Source: European Parliament
Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union stipulates that the Union shall fully respect the responsibility of the Member States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity.
In exercising its competences in those matters , Slovakia is bound to respect applicable international and European law, which provides a number of safeguards to ensure that education in national minority languages does not lead to discrimination and ensures equivalent standards, quality and conditions of education .
Segregation in education on the basis of ethnic origin is prohibited under EU law by the Racial Equality Directive[1] and m inority schools cannot be used as a means to circumvent EU law and discriminate against Roma children.
Infringement proceedings against Slovakia for segregation of Roma children in education are pending at the Court of Justice[2]. The Commission will continue to closely monitor the situation.
The EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation[3] and EU funds, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility and cohesion policy funds , can serve as additional tools to support the desegregation in education in Member States.
The ‘Mapping Study on School segregation of Roma Communities: Pathways and trends towards educational inclusion’[4] compiles promising practices and relevant literature for policy-makers to support effective policy making on desegregation in education.
- [1] Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22-26.
- [2] Case C-799/23.
- [3] COM(2020) 620 final.
- [4] https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/inclusive-education-for-roma-children/texts-2.