EU citizens have the right to move and live anywhere in the European Union, provided that they meet certain conditions. This is an important right to achieve European integration and is included in the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 45). However, FRA research shows that many Roma EU citizens settling in another Member State in search of better conditions continue to experience racism, discrimination and exclusion.
In order to investigate how EU citizens exercise their right to freedom of movement ‘on the ground', in 2008 the FRA launched a major research project based on interview fieldwork research. The research was carried out in 2009 in France, Finland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, providing a broad reflection of the experience of Roma EU citizens in ‘receiving' countries.
