establishes, in the area of housing, a set of general and specific objectives, as 
well as a strategy for action. 

The  eradication  of  slums  and  substandard  housing,  as  well  as  the  improvement  of  the 
housing quality of Roma are the main goals of this strategy. A series of specific objectives 
are also mentioned. Although they may directly or indirectly have an effect on residential 
segregation and discrimination in access to housing for Roma citizens, these objectives do 
not specifically refer to these issues. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  housing  action  strategy35  stipulates  a  set  of  measures  and 
proposals that can influence the fight against segregation and antigypsyism related to the 
right to access housing, but it does not specifically refer to the issues themselves. 

In  addition,  the  Strategy  refers  to  “non-discrimination  and  equal  treatment”  in  section 
“Other  lines  of  action”,  without  specifically  referring  to  non-discrimination  in  housing 
access and use by Roma. 

However,  the  “Operational  Plan  2018-2020”  specifically  refers  to  both  residential 
segregation  and  the  promotion  of  actions  aimed  at  reducing  antigypsyism  in  housing 
access. 

In spite of this, the measures to be developed by the national administration and actions 
to be promoted by autonomous regions and local entities, do not set line of actions that 
specifically address  the issues of residential segregation and  housing discrimination  the 
Roma population faces. 

The Roma encounter numerous difficulties when accessing rental housing. This is revealed 
in the “Discrimination and Roma Community Reports” of 2015, 2016 and 2017.36 According 
to reports from 2015, out of the nine cases of discrimination regarding housing access, six 
of them  were reported due to the  refusal  of home owners and/or real estate owners to 
rent a house to a Roma person. A similar trend is registered in the 2016 report, where out 
of the 20 cases reported, 16 were related to rent denial to Roma people. In 2017, ten out 
of 12 cases were related to this topic. This is why it is possible to talk about antigypsyism 
in accessing the rental house market. 

To sum up, it seems that, although there is clear level of awareness regarding segregation, 
discrimination and antigypsyism in the housing sector, this issue has not been addressed 
in a clear and consistent manner, but rather through measures directed at or designed for 
areas that are indirectly linked to this issue, resulting in a lack of adequate solutions. 

Improvement of housing conditions and regeneration of deprived 
neighbourhoods 

Evidence  suggests  that  the  issues  affecting  the  Roma  population  in  relation  to  housing 
coincide  with  those  already  identified  in  previous  studies37  (segregation,  substandard 
housing, overcrowding, etc.). 

35 See the document reference at: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ssi/familiasInfancia/inclusionSocial/poblacionGitana/docs/WEB_POBLACION_GITAN
A_2012.pdf 

36 Reports from years 2015, 2016 and 2017 are available at: 

http://www.gitanos.org/publicaciones/discriminacion17/files/assets/basic-html/page-1.html, 
http://www.gitanos.org/publicaciones/discriminacion15/files/assets/basic-html/page-1.html#, 
http://www.gitanos.org/publicaciones/discriminacion16/files/assets/basic-html/page-1.html 

37 See afore-mentioned studies on housing and the Roma population of 1991, 2007 and 2015, available 

at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/19/29/R-E-espan-e-mapa_sobreviviendayPG.pdf 

24 

 
HOUSING AND ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVICES 

The “National Strategy for Social Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain 2012-2020” 
encourages the implementation of different initiatives. According to the mapping referred 
to earlier above, the quantitative objectives set by the strategy have been met in general, 
taking into consideration all the specific objectives set in the strategy for 2015. In 2016, 
13 interventions were under implementation or planned and aimed at improving housing 
and  neighbourhood  conditions  in  less  than  23  per  cent  of  the  target  neighbourhoods, 
reaching less than 40 per cent of the total houses. This indicates a decrease in the number 
of interventions compared to 2007, when public actions, in progress or  projected at the 
time, benefited 34.1 per cent of the neighbourhoods. 

In terms of policy efforts, there are major obstacles to implementing successful housing 
integration measures: 

•  There is a reduction in the public budget due to the crisis of the last eight years. In 
particular,  this  reduces  the  number  of  available  housing  implemented  measures 
targeting the Roma. 

•  The overall situation of the neighbourhoods and, in particular, the condition of the 
buildings, have improved, although there is still work to be done in order to bring 
the infrastructure quality of Roma neighbourhoods to the same level as for the rest 
of the population. 

•  The majority of Roma resides in dwellings and neighbourhoods or settlements that 

already have the basic necessary equipment and public services. 

Among the actions taken, the report states: 

•  Comprehensive  urban  regeneration  plans  for  neighbourhoods,  using  community 

funds granted under the P.O. FEDER 2007-2013. 

•  Housing rehabilitation within the public programme framework, such as the Urban 
Programmes or State Plans in the field of housing or rehabilitation (such as those 
from 2009-2012 or 2013-2016 periods). 

In terms of NRIS plan achievements, the Spanish interim report on NRIS implementation38 
shows an improvement in the housing situation. There are two main goals in that field: 
“eradication of shanty towns and substandard houses” and „improvement of the quality of 
housing  for  the  Roma  population”.  Regarding  the  first  goal,  both  of  its  two  specific 
objectives have been accomplished in the first period. According to the report, the rate of 
shanty towns and substandard houses  has been  reduced to 2.17 per cent  (the starting 
point was 3.9 per cent). Regarding the second goal, results are also positive in three of its 
four  specific  objectives  it  contains.  The  authors  of  this  report  emphasise  an  apparent 
improvement in residential overcrowding levels, from 29.4 per cent (starting point) to 8.9 
per cent. It is surprising that the NRIS objective was to achieve 25 per cent. It is not clear 
what  the  causes  of  this  substantial  improvement  are,  nor  in  what  way  the  study  has 
collected the information. Finally, this same data surprises us even more by indicating that 
the level of Roma overcrowding in their homes is still high, considering it as a persistent 
problem. Moreover, the problem of residential segregation is included in the Spanish NRIS 
in  a  tangential  and  clearly  insufficient  way,  while  the  Spanish  NRIS  interim  evaluation 
report considers it a persisting problem, though there are no objectives or indicators that 
would allow for the evaluation of public policies implemented in this field. 

The new “State Housing Plan 2018-2021”, which, as indicated by the Assistant Director-
General for Housing  Aid and Policy, refers to Article  47 of the  “Promotion  of Urban and 
Rural  Regeneration  and  Renewal  Programme”,  specifically  mentioning  the  fight  against 
slums  and  substandard  housing.  Although  one  of  the  housing  objectives  of  the  2020 

38 Interim Evaluation Report on NRIS implementation (2012-2016) available at: 

https://www.fresnoconsulting.es/upload/14/78/2017_InformeEvaluacionIntermediaEstrategiaPoblacionGitana.p
df 

25 

 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain  

strategy has found its way into the new state housing plan, no specific measure addresses 
the  needs  of  the  Roma.  In  addition, the  “Operational  Plan  2018-2020”  of  the  “National 
Strategy  for  Social  Inclusion  of  the  Roma  Community  in  Spain  2012-2020”,  within  the 
framework of the  measures set to be promoted  during this period  in the  housing area, 
collects measures to be implemented by the national administration, autonomous regions, 
and local entities. 

26 

IMPACT OF HEALTH CARE POLICIES ON ROMA 

Ensuring equal access to public healthcare services 

Democracy in Spain instated, among many other things, the  national healthcare system 
for all the residents of the country. The right to health care protection for all citizens is 
recognized in the Constitution itself. Article 43 of the Spanish Constitution stipulates that 
„the right to health protection is recognized by the state”,39 and grants the competence to 
organize and manage  the  public  healthcare services as well as their coverage to public 
authorities  by  creating  preventive  measures  and  the  necessary  services  and  benefits. 
Preventive measures and benefits must be established by law. In addition, the Constitution 
itself establishes that public authorities will promote health education, physical education 
and sports. 

