The "Free" Movement of Roma in the EU: From the Presumption of the Fundamental Right to Housing to Forced Evictions and Expulsion

Abstract

The aim of this article is to highlight the contradiction between the EU principles ensuring the right of free movement and residence with EU and the legislative frameworks and measures ratified at the national level by the member states for managing the inflow of Roma migrants. The first part of the article will underline how the main EU conventions, agreements, and treaties stipulate the right to free movement, residence, and housing of the member state citizens, regardless of their ethnic affiliation, within the EU. The second part will present a synthesis of the housing condition patterns of the Roma from Romania, who migrated to Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as revealed by the reports of recent research. In the final section, the article brings a series of measures drawn from recent studies and programs, which might help mitigate these discrepancies.