This paper investigates the policies and politics of including European Roma students in mainstream educational systems within the context of two European Union (EU) policies: the Decade of Roma Inclusion (2005-2015) and EU National Roma Integration Strategies (2013-2020). Drawing on the scholarship about inclusion and its practical achievements, we examine the tensions between policy planning and policy implementation. We conclude that there is a discrepancy between what inclusion represents in current educational discourse and how inclusive efforts are working (or not) for Roma students.