The “General Law of Public Health” establishes the guiding principles and empowers public 
authorities  and  private  entities  to  maintain  and  promote  these  principles.  The  most 
remarkable principles of the law are:40 

•  Principle  of  equity:  probably  the  most  important  one  for  the  Roma  population, 
because  it  implies  that  policies  and  programmes  that  have  an  impact  on  the 
population’s  health  will  promote  the  reduction  of  social  inequalities  as  well  by 
incorporating actions that target their social determining factors, including specific 
objectives regarding inequality. 

•  Principle of health in all policies. Beyond health care and health promotion, public 
health actions will take into account non-health policies that affect the health of the 
population, promoting those that favour healthy environments and  discouraging, 
when appropriate, those that pose health risks. 

The other regulatory principles iterated by the public health law are relevance, precaution, 
evaluation, transparency, integrity, and safety. These principles affect the Roma less than 
those previously described. 

It is necessary to keep in mind that in Spain the responsibility of managing health issues 
are transferred to autonomous regions, so these must legislate within the limits of their 
competences  and  according with the  Spanish Constitution and other  national laws. This 
leads  to  cases  in  which  the  responsibility  to  promote,  for  example,  access  to  general 
healthcare  falls  within  the  exclusive  competence  of  autonomous  governments.  All 
autonomous  regions  have  developed  public  health  laws  that  stipulate  the  applicable 
framework for healthcare, benefits and the services offered by health care systems within 
their territories.41 

Both the national and regional laws, through their guiding principles, acknowledge that all 
residents  of  Spain  and/or  of  the  respective  autonomous  regions  are  targeted  by  such 
healthcare measures.  

However, during the  financial  crisis, with the aim of reducing health care spending, the 
conservative government of the Popular Party approved  the Decree-Law 16/2012, of 20 
April 2012, on the adoption and implementation of urgent measures that guarantee the 
sustainability  of  the  National  Health  System  and  improve  the  quality  and  safety  of  its 
benefits. This decree law introduced a set of reforms. Two categories were created to be 

39 Spanish Constitution from 1978. Art. 43, available at: 

http://www.congreso.es/consti/constitucion/indice/titulos/articulos.jsp?ini=43&tipo=2 

40 General Public Health Law 33/2011, available at: https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2011-

15623 

41 For example, in Catalonia the Public Health Law 18/2009 from 22 October 2009. In Extremadura Law 

no. 7/2011 from 23 March 2012. 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

used  as  either  “beneficiary”  or  “insured”  and  for  the  first  time  since  the  start  of  the 
transition to democracy and the consecutive establishment of the National Health System 
in 1986, the system stopped being universal. 

On 31 July 2018, the new progressive Government formed by the Socialist Party approved 
a regulation that led to the implementation of the most criticised reforms of the previous 
law.  Among  others,  health  care  is  once  again  universal,  including  undocumented 
immigrants or irregular administrative cases. 

Most Roma in Spain hold Spanish citizenship and are citizens with full rights. This is the 
reason why this law, enacted by the Popular Party, did not affect the majority of the Roma 
population, according to the  “Second Survey on Minorities and Discrimination published 
by the FRA (EU-MIDIS 2016)”. This report also shows that Spain is on the first place in 
terms  of  the  coverage  of  the  basic  national  health  insurance  system  and/or  additional 
medical insurance among the nine countries analysed. According to the same survey, 98 
per  cent  of  the  respondents  declared  having  basic  medical  coverage  in  Spain.42  This 
proportion is twice as big as the corresponding percentage in Bulgaria (45 per cent), the 
country with the lowest coverage.43 Regarding private medical coverage,  the authors of 
this  report  have  not  found  any  evidence  of  discrimination  reported  by  the  assistance 
service  and  published  by  the  Council  for  Promotion  of  Equal  Treatment  in  Spain.  Some 
Roma families, who can afford to pay for a private health insurance, choose this option. 
One  of  the  main  reasons  for  this  is  the  flexibility  offered  by  private  medical  centres  in 
terms  of  accessing  a  room  and  the  possibility  of  being  hospitalised  in  a  single  room 
accompanied by more than two relatives, instead of a shared room, as it happens in the 
public health sector. The research study “Roma Never Die Alone”44 demonstrates the great 
impact solidarity ties have among the Roma, an aspect that is less present among non-
Roma people. This cultural aspect has positive consequences for the Roma, countering the 
negative image that the majority of the society has about them. If taken into account, the 
particularities  of  Roma  culture  could  be  an  element  of  utmost  importance  for  health 
institutions, especially when it comes to how one wants to live his or her last hours, as it 
can increase the access of Roma population to the health system, as well as improve the 
perception of „remoteness” that this community has about the system. At the same time, 
incorporating cultural particularities into the design of public policies would pave the way 
for a health system that is culturally more inclusive and permeable to such differences. 

According to the  “Second Survey on Health and the Roma People 2014”, Roma use  the 
private health sector less than the rest of the population. During the survey, participants 
were asked if they had used healthcare services. Specifically, the question was “Where did 
the medical consultation take place within the last two weeks?”.45 

The analysis of the results reflects that women have had their last medical consultation in 
a healthcare centre in a higher percentage than men.  Private doctors’ consultation records 
however  show  the  opposite  scenario,  one  in  which  a  low  percentage  of  Roma  went  to 
private doctors, especially in the case of women. With regard to the rest of the services, 
it can be observed that women  requested a higher  number of emergency consultations 
and men used more often the external consultations outside of hospitals. 

42 http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/2940_2959/2947/es2947mar.pdf, p. 

12. 

43 The survey available at: https://publications.europa.eu/es/publication-detail/-/publication/d1e36336-

3168-11e8-b5fe-01aa75ed71a1/, The figure can be found on page 33 of this publication. The survey was 
carried out in nine European Union countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, 
Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia. 

44 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1049732317729138?journalCode=qhra„ 

45 See: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/prevPromocion/promocion/desigualdadSalud/docs/ENS2
014PG.pdf 

28 

 
IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE POLICIES ON ROMA 

The  following  table  offers  the  most  relevant  figures  from  the  “Second  National  Health 
Survey for Roma Population 2014” carried out by the Ministry of Health, Social Services 
and  Equality  of  the  Spanish  Government,  regarding  the  place  where  the  medical 
consultation was carried out by sex (there are no significant differences), type of service 
and placement of the most usual health centre:46 

Men in percentage 

Women in percentage 

Age range 

Public 
Health 
Services 

Private 
Health 
Services 

16-34 

35-55 

55 + 

95.4 

95.1 

98.1 

4.1 

3.9 

1.9 

Other 

0.5 

1 

0 

Public 
Health 
Services 

Private 
Health 
Services 

Other 

96 

96.7 

98.8 

3.5 

2.4 

0.6 

0 

0 

0 

Source: prepared by authors based on the findings of the Health Survey 2014 carried by the 
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. 

Regarding the health condition perceived by the Roma population in Spain and following 
the  analysis  of  M.  Carmen  Albert  and  others  in  “The  health  of  the  Roma  population  in 
Spain: Inequalities continue”, “for most of the health indicators analysed, during the last 
few  years,  the  health  of  the  population  worsened  due  to  the  economic  situation:  Data 
indicates  a  higher  drop  in  the  health  of  the  Roma  population  than  in  that  of  the  worst 
socio-economic groups  of the Spanish population. 65.3 per cent of Roma men and 55.5 
per cent of Roma women reported that their health status is great or very good, compared 
to 77.7 per cent and 70.4 per cent, respectively, of the Spanish population. Regarding the 
self-perceived health status of the Roma population aged from 35 to 54, there were no 
significant variations between 2006 and 2014 (65.6 per cent of Roma men and 55.6 per 
cent of Roma women defined their health status as good and very good in 2014). These 
ratios reach 80.3 per cent (men) and 73.4 per cent (women) for the respondents to the 
National Health Survey for the same age group, between 35 and 54 years old”.47 

Despite  the improvements and differences found in the surveys  regarding the health of 
the  Roma  population,  Roma  life  expectancy  is  15  years  less  than  the  average  life 
expectancy of the population.48 

Regarding reproductive health, when comparing data from the most current surveys, it is 
observed  that  the  frequency  of  visits  to  the  gynaecology  clinic  and  the  performance  of 
mammograms  and  cytology  testing  is  lower  among  Roma  women  than  among  women 
from the rest of the population.  

