Politics

In today’s Europe, everyone should have the same opportunities for education, economic and social rights and everyone should have the ability to move freely across borders. Unfortunately, the situation in certain Member States looks quite different. Minorities and vulnerable people are often faced with discrimination and hate crime. Those people that sit on street corners begging for money are evidence of some of the exploitation, lack of opportunity and horrible living conditions that some European citizens have to put up with.

Many people live under extreme poverty, often due to widespread discrimination. We cannot accept this in today’s EU. In the European Parliament we are working actively to improve the living conditions for minorities. All citizens should have the right to live with dignity and respect, and all citizens should be able to decide their own future.

The Roma population in the EU is particularly vulnerable as they are faced with a widespread discrimination in several Member States. The Roma people are one of the largest group of minorities in the EU. A large part of the Roma population is faced with discrimination and social exclusion when it comes to finding a job, education or housing. In October 2017, the European Parliament passed a resolution on Roma rights where I represented the Liberal group in the negotiations. The resolution was aimed at putting an end to the systematic discrimination against Roma people in EU Member States. More education about the history and culture of the Roma people is needed, in addition to greater funds to end social exclusion.