Introduction to Special Issue "Marginality on the Margins of Europe – The Impact of COVID-19 on Roma Communities in Non-EU Countries in Eastern Europe"

[...]this project contributes to a better understanding of how the pandemic affected the lives of the Roma in this part of the world. The data collection was carried out with the help of seven research assistants hired locally in each of the countries covered, and included a desktop research component, a survey, and stakeholder interviews. A second component of the mixed methods approach in our methodology involved researchers interviewing local stakeholders, including leaders of Roma communities, representatives of relevant NGOs active in the field of minority or human rights, as well as public officials, both Roma and non-Roma. According to the data collected by desktop research, all countries covered by the project instituted policies for some type of remote learning, whether in the form of online schooling, through mass-media (e.g., TV programmes), or via the distribution of printed homework.

Roma and the First Wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic: Income Loss and Its Effects Across Roma Communities in Seven Non-EU Countries

This article focuses on income loss and its knock-on effects experienced by Roma communities in seven non-EU states during the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown measures in the first half of2020. Roma communities in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine were all facing socioeconomic exclusion and marginalisation before the COVID-19 pandemic, thus international organisations were warning very early on that Roma communities were at serious risk during lockdowns, including in the fields of employment or loss of income. This article uses primary data collected across the seven states from a survey of 440 Roma individuals and 53 indepth interviews with Roma stakeholders, in order to add empirical evidence to an under-researched area. The main findings include that almost 73% of those surveyed experienced a reduced income, and the major reason for this was due to access to or demand for informal work which was hindered by the lockdowns. The knock-on effects of this included 32% of those surveyed declaring an inability to afford food and everyday essentials or to pay bills. Most Roma who needed to borrow money did so through private means (family and friends) rather than through official or state institutions. Finally, there was some geographic variance between the seven countries, with Roma communities in Albania and Ukraine faring worst.

The Covid-19 pandemic and minority language media in Europe: the effects of spring 2020 lockdowns

This article focuses on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns in spring 2020, on the sphere of minority language media. Taking a comparative case study approach across 11 minority language settings in Europe, the research builds upon expert interviews conducted with practitioners and scholars by the present authors. This is thematically broken down into the areas of audience figures and funding implications, effects on non-news content, relations between majority and minority, logistical aspects, and social media. The findings included a mix of positive and negative aspects, which the analysis places in the context of previous theoretical concepts and legal standards related to minority languages and media. Increased audience figures and social media engagement suggest positive signs for the vitality of minority language media and the options for online breathing spaces of minority language usage. The effects on non-news content are more mixed, with issues due to cancellations as well as new innovative content having differing effects per sphere in terms of genre completeness. However, the status of minority languages and importance of minority language media outlets were insufficiently acknowledged in examples of tense minority-majority interactions as well as cases of funding issues due to reducing advertising revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)