The frequency of using preventive healthcare practices is lower among Roma women than 
for the general population, although it is similar to women from the most disadvantaged 
social groups. 

However,  since  2006,  the  percentage  of  Roma  women  who  report  having  attended  a 
gynaecology consultation has increased from 75.6 per cent to 83.6 per cent, a figure that 
is very similar to the 86.3 per cent of the women from the general population. 

The organisations and institutions supporting Roma inclusion and promotion have played 
and  still  play  a  fundamental  role  in  preventive  healthcare.  Roma  organisations  play  a 

46 See the complete survey at: 

http://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludPublica/prevPromocion/promocion/desigualdadSalud/docs/EN
S2014PG.pdf 

47 See: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/estadEstudios/estadisticas/encuestaNacional/encuestaNac2017/ENSE17_pres_web.
pdf, p. 6. 

48 See the article at:https://www.cuartopoder.es/sociedad/2017/11/11/la-poblacion-gitana-a-la-cola-de-

la-esperanza-de-vida-en-espana/ 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

positive role of reference and confidence gaining in certain Roma environments, promoting 
prevention  actions  and  training  to  both  healthcare  professionals  and  Roma.  The  health 
mediator, a position where women predominate, is a recognised and important element 
for  the  promotion  of  healthy  habits,  preventive  healthcare  and  health  information.  But 
today such services are external to the Public Health System. 

With  regard  to  the  Spanish  NRIS  in  relation  to  the  field  of  health,  the  general  positive 
evaluation included in the interim evaluation report of the Spanish NRIS is striking. From 
the first goal “1.A. Improvement of the health status of the Roma population and reduction 
of social inequalities in health: Intervention in the adult population”, of the five specific 
objectives, three have not been achieved (1.1 Improvement of the perception of the health 
of the Roma population, perception of the state of health as “good” or “very good” in the 
population aged 35 to 54 years; 1.3 Reducing smoking among Roma men aged 16 years 
and over; 1.4 .Reduce obesity in Roma women), one cannot be assessed because of lack 
of data (1.2. Reduce traffic accidents among Roma population 16 years of age or older) 
and only one goal was achieved (1.6. Reduce the number of Roma women who have never 
been  to  gynaecological  consultation).  From  the  second  goal  “1.B.  Improvement  of  the 
health  status  of  the  Roma  population  and  reduction  of  social  inequalities  in  health: 
Intervention in children”, two specific objectives have not been achieved (2.1. Reduce the 
number  of  accidents  at  home;  2.2.  Reduce  childhood  obesity  among  2-17-year-old 
children) and only one has been implemented satisfactorily (2.3. Increase oral care, reduce 
the number of girls and boys who have never gone to the clinic). With these data it is not 
possible to make a positive evaluation of the development of policies that come from the 
NRIS in the field of health. 

Fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in health care 

There  is  no  manual  on  antigypsyism  and  health,  only  the  book  “Sastipenaj  Rroma. 
Inequality in health and the Roma People. Analysis and proposals from the socio-sanitary 
field”, by authors La Parra & Jiménez from the University of Alicante, has been published 
in 2016. This book includes several sections that address the lack of equity and health the 
Roma population faces. In addition, it has a specific chapter on antigypsyism and Roma in 
which activist Nicolás Jiménez asks: “Does antigypsyism affect health?”. The author makes 
an analysis of how discrimination affects victims’ health, with references to various authors 
who have written on this topic before-hand. According to the author, “research shows that 
racial discrimination is related to disease in some populations” (Gee et al., 2009). Other 
studies describe racism as a relevant factor in the prevalence of chronic diseases (Gee et 
al., 2007), asthma (Smith et al., 2005) or overweight (Hunte & Williams, 2009) among 
marginal populations. Finally, racism has a negative impact on children’s health (Pachter 
&  García  Coll,  2009),  reaching,  in  some  countries,  situations  in  which  the  Roma  infant 
mortality rate is twice as high than that of the majority of the population”.49 

Beyond  discourse  and  academia,  both  always  necessary  and  important,  in  the  field  of 
health  and  health  promotion,  there  is  an  important  organisation  in  Spain,  which  is  the 
Equis Sastipen Network. The Equis Sastipen Network was created under the auspices of 
the Roma organisation Socio-Cultural Association of Ethnic Minorities Unga in 2010. The 
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality contributes to its financing. 21 associations 
and Roma federations from all over Spain are part of this network. Furthermore, the Health 
Work  Group  of  the  National  Advisory  Council  for  Roma  People  (CEPG)  is  actively 
collaborating  and  consists  of  several  associations  and  the  Ministry  of  Health,  Social 
Services and Equality. The network integrates Roma associations that develop projects in 
the  healthcare  field.  It  is  characterized  by  horizontal  non-hierarchical  relationships 
between its members. It is a flexible network, open and under permanent development. 

49 Jiménez, N. (2016) “Does antigypsyism affect health?” In: Sastipen aj Roma. La Parra et Jiménez 

(eds.), p. 43 and following. 

30 

 
IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE POLICIES ON ROMA 

It  does  not  pretend  to  homogenize,  but  to  organize  the  heterogeneity  of  its  different 
members.50 

The network, as its name suggests, promotes networking in order to share experiences 
among  the  members.  One  of  its  strategic  objectives  is  to  sensitize,  train  and  support 
different  organisations,  public  administrations  and  professionals  working  in  the  field  of 
health. For this reason, they share spaces for discussion and joint training, including two 
annual training sessions for organisations participating in the network. 

The Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality has made several publications, but its 
most important milestone, as defined by the network itself, has been the development of 
the “Manual Equi-Sastipen-Rroma for the Promotion of Health in the Roma Community”.51 

Following the same work trend of prevention and reduction of inequalities in the health 
field for Roma, the network implements two key actions to prevent antigypsyism. On the 
one hand, it promotes intercultural mediation in this area as one of the fundamental tools 
to overcome barriers between the Roma and the health system. During the last few years, 
hundreds of professionals in this field have been trained in Spain. In addition, the network, 
in collaboration with the Public University of Navarra, launched in 2014 an on-line training 
course which is recognised in the official training for medical doctors and nurses.52 

On the other hand, it promotes on-going training for socio-health professionals.53 In recent 
years,  they  have  promoted  training  activities  as  a  response  to  diversity,  the  need  for 
intercultural and equity competencies for professionals working in the social-health field, 
such as doctors, nurses and other health system professionals. 

One of the key points in the fight against antigypsyism in the health field is to train future 
professionals  working  in  the  health  system.  For  this  purpose,  the  network  carries  out 
undergraduate  training  in  collaboration  with  various  universities,  targeting  socio-
healthcare students from fields such as medicine, nursing, social work, social education, 
etc. This training is carried out in collaboration with different universities and faculties all 
around Spain. 

The second key point in prevention is training socio-health care professionals. This training 
is  carried  out  in  collaboration  with  socio-health  institutions  from  the  area  where  each 
course is developed. The course may be targeting a heterogeneous group of socio-health 
professionals or focus specifically on, for example, professionals of any specialty in primary 
care who work in a specific health area, in the hospital, or professionals with management 
and planning responsibilities. 

The team of trainers for these courses is composed of people  connected to the network 
and coming from academia, institutional sector and people in direct contact with the Roma. 

