The Road to a Social Europe: Integration and Support of Marginalized Communities

In analyzing the marginalization phenomenon, there are currently several definitions of disadvantaged communities based on a clear set of criteria and indicators. One of the strongest definitions has been formulated by UNESCO: "Marginalization occurs when people are systematically excluded from significant participation in economic, social, political, cultural and other activities in their communities, refused the opportunity to fulfil the condition of human beings". Excluding people from the efforts of a society to develop is not only profoundly unjust, but it even affects the chances of successful economic growth. This is, in fact, the basic idea of analyzing this phenomenon: if people cannot take advantage of the opportunities they need to reach their full potential, then society as a whole is the one to lose. Marginalized groups also have a more limited set of skills and lower productivity, and their ability to become better is greatly hampered by inadequate opportunities for development in the educational and professional sphere. It is, therefore, not surprising that the unemployment is in bloom, with very few formal employment places, including appropriate benefits (e.g. health insurance, professional insurance, maternity leave, pension, etc.). As observed in various studies, areas affected by extreme poverty tend to be in urban environments. This does not mean that there are no poor people in rural Romania, but that city-specific challenges are usually more pressing.