Romania has still both the highest poverty rate and the lowest relative poverty line1 of all EU member states. In 2017 to 2019 23.5% of the total resident population was at risk of poverty; this means that about 4.5 million people are at risk of income poverty. Inequality of opportunities remains one of the main challenges for Romania: unequal access to education, healthcare and other services, along with intergenerational transmission of poverty, prevents children or families from disadvantaged areas from reaching their full potential.
Poverty Watch Main Findings
Most affected groups
People living in rural areas
Children & young people
Roma population
Women
Families with 3 or more children & single parents
Working poor
Main priorities
- Prioritize the implementation of the Minimum Inclusion Income (MII) as a key
measure to make the social transfers system more efficient and increase its role of activation of vulnerable groups. - Policy actions and interventions to address the massive emigration (migration of healthcare professionals, of educators, of youth “brain-drain”, etc. and its socioeconomic negative effects (children / women, elderly left behind, depopulation, poorer quality of social/ educational/ healthcare services, in particular in rural areas, etc).
- Policy actions as well as legislation packages (economic and social) to tackle in-work poverty and to support quality jobs creation, in particular green and social
jobs are needed. - Allocation of financial resources from the state budget to fund social services.
- Policy actions, targeted interventions and funding to tackle the rise of the number of teenage mothers and increase healthcare for mothers.
- Support the process of integration of refugees and support the protection and prevent the abuse of migrant workers in Romania.
- In order to decrease poverty through raising employment and employability among persons with disabilities, it’s necessary to create a framework favorable to social and professional inclusion of persons with disabilities who are vulnerable groups.
- Romania should allocate the 6% of GDP to fund education and to adopt policies and incentives to attract and keep the qualified
teachers, especially in rural areas, to improve the access to quality mass especially for Roma and children in rural communities. - Guarantee the right of all children to education by ensuring also access to online education for all children living in disadvantaged communities or poor families, in the context of Covid-19 crisis.
- increase the efficiency and effectiveness of social transfers.
Contact details
Washington Str., nr. 38, Sector 1
RO – 011796 Bucharest 61 (Romania)
Str. lon Campineanu 3A, District 1
Bucharest (Romania)
Tel/fax: +40 21 313 38 83
E-mail: org.aur (@) gmail.com
Website: www.renasis.ro