Public  statements  and  the  research  pursued  by  the  academia,  as  well  as the  efforts  to 
raise the awareness level and training work done by different Roma organisations, as a 
tool to avoid antigypsyism, have been key elements in fighting antigypsyism and health 
inequalities  in  recent  years.  Complaints  have  always  been  made  outside  the  legal 
framework, either through the media, through reports on Roma discrimination, etc. 

50 Data published at: https://asociaciongitanaunga.com/red-equi-sastipen-rroma/qué 

51 The guideline can be found and downloaded from: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/prevPromocion/promocion/desigualdadSalud/docs/Equi_
sastipen_rroma.pdf 

52 The programme and its objectives can be seen at: https://www.unionromani.org/downloads/noti2014-

07-31c.pdf 

53 Socio-health professionals is a common Spanish term that includes, among others, doctors, social 

workers, nurses and support teams. 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
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For example, on 14 November 2017, various mass media outlets reported the statements 
the Federation of Roma Women (FAKALI) made during the meeting “Advances in the fight 
against inequalities in Roma population and health”.54 

FAKALI  warned  that  Roma  have  a  life  expectancy  of  15  years  less  than  the  rest  of  the 
population  and  that  the  first  “structural  cause  that  we  have  to  take  into  account  is 
antigypsyism,  which  is  deeply  rooted  in  the  society  and  has  put  its  imprint  on  the 
relationships between Roma  and the  rest of the society”. “This institutional racism has 
left  a  residue  that  organisations  are  striving  to  eliminate.  There  are  still  few  Roma 
politicians and the stigma continues to be present in the media”.55 

However, health-related complaints are not common among Roma. The only quantitative 
sources that the authors of this report have found that assesses cases of health-related 
antigypsyism cases are the “Discrimination and the Roma Community Reports” published 
by FSG. 

In the last five years, the number of cases recorded in these reports has been low. The 
reports from 2014, 2016 and 2017 show a total of five registered cases. In 2015, only one 
case was registered in the annual report and in the latest published report, that of 2018, 
the  number  of  registered  cases  was  nine.  For  the  most  part,  they  refer  to  derogatory 
comments  that  refer  to  “race”  or  prejudices  regarding  Roma  habits  or  physical 
characteristics. 

In  comparison  with  the  cases  registered  in  employment  or  media  sectors,  these  cases 
hardly represent a small proportion of all complaints. 

54 The meetings took place during the 8th and 9th of November, 2017 in Seville, the full agenda of these 

journeys can be found at: http://www.fakali.org/files/Jornadas_Antigitanismo_y_Salud.pdf 

55 Article published in „Cuarto Poder”, available at: https://www.cuartopoder.es/sociedad/2017/11/11/la-

poblacion-gitana-a-la-cola-de-la-esperanza-de-vida-en-espana/ 

32 

 
 
EDUCATION 

All  the  progress  the  Roma  achieved  in  education  since  the  dawn  of  democracy  can  be 
defined as extraordinary. 

In 1978, despite the fact that primary education was mandatory, the state did not control 
and  monitor  of  this  requirement  and  the  rate  of  Roma  children  accessing  educational 
facilities was residual. In just 30 years it went from system exclusion to inclusive schooling, 
a period in which the schooling of Roma children was carried out in a targeted and separate 
manner  in  establishments  known  as  “Bridge  Schools”.  The  Bridge  School  centres  were 
created as “specific special transition centres for Roma children, whose objective was to 
help Roma children adapt to the society and to create basic socio-cultural habits”.56 The 
Bridge School centres disappeared when the Organic Law of Right to Education (LODE) in 
1986  was  approved.  This  law  stipulates  the  “right  to  education  in  an  integrated  school 
system that conceives schools as schools for everybody, without limitations  imposed by 
social, economic or residence reasons”,57 in order to alleviate the differences in terms of 
rhythms,  routines  and  school  rules.  Thus,  a  model  focused  on  generating  equal 
opportunities  and  compensatory  measures  was  created,  so  that  Roma  children  can  be 
integrated into the educational system on equal terms as the rest of the students. 

Education is recognised as a fundamental right in article 27 of the Spanish Constitution. 
Public  authorities  and  administration  guarantees  the  right  for  everyone  to  education 
through  a  general  education  programme,  with  the  effective  participation  of  all    socio-
economic  groups,  and  the  creation  of  teaching  and  educational  centres”.58  During  the 
recent years of democracy, various education laws have been adopted in Spain, as can be 
seen in the table below, created specifically for this report. 

Law and year or approval 

Relevant aspects 

Consequences for Roma 

LODE: Organic Law 8/1985, of 
July 3, regulating the Right to 
Education (1985)59 

LOGSE: Organic Law 1/1990, of 
October 3, on the General 
Regulation of the Law of the 
Education System (1990)60 

It does not modify the 
education system 

It establishes the duality of 
the education system (public 
and private) 

Education system is based on 
the constitutional principles 
and democratic management 
of the centres 

An open and flexible 
curriculum model with 
different levels and model of 
compulsory and free basic 
education is established and 
the age of compulsory 
education is extended to 16 
years 

Roma remain away from the education 
system at this point 

Roma families do not exploit the 
opportunity their children have of going to 
school; they consider that school is “a 
paya school” that does not accept Roma 

Appears the right to respect the culture of 
each citizen in the education field and 
emphasises the need for intercultural 
education 

Compensatory education policies are 
established in order to reinforce the 
actions of the education system in such a 
way as to avoid inequalities derived from 
social, economic, cultural, geographic, 
ethnic or other factors 

56 History of Roma Students’ Incorporation and Integration to the School System. Informational Brochures 

number 64 2015, available at: http://publicacionesdidacticas.com/hemeroteca/articulo/064026/articulo-pdf 

57 Evaluation of the Educational Normalisation of Roma Students in Primary Education. FSG 2002, p. 22, 

available at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/42/98/completa.pdf 

58 Spanish Constitution 1978, articles 21, sub-articles 1, 3 and 5, available at: 

https://www.laconstitucion.es/articulo-27-de-la-constitucion-espanola.html 

59 Organic Law 8/1985, of July 3, regulating the Right to Education, available at: 

https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/1985/BOE-A-1985-12978-consolidado.pdf 

60 Organic Law 1/1990, of October 3, on the General Regulation of the Law of the Educational System, 

available at: https://www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/1990/10/03/1/dof/spa/pdf 

33 

 
 
 
 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

LOE: education organic law 
(2006)61 

The main purposes of this 
new law are the personality 
and capacity development of 
students, respect one’s rights 
and freedom, tolerance, 
responsibility, personal effort 
and training to communicate 
in foreign languages 

Public authorities will prepare and 
implement the necessary actions, provide 
the necessary resources and the specific 
support needed to offset the effects of 
socially disadvantageous situations in 
order to achieve the foreseen educational 
and training goals  

LOMCE: Organic Law 8/2013, of 
December 9, to improve 
education quality (2013)62 

The purpose of this new law 
is to reduce the school drop-
out rate 

Emphasis is placed on the groups of 
students that require educational 
attention, exhibiting a specific need for 
educational support, as well procuring the 
necessary resources aimed at achieving 
their complete integration, including the 
educational treatment for students who 
require support due to certain social 
circumstances, among others 

From a historical point of view, one of the government initiatives that was most effective 
in  terms  of  regulating  and  equalising  the  access  and  maintenance  of  Roma  children  in 
compulsory education was the “Decree of Compensatory Education of 1983”. This decree, 
according to the expert in Roma education, Jesús Salinas, “changes the educational policy 
targeting Roma”. Although it does not explicitly refer to Roma, it does indicate a series of 
actions aimed at alleviating the disadvantages that certain students face in order to access 
or remain in school, due to their location of their residence or their disadvantaged social 
and economic status. The higher allocation of teachers and resources, the establishment 
of resource centres and school support services, as well as food and books, together with 
a certain flexibility in the school admission rules, favour the integration of Roma students 
into the education system”.63 

The “National Strategy for Social Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain 2012-2020” 
sets four objectives to be developed in the field of education, which are related to school 
access  and  attendance  in  early  childhood  education,  educational  success  in  primary 
education,  completion  of  secondary  and  post-secondary  education  and  improving  the 
educational level of the adult Roma.64 

Considering  “Spanish  Intermediate  Monitoring  Report  of  the  implementation  of  Roma 
Strategy”,65  the  authors  of  this  report  would  like  to  point  out  the  lack  of  “quantitative” 
data that allows monitoring the objectives set out in the strategy. It is a must to highlight 
that  from  the  ten  specific  objectives  that  should  be  achieved  by  developing  and 
implementing the strategy, there is available information  on two of them, while for  the 
remaining of the objectives, according to the report prepared by external evaluators, it is 
not possible to offer any information. 

