Conclusion: A ‘People’s Europe’ for Romani Citizens?

Abstract

Based on a multidisciplinary approach and a combination of European and national perspectives, one of the key goals of this collection on contemporary Romani politics has been to provide a critical overview on the emergence and consolidation of a pan-European space for Romani political participation and mobilization in the context of broader socio-economic and political trends in Europe. In the Introduction, we unpacked the nature of the relationship between three key phenomena — the rise of neoliberalism, ethnopolitics and growing anti-Gypsyism — which, during the past two decades, have had a profound impact on Romani lifeworlds in Europe. With official rates of Romani unemployment well over 50% (and indeed, over 90% in so-called compact communities of segregated Romani settlements in Eastern Europe), the prospects for the integration of Romani citizens continue to be grim.