Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs has 13 new members, Commissioner Fuková is planning a new method for its work
The Czech Government has appointed 13 new civil society members of its Council on Roma Minority Affairs at the recommendation of its Commissioner on Roma Minority Affairs, Lucie Fuková. The composition of the Council has been distinctively changed and just four of the previous civil society members have been retained.
The Council will have 34 members total, 17 of them from civil society, 16 of whom are Romani. Fuková herself is also an executive branch member of the Council, as is the director of the Museum of Romani Culture, Jana Horváthová; both are Romani.
The candidates were chosen through a nomination process after the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic published a call on its website in May 2023 for civil society candidates to be nominated. The submission report on the nominations says 23 were made, one of which was submitted after the deadline, and one candidate revoked his nomination.
On the basis of those nominations, Fuková recommended that the chair of the Council, which is the Prime Minister, appoint 13 candidates as Council members, of which one candidate is a past Council member whose term will be extended. The four Council members who are continuing are Gwendolyn Albert, Alena Gronzíková, Martin Kaleja and Vladimír Čermák.
“I congratulate the new members on their appointment to the civil society section of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs. I am very glad that the Czech Government has approved my recommendations for appointing these members. I congratulate all of the new members on their appointment and I thank everybody who applied despite their not having been selected,” Fuková told news server Romea.cz.
“It is important that the civil society section of the Council for Roma Minority Affairs actually be strong and active, that its members contribute not just their personal experience of how Romani people are living in the Czech Republic, but chiefly their expertise in recommending and proposing transformations in various areas,” Fuková said, adding that the new Council members have backgrounds in community work, cultural activities, education, local administrations, the nonprofit sector, social services and the state administration. According to her, the members were also selected with a view to representing Sinti Roma and the Vlax Roma.
“I will meet with the civil society section of the Council as soon as possible to plan both our immediate and medium-term objectives, as well as to agree on the subjects which are the most important at this moment. I would also like to introduce a new work method so that the Council members work in tandem, in pairs, on subjects,” Fuková said.
“Many important matters await us, we will be involved with the remembrance of the Holocaust of the Roma, which is still an underrepresented subject, with revising the Roma Strategy, with adopting a definition of antigypsyism, with recommending desegregation in education and revising the Framework Educational Programs, with the participation of Roma in the public sphere and other tasks. I believe we will manage to make progress on crucial themes with this new, changed Council. Representation on this important body is itself proof of the participation of Romani people at the very highest level in the Czech Republic. I wish us all good luck,” Fuková said.
New civil society members of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs
Adam, Milan
Mr. Adam earned his bachelor’s degree in social pedagogy from Charles University. Since 2002 he has been working as a field social worker for the City of Chomutov. In addition to questions of social inclusion at the local level, he is interested in international politics related to the integration of Roma, social services, and sports.
Dancso, Marian
Mr. Dancso teaches primary school in the Janov neighborhood of Litvínov, which is likely the largest socially excluded locality in the Czech Republic. In addition to educating Romani children, he also has extensive experience with the functioning of a local administration, as he has long held the post of a local assembly member in the town of Lom. In that context he has been striving for the emancipation of the Romani minority as well as for the direct involvement of its members in decision-making processes. His long-term aim is also to advocate for the concept of educating all children together and implementing that in practice.
Daniel, Jiří
Mr. Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree in social pedagogy from Masaryk University. Since 2021 he has worked as head of social services at the Center for Social Services of the City of Brno. In addition to his expertise in the field of social services he is also interested in community organizing and education. Other participation-related subjects such as health care and housing are also part of his focus.
Dunková, Růžena
Ms. Dunková earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ostrava University. She has many years of expert experience in the field of community work. Since 2009 she has worked at the Diocesan Charity of Ostrava-Opava, where she is currently the head of community work. In the context of her efforts in the community work field she is interested in antigypsyism, networking, the participation of Roma, and the prevention of pathological phenomena.
Kandráč, Ivan
Mr. Kandráč is a field social worker for the nonprofit organization ARGO, Společnost dobré vůle Zlín, z.s., [ARGO, Good Will Society Zlín] where he has dedicated himself to Romani minority empowerment and integration since 2016. Thanks to his daily contact with the Romani minority he also focuses on visibility for Romani culture and the Romanes language. As an instructor of music at the Masaryk Primary School in Valašské Meziříčí he has experience working with children and youth. He collaborates with local administrations in the Zlín Region and with the Regional Authority there.
Karika, Karel
Mr. Karika has extensive experience not just of a local administration through his time as vice-mayor of one of the municipal departments in the City of Ústí nad Labem, but also extensive experience with civil society activity. He has worked as a member of the Committee on National Minorities and the Committee on Social Issues of the Ústecký Regional Authority. Currently he is aiding refugees from Ukraine with the Romano jasnica group. He would like to focus his work at the Council on combating racism (specifically antigypsyism), on education, on expanding collaborations with local administrations, and on supporting social inclusion.
Lakatoš, Enrico
Mr. Lakatoš passed his matura examination in the field of public administration, concentrating during his studies on work with children and youth, especially their education in the field of Romani culture, chiefly Vlax Roma culture, and the Romanes language. He was a member of the Pardubice Regional Student Council and a member of the Young Diplomats organization. He will represent the Vlax Roma on the Council, one of the most numerous and widespread branches of the Roma in the Czech Republic.
Miko, Michal
Mr. Miko is director of the RomanoNet, z. s. umbrella organization of Romani-run NGOs. He has experience working with the European Commission, which collaborates with important nonprofit organizations in the Member States such as RomanoNet, z. s. He has expertise on international questions, especially in creating advocacy activities related to European Union policy on the position of the Roma.
Murka, Rudolf
Mr. Murka is the chair of the Society of Roma and Sinti in the Czech Republic and comes from a family of indigenous Czech Roma who were harshly persecuted during the Second World War. Because of his origin he is actively involved in public commemorations of Holocaust victims of Romani origin and is doing his best to achieve adequate compensation for such victims.
Ščuka, Petr
Mr. Ščuka works as the Executive Director of the Identity Prague, z. s., organization, the aim of which is the overall development of ethnic minorities and the achievement of harmonious coexistence between members of the Romani minority (and others) with the majority society in the Czech Republic. He has experience with implementing projects targeting the Romani minority, during which he has collaborated with the Labor Office of the Czech Republic and the Prague 14 Municipal Department. He is also dedicated to combating antigypsyism, the development of the Romanes language, the prevention of pathological phenomena and social services.
Ščuka, Tomáš Mr. Ščuka is a past member of the Council who would like to continue his membership for another term. His focus is on children and youth in particular, and he leads the Working Group on Youth and Other Roma-related EU Policies at the Council. He has collaborated with the Council of Europe on projects and has completed several internships at European Union institutions. He founded the Romani organization Romani Hub.
Tippan, Rudolf
Mr. Tippan is a methodologist on the prevention of early departure from education at the Karlovy Vary Regional Authority. He is also a social worker for the KSK centrum, o.p.s. nonprofit in the Karlovy Vary Region, where he focuses on culture, education, employment, and the prevention of socially pathological phenomena. He has experience with social work across different branches of that discipline, such as shelters for single mothers and their children or drop-in centers for children and youth.
Tišer, David
Mr. Tišer established and manages the ARA ART, z. s., organization, focusing on LGBTQ+ members of the Romani minority and the issue of multiple discrimination. He is one of the most distinctive figures in that field and has applied his experience to establishing a European LGBTQ+ Platform for Roma. He has been given several awards for his activity, for example, from the Charter 77 organization and the Museum of Romani Culture.