61 Organic Law 2/2006 available at: https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2006/BOE-A-2006-7899-

consolidado.pdf  

62 Organic Law 8/2013, of 9 December 2013, to improve education quality, available at: 

https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2013/BOE-A-2013-12886-consolidado.pdf 

63 “A trip through Roma enrolment in school history in Spain Contemporaneous History” 2009. Jesús 

Salinas Catalá.  

64 The goals and success indicators of the strategy available at: 

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ssi/familiasInfancia/inclusionSocial/poblacionGitana/docs/WEB_POBLACION_GITAN
A_2012.pdf 

65 The report is available at: 

https://www.fresnoconsulting.es/upload/14/78/2017_InformeEvaluacionIntermediaEstrategiaPoblacionGitana.p
df 

34 

 
EDUCATION 

Access to quality early childhood care and preschool education 

Before starting our pre-school education analysis and the implementation of the strategy, 
in Spain the age for pre-school education is between zero and six years old, consisting of 
two training cycles divided into age groups, each of them with a duration of three academic 
years. The first cycle includes children aged from zero to three years old and the second 
cycle  from  three  to  six  years  old.  First cycle  is  not  mandatory,  it  either  remains  in  the 
private family sphere or it is managed by municipalities, private business organisations, 
or religious organisations, especially by different orders belonging to the Catholic Church. 
The second cycle is mandatory for the Administration to organise but not mandatory for 
families,  who  can  decide  whether  or  not  to  take  their  children  to  pre-school  education 
known as P3, P4 and P5. The explicit objectives of pre-school education in Spain are related 
to the development and evolution of children at a social, relational and cognitive level. 

Regarding Roma and the National Strategy, the objective for the period 2012-2020 is to 
increase the proportion of Roma children who have attended pre-school education prior to 
their compulsory schooling. To achieve a greater progress, the strategy establishes three 
lines of action: 

•  Supporting incorporation in pre-school education of zero to three-year olds, giving 

priority to families at risk of social exclusion. 

•  Raising the family’s awareness and support family involvement in school, as well 

as training young people to become educators. 

•  Promoting work, family and personal conciliation. 

In  the  middle  of  the  implementation  of  the  strategy  there  is  a  problem  of  a  lack  of 
quantitative indicators that would allow the comparison and analysis the implementation 
level of the strategy. 

According  to  the  “Interim  Follow-up  Report  of  the  National  Strategy”,  published  in 
September  2017,  data  on  the  objective  “increase  the  proportion  of  Roma  children  who 
have attended pre-school education before their compulsory schooling” is not available. 
Thus, we find ourselves in the middle of the strategy implementation with a starting point 
of a rate of 87 per cent attendance in early childhood education that cannot be evaluated,66 
because of the lack of indicators held by administration and the lack of real studies in the 
field of childhood education. 

According to the “Interim Follow-up Report on the Implementation of the National Strategy 
for  Social  Inclusion  of  the  Roma  Community  in  Spain  2012-2020”  in  the  field  of  early 
childhood  education,  the  main  findings  are  that,  “although  school  enrolment  rates  for 
Roma are still lower than those for the rest of the population, they increased significantly 
in recent years”.67 During the preparation of this report, the authors were wondering how 
was it possible for this statement to be included in the report if there is no data available 
to evaluate the access to early childhood education for Roma children in a differentiated 
way.  On  the  other  hand,  the  same  report  highlights  an  additional  persistent  problem 
according  to  which  “the  frequency  of  school  absenteeism  and  premature  abandonment 
continue to be a cause for concern”. 

The number of actions that have been carried out in this first implementation phase in the 
field of early childhood education is three.  Authors of this report have not been able to 
identify  the  specific  types  of  activity,  nor  the  impact  it  had  or  its  duration.  Even  so,  it 
seems  that  for  a  country  like  Spain,  where  there  are  between  800,000  and  1,000,000 

66 Data coming from the report „Evaluation of the Educational Normalisation of Roma Students in Primary 

Education edited by the FSG in 2010, available at: 
https://www.gitanos.org/upload/76/26/normalizacion_educativa.pdf  

67 Idem, p. 13. 

35 

 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

Roma, the fact that only three actions have been implemented in this period seems to be 
insufficient. 

In terms of economic investment, the intermediate report reflects the „scarce” amount of 
money  invested  in  this  field.  Thus,  from  the  3,417,598.99  EUR  allocated  for  the 
implementation of specific measures in the area of education, the amount spent on pre-
school education was 0.00 EUR. 

Despite this “investment slowdown”, Roma families are making progress in understanding 
and acknowledging the importance of accessing education during early childhood. FSG in 
its study on the “Evaluation of the Educational Normalisation of Roma Students” (2010),68 
concludes that “more than half of Roma children start attending school at three years old, 
coinciding  with  the  beginning  of  the  second  cycle  of  childhood  education.  Almost  all 
students are integrated in the education system without any significant problems and the 
responsibility of enrolling children in school relies with the families.” 

Improving quality of education until the end of compulsory schooling 

The Education Law establishes that the educational system will welcome the entire school 
population, acknowledging personal and cultural diversity as an inherent characteristic of 
the society they live in. Young Roma population is, in general terms, less educated than 
the rest of the young Spanish population. According to official reports and research from 
third-sector entities, 64.4 per cent of Roma aged from 16 to  24 have not  achieved  the 
compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) degree. This means that almost seven out of ten 
young  Roma  people  between  16  and  24  years  old  do  not  satisfactorily  finish  the 
compulsory education level in Spain. 

The integration of Roma students into secondary education is still an important step to be 
made  by  schools  and  Roma  families.  Before  the  adoption  of  the  “Organic  Law  for  the 
General Planning of the Educational System of Spain” (LOGSE), almost all Roma students 
terminated their studies at the age of 14. Although this fact is disregarded, there is still a 
lack of regular attendance and high school absenteeism at this stage. 47 per cent of the 
entire Roma population has obtained the Graduate degree in ESO and 24.7 per cent have 
completed non-compulsory secondary education. Despite the available statistics, it must 
be emphasised that the integration of Roma students into compulsory education is being 
done gradually and firmly, according to FSG in the “Study on Educational Normalisation”. 
This study established five analysis variables:  

1.  Access to school centres. 
2.  Learning of daily rhythms and routines. 
3.  Social interaction in class. 
4.  School achievements based on the school curriculum. 
5.  The relationship between the Roma student, his/hr family and the centre. 

Regarding access to pre-school and primary school, this study shows that 93.2 per cent of 
Roma students are enrolled in both when they turn six years old, the compulsory school 
age. It would be desirable if, at six years old, 100 per cent of Roma children were enrolled 
in primary school. However, an optimistic view for the nearest future stems from the fact 
that 84.5 per cent of Roma families in 2013 enrolled their children in pre-school or school 
before the age of six years old (compared to 79 per cent in 1994). 

