Brussels: During Romani Week, activists discuss the fight for equality and inclusion ahead of elections to the European Parliament
Brussels, the capital of the European Union and the seat of its important institutions, hosted the Romani Week meeting from 9 to 11 April this year. This annual event organized by the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network (ERGO) provides a platform for raising awareness about the reality faced by Roma, Sinti and Travellers throughout EU territory.
Representatives of civil society, EU institutions, international organizations and nonprofits come together during Romani Week on the occasion of International Romani Day, which falls on 8 April. This year the opportunity is of special significance because it transpired shortly before the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June, and Romani men and women are among the candidates running.
“We are doing our best to raise awareness about Romani people’s situations across the EU Member States. We monitor policy measures, either those which are about general issues or measures touching communities of Romani people specifically. We make recommendations based on our monitoring for how to improve existing measures or how to improve their implementation,” Isabehal Mihalache of the ERGO Network organization explained to ROMEA TV.
This year the event was held at a time when the EU faces a complex environment politically and societally, characterized by antiracist movements on the one hand, and the growing influence of the ultra-right on the other. Roma, Sinti and Travellers are particularly threatened by the nationalism and xenophobia which complicate their equality, inclusion and participation.
“I believe it is very important to go vote in these elections because the totalitarian right is on the rise. If totalitarianism is present in our society, we Roma will be the first in line to face violence,” said Spanish MEP Patricie Caro Maya, one of the four Romani men and women seated at the EP.
The main subjects of Romani Week 2024 included the Roma Civil Monitoring project, the rights of Romani children, and the effective participation of Romani civil society in shaping national policies. This year’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust of the Roma will accent the learning on how to prevent future genocides.
“You saw today that when you tell the story of what your family has lived through, what has happened, it is quite close to your heart,” Christian Pfeil, a German Sinto who survived his childhood in the ghetto in Lublin, occupied Poland and shared that story during a discussion at Romani Week this year, told ROMEA TV. “I want to continue with this work, because it is very important to hear this from the survivors, not from books.”
More than 120 participants attend the ninth annual Romani Week this year.
