With the incorporation of the acceding new member States to the European Union , the Roma community has become the largest minority in Europe with an estimated population of 8 million the most of which live with health standards far below the European average. While the mainstreaming populations within acceding countries will benefit from improving of public health services in their respective countries, minority populations more vulnerable, risk being left behind in this process if concrete measures are not foreseen.

Roma people is a tremendously heterogeneous ethnic minority comprised of very different social and personal groups and realities who share a common situation which is the social exclusion and the high level of social rejection on the side of mainstreaming society and who “…rightly want to be protected against illness and disease (….) need access to reliable and high-quality health advice and assistance” (Communication from the Commission of 16^th May 2000)

Taking into account the concept of discrimination contained in the Council Directive 2000/43, art. 2. (a) and (b), conclusions can be withdrawn that most of the Roma population throughout Europe suffer from discriminatory treatments from the mainstreaming society, thus included key actors involved in the provision of healthcare.

Studies show that the health status of Roma population is far below the mainstream society within Europe, and the general situation can be summarized in: 

• Low life expectancy rate for Europe’s Roma population, which is approximately 10 years lower than the overall average.

• High morbidity rate due to the incidence of certain types of environment-related illnesses, typically several times higher for Roma than for the general population.

• Lack of proper access of Roma population to mainstream health services, which are not adapted to specific minority groups.

• Special vulnerability to drug and alcohol dependency, lack of sexual education, HIV/AIDs as a consequence of a particular difficult context of isolation, marginalisation and discrimination.

• Lack of proper use of health services due to particular cultural habits, the lack of understanding of the Roma culture, and the existence of discriminatory behaviours within health professionals.

• High incidence of socio-economic and environmental problems related to the living conditions, especially in cases of highly deteriorated habitats without minimum living standards or access to community resources thus putting their health at serious risk.

• Lack of proper empowerment and orientation from the community leaders, social mediators, and Romani women, as well as a lack of prevention work being done to raise collective awareness of the importance of proper health education aimed at the very young.