Research gives us some light on the learning of rhythms and routines for Roma students 
and their behaviour development in time. For example, during the 2009 school year, 77 
per cent of the students participated in and followed the work routine normally, without 
missing long periods from school. It is necessary to emphasise that in the analysis carried 

68 Complete report available at: https://www.gitanos.org/upload/76/26/normalizacion_educativa.pdf 

36 

 
EDUCATION 

out in 2001, the rate was 68 per cent and in 1994 only 43 per cent attended school on a 
regular basis. 

The  advances  are  significant  in  this  area.  Nevertheless,  one  should  not  forget  three 
important  realities  of  compulsory  education:  school  drop-out,  school  failure  and 
educational segregation in “ghetto schools”. 

With  regard  to  the  school  drop-out  rate,  different  projects  and  campaigns  have  been 
carried  out  to  promote  the  integration  and  keeping  of  Roma  children  in  compulsory 
education.69 Also, we are following an ascending trend with regards to young Roma people 
who finish compulsory studies. This green trend should not make us fall into the trap that 
the work has already been done or that the trend is not going to reverse in the upcoming 
years. It is necessary to maintain and extend  the  activities, reach out to more schools, 
collaborate  with  more  families  and  continue  working  to  empower  Roma  children  school 
enrolment. For that it is necessary to help Roma children feel integrated, and teach Roma 
history  in  Spain  in  order  to  make  the  Roma  feel  they  matter  and  are  taken  into 
consideration in the preparation of  the educational curriculum.  Thus, the authors would 
like to point out the campaign developed by FSG on behalf of the Spanish Advisory Council 
of the Roma People (CEPG), named “Samuel’s question” (La pregunta de Samuel).70 This 
campaign is a clear example of how a communication action can influence and convince 
the public opinion and the country’s political representatives to make positive changes in 
the case of the Roma students. 

There is the need for improvement along these lines of intervention in order to continue 
moving  forward  in  the  fight  against  school  drop-out,  which  is  dramatic  among  Roma 
compared to the Spanish society.  

As described in the education bulletin of the National Centre for Educational Research and 
Innovation in its February 2014  edition,71 “enrolment  in different school levels of Roma 
children up to the age of 14 are very similar to those of the population as a whole. It is 
from the age of 15 that the number of Roma students enrolled in school starts to decrease 
on a constant basis, with a high drop rate of 30.8 per cent between 15 and 16 years old, 
years during which they finalise the mandatory school preparation. Between 12-24 years 
old, 61.1 per cent of men and 64.3 per cent of women drop out of school. Girls show higher 
drop-out  rates  at  younger  ages,  from  10  to  14  years  old,  and  at  15  the  situation  is 
reversed”. More recent data or reports are not available about these phenomena. During 
a  discussion  of  this  issue  with  Mr.  Antonio  Vazquez  (Roma  Education  work  group 
coordinator at CEPG), he said that “for the lack of data and analysis, thinking about my 
own  experience,  there  are  different  causes:  cultural  and  economic  causes,  lack  of 
monitoring and traceability by the public administration, as well as a widespread lack of 
confidence of Roma in education centres (both primary and secondary schools) regarding 
the protection Roma women need […] On the other hand, there are also cause related to 
identity, both Roma and gadye. After five centuries of demolishing Roma identity, such as 
language, occupations, clothing, cultural racism based on cultural appropriation of Roma 
cultural  expressions  […]  and  other”.  It  means  that  Roma  identity  is  mostly  viewed  as 
related to religious and moral issues, including guarding of single Roma women’s virginity. 

69 It is not possible here to make a list of all the projects that have been carried out during the recent 
years that favour the integration and maintenance of Roma children in compulsory education. For example, the 
Promociona Programme led by FSG can be highlighted, the School Promoters Programme implemented by Pere 
Closa Private Foundation or the Learning Communities promoted by CREA. Regarding awareness campaigns, 
the ones carried out by FSG under the motto “When I grow up, I want to be ...” is an example of educational 
promotion campaign. 

70 See more information about the campaign at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woKPB7tXP5g 

71 Available at http://educalab.es/documents/10180/62610/boletin14_febrero2015/a34157dc-caf1-491c-

b36c-44c94bf66ff6 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

It must be added that the enrolment rates of Roma women are lower than those of Roma 
men, as opposed to what happens in the population as a whole.72 

Among the reasons for school drop-out, research on Roma students shows that only 5.5 
per  cent  declared  that  they  dropped  out  „because  they  had  finished  their  studies  ...”, 
however 40 per cent declared that they abandoned their studies to try entering the labour 
market either by their own decision (27.3 per cent) or because of their family’s pressure 
or desire (12.7 per cent). Family matters are also an important factor when dropping out 
of school, 8.1 per cent of students abandoned their studies because they were married 
and 28.4 per cent had to take care of their siblings. It must be highlighted that 10  per 
cent of young people left school because of boredom and lack of interest, and it is striking 
that 6.4 per cent do not know the reason why they dropped out of school.73 

Regarding school failure, the same study  from 2014  reports that  “Roma  are, in general 
terms, less educated than the whole group of young people. While 64.4 per cent of Roma 
between 16-24 years old have not achieved the Graduate degree in ESO, for the rest of 
the society only 13.3 per cent in this age group did not achieve it. In addition, only 8.9 
per cent of Roma have completed high school or Vocational Intermediate Education and 
only  2.6  per  cent  have  finished  higher  education.  While  academic  results,  divided  by 
gender, in the population as a whole are notable, women have a school failure rate of 11.5 
per  cent  compared  to  the  rate  of  15  per  cent  in  men;  at  the  same  time,  there  are  no 
greater differences among Roma students. Roma students repeat academic courses more 
during the first cycle of ESO, with a rate of 41.8 per cent for the second year, that is 29 
per cent more than the global rate for the same year, which stands at 12.8 per cent. In 
the third and fourth years of ESO, the repetition rates decrease to 19 per cent and 14 per 
cent respectively, coming close to the ones of the total population”.74 

Fight against discrimination, segregation and other forms of antigypsyism 
in education 

Regarding school segregation, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance 
(ECRI),  recommended  in  its  “Fifth  ECRI  Report  in  Spain”  (2017)  that  the  Spanish 
Government  take  measures  to  ensure  an  equitable  distribution  of  student  places  for 
immigrants and Roma children.75 

According to the report published by KAMIRA and Fundación Mario Maya in 2017, 3 per 
cent of Roma children go to schools in Spain where all students are Roma and 28 per cent 
go to schools where the majority of students are Roma. 

School segregation is not a new issue in Spain, as it has existed for many years, introduced 
by various public policies, such as Bridge Schools. Today the elimination of schools with a 
high  number  of  Roma  students  has  not  been  done  yet.  As  the  “Report  on  School 
Segregation  of  Roma  Students  in  Spain”  states,  “school  segregation  is  frequently 
associated with residential segregation, as a result of the housing policies of the  1980s 
and 1990s that led to the formation of neighbourhoods with a high concentration of Roma 
population, that in many cases became areas with a high degree of social exclusion. Such 
neighbourhoods with a high number of Roma populations are still a reality nowadays. This 
is  a  factor  to  consider  because  the  greater  percentage  of  Roma  population  in  a 
neighbourhood, the higher the percentage of Roma students in the school”. 

