The European Commission and human rights groups say the Roma, Europe's largest minority, continue to suffer discrimination and persecution across the continent.
Despite measures by the EU to integrate them into mainstream society, the Roma people remain largely excluded from jobs and education. Even in Brussels - home to the EU's own institutions - the Roma and their children struggle to break out from a vicious cycle of poverty and begging.
Nina-Maria Potts reports on how some non-profit groups in Brussels are trying to help the Roma.