EU: Roma, largest minority in Europe. “Too slow progress in addressing antigypsyism”

Ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April, the EU Commission’s Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Vĕra Jourová, Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, and Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Olivér Várhelyi, issued the following statement: “On International Roma Day, we celebrate our largest European minority. We celebrate their diversity, language, arts and culture and their contribution to European history”. The statement goes on to say: “We see encouraging developments in several Member States and enlargement countries which actively address antigypsyism and fight against Roma discrimination. Yet progress is too slow and too little. Too many Roma still do not have equal access to education, employment, healthcare or housing. We have to work together on local, national and regional level, and always together with Roma, to achieve real equality in their everyday lives”. This year, “we are joining our forces with the Council of Europe on the EQUIROM project to combat stereotypes about Roma people in the media. We want to build positive narratives, focusing in particular on Roma women and youth, and to raise awareness about the culture of Roma and history, including about the Roma Holocaust”. Finally: “We call on EU and enlargement countries to implement all measures under the European Roma Strategic Framework and to step up efforts to combat antigypsyism and anti-Roma stereotypes”.
Valentina Bombelli