Beyond Informality: Addressing Roma Settlements in Europe—Challenges, Solutions, and the Way Forward

Across Europe, many Roma communities live in informal housing or settlements that lack security of tenure, access to basic services, or legal recognition. These living conditions often reflect systemic exclusion, discrimination, and policy gaps. Informal settlements expose Roma families to health hazards, forced evictions, and obstacles to education and employment.

Roma communities, as groups facing discrimination based on work and descent, experience housing deprivation and spatial segregation in ways that mirror the struggles of similarly marginalized communities around the world. From Dalit communities in South Asia to people of African descent in the Americas, systemic exclusion from adequate housing is a global human rights issue. The challenges Roma face in accessing legal tenure, public services, and safe living conditions are part of a broader pattern of structural discrimination that transcends borders. Recognizing these global parallels is essential for building solidarity and applying international human rights frameworks to local housing solutions.

Despite longstanding recognition of these challenges by EU institutions, UN agencies, national governments, and civil society, progress remains slow and uneven. Structural racism, local resistance, and underinvestment continue to hamper efforts toward inclusive housing policies.

This virtual event seeks to bring together key stakeholders – Roma-led NGOs, EU and UN agencies, policy experts, and state actors – to reflect on current realities, share good practices, and explore collaborative pathways forward. Special attention will be given to recommendations from recent joint reports and the 2020–2030 EU Roma Strategic Framework.

Objectives:

1. Expose the current state of informal Roma settlements across Europe.
2. Present and discuss data, evidence, and recommendations from recent joint reports.
3. Facilitate dialogue between Roma communities, international institutions, and policymakers.
4. Identify promising practices and structural solutions that can be scaled or replicated.
5. Foster collaboration across sectors and levels of governance.

To read more in these issues read our latest report here.

Register for the event by scanning the QR code to receive the Zoom Link.