A/HRC/7/19/Add.2 page 16 overall citizenship application procedures have been facilitated, they still pose problems to a number of vulnerable groups. The cost of language courses in Estonian was seen as a major obstacle for the economically marginalized segments of the population. The reimbursement of the expenses with language courses was not seen as helpful, since it only applies after the exam and covers exclusively candidates that are successful in the language examinations. The Special Rapporteur was informed that many candidates need to take the exam more than once, which entails an even higher cost. The situation of Russian-speaking elders was also considered as vulnerable, since the majority of people within this group have difficulties in terms of language instruction. 60. The Russian-speaking community also expressed concerns about their overall situation of social marginalization. The process of deindustrialization affected particularly the Russian community in North-Eastern Estonia. The Special Rapporteur was informed that the unemployment rate among Russian-speaking persons is almost twice as high as among Estonians. Furthermore, Russian-speakers earn lower average salaries and are allegedly overrepresented within the prison population. 61. The overall perception among members of the Russian-speaking community was that the key obstacle for the understanding among the Estonian and Russian-speaking communities was the view that the loyalty of the Russian-speakers to the Estonian state is questionable. The community highlighted that most of the Russian-speakers settled in Estonia many decades ago, and over half of the community was born in Estonia. They underlined the importance that the role of large segments of the Russian-speaking community in the process that led to Estonia’s restoration of independence should be recognized. Human rights NGOs pointed out that although there are obvious cultural links between the Russian-speaking community and the Russian Federation, existing sociological surveys show that these links are cultural and not political. However, their perception is that the members of the Russian-speaking community are treated as foreigners rather than people with long roots in Estonia. One of the Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors argued that “we suddenly became migrants without ever leaving our homes”. C. Views of the Roma community 62. The Special Rapporteur held meetings with representatives of the small Roma community in Estonia, composed of 588 members according to official statistics. One of their main concerns refers to the non-recognition of the long history of the Roma in Estonia, and particularly of the tragic events surrounding the community during the Holocaust. One of the interlocutors pointed out that the construction of a monument to honour the Roma killed during the Second World War did not receive any financial support from the State. 63. The Roma community, despite its small size, referred to important problems they face, particularly concerning socio-economic marginalization. Education was pointed out as one of the key obstacles for the integration of Roma in the Estonian society. Roma children suffer from much higher dropout and drastically lower educational achievement rates, which directly affect their ability to enter the labour market. 64. Roma representatives also pointed out to more profound problems related to the cultural stigmatization and lack of tolerance towards the Roma community, which is often seen through stereotyped lenses and concepts. This lack of acceptance of Roma traditions and history by the