To what extent does the European Union’s policy on inclusion affect the political representation of marginalised groups? Based on the case study of the Roma minority

Abstract

This thesis combines insights from political science and history through theory extension. Causal process tracing is used to investigate the effects of the European Union’s inclusion policy on minority representation. The thesis adopts a single case study of the Roma minority due to its complexity and uniqueness. The research uses various data generation and analysis methods, such as analysis of expert interviews and critical discourse analysis of speeches with a custom coding grid. Ten expert interviews with policymakers as well as civil society and advocacy organizations are conducted. The in-depth interview insights help identify the main historical causal factors that affect representation and measure the opinion of Roma stakeholders on the representativeness of the EU Roma Strategic Framework. The custom coding grid is used to analyze statements made by Members of the European Parliament during five Roma-related debates in the European Parliament and the LIBE Committee. The analysis of speeches explains the extent to which EP political parties in the European Parliament reflect the representation of the Roma minority. The study contributes to the academic debate by producing a more comprehensive understanding of minority representation in Europe through recognizing additional causal links. The most important identified causal factors are voice entrepreneurs, antigypsyism, public opinion, Europeanization and democratization, as well as openness and responsiveness of political systems and actors. Overall, the EU has grown more representative of minority views in recent years, but there is still misinformation and disagreement among MEPs. Some national governments still show clear signs of antigypsyism, which is often not explicitly recognized as a type of racism, making countermeasures more difficult to implement. While a more binding policy is virtually unachievable, the EU should focus on fighting the root cause of discrimination through education, increased horizontal and vertical communication as well as empowering minority interest groups.