Today, the European Commission decided to refer Slovakia to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to effectively tackle the issue of segregation of Roma children in education.
The EU rules on racial equality (Directive 2000/43/EC) strictly prohibit discrimination on grounds of
ethnic origin in key areas of life, including education. In Slovakia, however,
Roma children are often placed in special schools for pupils with mild mental
disabilities. Many Roma children who attend mainstream education are also
segregated, in separate classes or schools.
The Commission started an infringement procedure
against Slovakia in 2015 and sent a reasoned opinion in 2019. Since then, Slovakia has undertaken a
series of legislative reforms and adopted several strategies and action plans
to foster Roma inclusion in education. However, after carefully assessing those
measures and monitoring the situation on the ground, the Commission concluded
that the reforms undertaken so far are insufficient.