Roma mistrust in governments is an obstacle to COVID-19 recovery

To convince Roma in Europe to take up the vaccine, governments need to take steps to build trust.

As countries across Europe race each other to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19 in the hopes of controlling the spread of the deadly virus and restoring some sense of normality, there is a danger that our already vulnerable and marginalised Roma communities will fall through the cracks. There are more than 12 million Roma in Europe, making up the continent’s largest minority. In some European countries, such as Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria, Roma comprise almost 10 percent of the population. Therefore, if Europe is to defeat COVID-19, it is essential for Roma communities to take up the vaccine. However, a deep-rooted mistrust in public institutions is causing many Roma across the continent to refuse the vaccine. Indeed, only nine percent of the Roma population in Hungary and 11.5 percent in North Macedonia said that they plan to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them.