In France and the wider EU, Roma and other minorities are the victims of environmental racism. This discrimination must be robustly redressed under the European Green Deal to ensure a just transition that leaves nobody behind, writes MEP Marie Toussaint.

The death of George Floyd in the United States led to massive mobilisation on both sides of the Atlantic, this time with climate activists playing a major role. The issue of environmental justice, still too often ignored, has emerged in public debate and must now be followed by a real political strategy here in Europe.

The recent EEB report, ‘Pushed to the Wastelands‘, describes the systemic and systematic discrimination suffered by Roma communities. The statistics are conclusive and damning: in Europe, the life expectancy of Roma is 10 years lower than the average European and the infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the EU average. The historical and systemic discrimination to which they are subject pushes Roma communities towards marginal, polluted areas and neighbourhoods, and deprives them of access to public services, including healthcare and even drinking water. This has serious repercussions on their health and well-being.

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