72 The electronic bulletin available at: 

http://educalab.es/documents/10180/62610/Boletin3_Febrero2014.pdf/96a096d2-6b3d-4bab-805f-
9465e9df6025 

73 Idem, p. 4. 

74 Idem, pp. 4-5. 

75 The 5th ECRI Report in Spain, published in 2018, available at: https://rm.coe.int/fifth-report-on-spain-

spanish-translation-/16808b56cb 

38 

 
EDUCATION 

School segregation was the topic of interest for the April 8 celebration organised by FSG 
with the hashtag #NoQuieroUnaEscuelaSegregada [#IDon’tWantSegregatedSchools]. This 
campaign was aimed at sensitising the society and especially the public authorities about 
the “unfair situation that has serious consequences on the education quality, by reducing 
learning opportunities for Roma children, affecting social cohesion and mutual knowledge, 
and perpetuating discrimination and inequality”.76 

One of the key elements to improve the maintenance in school and educational success of 
Roma students is the preparation, training and motivation of the teaching staff. In Spain, 
teachers must have the necessary degree that corresponds to the level of education they 
want to teach. Thus, teachers in general must have a degree in early childhood, primary 
or secondary education, which are compulsory education levels in Spain. 

Reviewing the curriculum of subjects of the faculties of education we find that in most of 
them diversity does not appear as a compulsory topic. However, there is a possibility that 
the future graduate in primary education will get a  “mention in attention to diversity”.77 
In a general way and without wanting to fall into a simplistic analysis, the authors of this 
report  notice  that  the  majority  of  special  mentions  focus  their  attention  on  functional 
diversity and leave out ethnic diversity or interculturality. 

In this field especially, there is a structural obstacle. The NRIS does not consider school 
segregation to be one of the main problems. According to  the opinion of the authors of 
this report, this is probably the most important issue, but the NRIS ignores it. 

76 The campaign available at: http://www.noquierounaescuelasegregada.org/ 

77 The mentions are curricular intensifications or itineraries intended to provide specialised training within 

a knowledge field. As indicated in the 861/2010 Royal Decree of 2 July 2010, in section 3 of article 9, “the 
design of the degrees may include references to itineraries or curricular intensifications”. 

39 

 
LOCAL CASE STUDY: NAVARRA – PROGRAMME „HEALTH 
PROMOTION OF ROMA ETHNIC MINORITY” 

The  Roma  population  of  Navarra  is  approximately  7,553  people,  which  represents 
approximately  1.2  per  cent  of  the  total  population  of  this  autonomous  region.  The 
indicators show us that the Roma of Navarra, similar to the cases in the rest of Spain, is 
younger than the rest of the population. In the field of health, Roma from Navarra follows 
the same pattern as the rest of Spain, such as obesity and weight problems, smoking, etc. 

The  authors  of  this  report  have  chosen  the  health  promotion  programme  for  the  Roma 
minority because it was one of the first programmes that were implemented as a practical 
and real response for decreasing the health and social inequalities the Roma population 
faces.  The  programme  began  in  1987  and  involved  collaboration  between  third-sector 
parties and the public administration. In 1987 the programme targeted four basic health 
areas and in 2005 it was extended to 15 areas, while having direct contact with more than 
half of the Roma population living in Navarra. The programme currently includes 24 basic 
health  areas  and  covers  32  locations  and  their  corresponding  health  centres,  to  which 
some  more  must  be  added  on  demand.  The  programme  has  been  implemented  in  the 
areas with the largest Roma population in the Navarra region (but has not been replicated 
in other Spanish regions, because, in the meanwhile, they started to implement their own 
Integral Roma Actions Plans). 

The  programme  has  one  main  objective  and  that  is  to  reduce  health  inequalities  and 
improve Roma’s health through four instruments: 

•  Training Roma health mediators, 
•  Coordination and collaboration with local and central authorities, 
•  Peer education, 
•  Roma empowerment and participation. 

The programme has three main partners at the central and coordination levels: 

•  The  Public  Health  Institute:  a  technical-assistance  organisation,  specialising  in 
health promotion and surveillance, prevention and intervention on collective health 
problems. It works closely with the Directorate of Primary Care. Both are structures 
of the Department of Health of the Government of Navarra. 

•  Roma associations: 

o  Federation of Roma Associations of Navarra Gaz Kaló: a federation whose 
mission  is  to  coordinate,  complement  and  provide  services  to  Roma 
associations, favouring dialogue with different sectors of the society (public 
administration, other entities, mass media, political parties, etc.) in order 
to promote treatment equality, social promotion, cultural identity and the 
image of the Roma from Navarra. 

o  La  Majarí  Roma  Association:  an  organisation  that  works  for  the  integral 
promotion of the Roma collective, and in parallel for the strengthening their 
own culture. It primarily serves Roma from Pamplona and its region. 

o  Roma  Association  La  Romaní:  an  association  that  promotes  the 
development and social integration of Roma, recognition of their culture and 
information campaigns on the situation of poverty and social exclusion. It is 
mainly aimed at the Roma population of Tudela and its region. 

•  The following actors are usually involved in each implementation area: 

o  The  primary  healthcare  centre  (a  social  worker,  responsible  for  the 

commission and in contact with the central coordinator). 

o  The social services of the municipality (a technician). 

40 

 
 
LOCAL CASE STUDY 

o  Educational centres (a representative). 
o  A Roma association (one person). 
o  The health promoter who is a Roma person from the implementation area. 

There are currently ten promoters hired (nine women and one man). 

The  Roma  promoter  is  a  key  figure  in  the  implementation  of  this  project,  since  it  is  a 
member of the community who knows the health system, the social protection system and 
the educational system and that acts as a “bridge“ between the Roma  and the services 
provided by the administration. The work of the mediators, called “health agents”, consists 
of:78 

•  Reporting on activities and operation of services in the area. 
•  Advice  and  support  in  different  health  situations:  vaccinations,  periodic  health 

check-ups (children, pregnant women, chronic patients, etc.). 

•  Support offered for rehabilitation treatments, drug addiction, mental health, breast 

cancer prevention, children’s oral health, prosthetics, etc. 

Health promoters also have competences in implementing activities and finding resources 
for health promotion in collaboration with organisations such as the Red Cross,  Cáritas, 
etc. At the moment, they are key agents for those Roma who find themselves in confusing 
situations, of not understanding certain aspects of health care, such as healthy lifestyles, 
diagnoses, medical tests, etc. 

Health agents receive prior training for performing their duties, which has the following 
key points: 

•  Roma population health needs: chronic diseases, lifestyles, mental health, positive 

parenting, and children’s and women’s health. 

•  Topics such as personal empowerment on how to combat stress, how to manage 
workload and how to raise awareness about the socio-economic conditions faced 
by Roma, and about the culture and health of the Roma people. 

•  The  operation  of  other  services  used  Roma,  such  as,  social  services,  education, 

housing, employment and work. 

•  Different  aspects  of  health  education;  for  example,  vaccinations,  health 
programmes and resources, family planning, healthy habits, and substance abuse. 

The programme has achieved the following results for the families it collaborated with in 
the different areas mentioned below: 

•  Primary  health  care:  100  per  cent  have  an  individual  health  card  that  provides 
accessibility to the public health system; almost 100 per cent of boys and girls are 
considered to have completed the vaccination scheme; and 60.2 per cent of boys 
and girls participate in the children's dental prevention program. 

•  Women's health: regarding the centres for sexual and reproductive health, among 
women of reproductive age: 62 per cent use such services, almost 100 per cent 
use  birth  control,  25  per  cent  attend  birth  preparation  courses,  and  72  per  cent 
participate in the breast cancer prevention program. 

•  Health education: it includes individual, group and community networking with a 
total of 56 group workshops that include 657 sessions and participation in a total 
of  eight  professional  networks.  These  projects  addressed  the  health  issues  that 
were identified by means of assessing the needs of the Roma. 

78 Data collected from the programme. These statistics can be found at: 

http://www.navarra.es/NR/rdonlyres/04CC0542-D742-42BB-ADCE-
49B2F7BB7939/232874/TRIPticocomunidadgitana.pdf 

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CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

•  School attendance: 90 per cent of Roma children attend school until the age of 12 
(primary  school)  and  only  33  per  cent  continue  their  compulsory  secondary 
education  up  until  they  reach  16  years  old.  There  are  also  high  levels  of 
absenteeism. 

Thus,  it  is  worth  to  mention  the  qualitative  results  of  the  programme.  “The  Health 
Promotion Programme of Ethnic Minorities in Navarra” has been successful in empowering 
Roma  communities  by  means  of  active  participation  and  by  taking  control  of  their  own 
health and its determinants. Health education in Roma communities has improved. Cross-
sectoral collaboration has benefited Roma communities and public service professionals, 
since prejudice has been reduced and mutual understanding and acceptance increased. 

The programme is financed every year through a grant from the Department of Health of 
the  Government  of  Navarra,  which  in  2019  has  amounted  to  230,000  EUR  with  the 
expectation to continue. 

42 

 
RECOMMENDATIONS 

Employment 

1.  To  include  young  Roma  as a special  target  group  of  the  youth employment 

strategy and youth guarantee programme: 

The number of young Roma who neither study nor work is much higher than the rest 
of  the  young  population  of  Spain.  It  is  necessary  to  take  advantage  of  the  young 
employment  strategy  and  the  youth  guarantee  programme  to  establish  a  plan  for 
improving the access to the labour market of young Roma aged between 16 and 25 
years,  adapted  to  the  reality  of  this  target  group,  where  the  majority  have  family 
responsibilities and low level of education or training. 

2.  To develop entrepreneurial actions engaging Roma: 

It  is  necessary  to  train  and  support  young  Roma  to  develop  their  own  ideas  and 
become entrepreneurs who are close to their community, both in neighbourhoods and 
in business spaces. 

3.  To establish school-to-work transition actions, especially for Roma women: 

The transition from compulsory education to the labour market should be a priority in 
the post-2020 strategy. Supporting young Roma women within the framework of the 
programme and help them access the labour market is essential for the improvement 
of both skills and autonomy, as well as for self-esteem in this particular target group. 

4.  To fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in employment: 

It is necessary to promote awareness campaigns among Roma for them to learn how 
to  recognise  and  understand  discrimination  in  the  field  of  employment.  Public 
authorities should act upon receiving such complaints and reports against companies 
and employers who commit racist or discriminating acts. 

Housing and essential public services 

5.  To fight against residential segregation: 

It is necessary to fight against the residential segregation of Roma, which is also the 
cause  of  other  segregations,  such  as  segregation  in  schools.  In  this  fight,  it  is 
necessary to bring together public administrations to engage with Roma organisations 
and develop a  strategy against segregation that will propose specific measures and 
rely  on  an  adequate  budget  in  order  to  face  such  issues.  Such  an  anti-segregation 
strategy should be integrated into housing plans, both at national and regional levels. 

6.  To incorporate criteria for accessing public housing that can be accessed by 

the most vulnerable groups among Roma: 

Having a decent home is a right recognised by the Spanish Constitution. The criteria 
for accessing social housing should take into account the situation of Roma families, 
and  especially  the  young  Roma,  who  are  not  able  to  take  upon  themselves  the 
expenses  of  living  in  social  houses,  such  as  rent,  community  payment,  etc.  Public 
authorities need to take marginal and economical situations like these into account 
and support young Roma families in the process. 

7.  To reduce slums and Roma overcrowded households: 

Despite the advances made regarding housing, there are still Roma families living in 
slums and sub-standard housing. The new housing plan should carry out interventions 
aimed  to  eliminating  shanty  towns  in  Spain.  The  economic  crisis  that  Spain  still 

43 

 
 
CIVIL  SOCIETY  MONITORING  REPORT  ON  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  ROMA  INTEGRATION  STRATEGY 
in Spain 

struggles  with  has  led  many  families  to  allow  their  children  to  live  in  their  homes 
despite having reached adulthood and  getting  married. This has led to the average 
number of family members per house, for the Roma population, to be close to five. 
The lack of means and support to face the emancipation of young Roma households 
is a problem that must be faced in the upcoming years. 

Impact of health care policies on Roma 

8.  To promote programmes for health mediators with the Roma People. 

It is necessary to continue and expand the health mediator programmes among Roma 
communities, as advised through various recommendations of the Council of Europe. 
Roma mediators serve as references for the promotion of both prevention and access 
to healthcare services. 

9.  To maintain and increase in a consistent manner the education and training 

of university students in the healthcare field: 

Understanding the different healthcare needs of different patient groups is the key to 
a correct diagnosis and to appropriate and efficient recovery solutions. The training of 
health professionals who will be responsible for working directly with Roma is essential 
and should be included in the curriculum of the degrees, such as nursing, medicine, 
social work, etc. 

10. To  support  the  collaboration  between  Roma  organisations  and  the  public 

health administration to improve Roma’s healthy habits: 

Roma  organisations  are  the  first  contact  point  for  the  Roma.  Promotion  of  joint 
protocols  and  projects  between  public  administrations  and  Roma  organisations  will 
contribute  to  promotion  of  healthy  habits,  including  exercising  and  healthy  eating, 
thus contributing to improving health standards among Roma. 

Education 

11. To  include  Roma  history  and  culture  in  the  curriculum  of  compulsory 

education: 

It is necessary that the history and culture of Roma to be integrated into the academic 
curriculum. This should include Roma reference and identity elements and celebrate 
the  most  important  Roma  days,  such  as  the  International  Roma  Day  on  8  April, 
Samudaripen  on  2  August,  etc.,  so  that  the  educational  system  is  not  completely 
ignorant of Roma history and culture. 

12. To establish mediation between families and the education system: 

It is important to continue and support programmes such as school promotion in which 
the school promoter becomes an important link between school and families, with the 
aim  of  bringing  families  closer  to  the  educational  centre  and  the  educational 
community closer to Roma families. 

13. To  promote  second  chance  projects  among  young  Roma  and  access  to 

university for those over 25 years old: 

Many young Roma marry between the ages of 17 and 20, the age at which many of 
them  drop-out of school. The  results registered  by the  Generalitat de Catalunya by 
promoting university access for young Roma over the age of 25 could be replicated at 
national level since many Roma people at that age have the opportunity to return to 
the educational system.  

44 

 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 

“Estrategia Nacional Para la Inclusión Social de la Población Gitana 2012-2020“. 
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BOE, “Ley Orgánica 8/2013, de 9 de diciembre, para la mejora de la calidad 
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Madrid, 2013. 

FSG, “Estudio-Mapa sobre Vivienda y Población Gitana 201”, Ministerio de Sanidad, 
Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, Madrid 2016. 

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en la Educación Primaria”, IFIIE / Instituto de la Mujer, Madrid, 2010. 

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Madrid, 2015. 

FSG, “Evaluación de la Normalización Educativa del Alumnado Gitano en Educación 
Primaria”, Fundación Secretariado General Gitano, Madrid 2002. 

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España en relación al empleo y la pobreza 2018”, Fundación Secretariado Gitano, 
Madrid 2019. 

Jiménez, N. Coord, “Guía de Recursos contra el Antigitanismo“ FAGA, Alicante, 2010. 

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La Parra et Jiménez (Eds.), “Sastipen aj Rroma. Desigualda den salud y Comunidad 
gitana, Análisis y propuestas desde el ámbito sociosanitario”, Publicaciones de la 
Universidad de Alicante, Alicante 2016. 

Maya et Santiago, “Segregación Escolar del Alumnado Gitano en España”, Federación 
Kamira & Fundación Mario Maya, Córdoba. 2012. 

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Escuela”, Carmen Rebollo De Vigo, Madrid 2015. 

UAB, UB, “Roma Never Die Alone”, Tania Garcia-Espinel, Laura Aso, Gisela Redondo-
Sama, Ainhoa Flecha, Barcelona 2017. 

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Gitana”. Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad. Madrid 2015. 

46 

 
 
 
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ISBN 978-92-76-08350-4  doi:10.2838/072614