Strasbourg, 3 February 2012CAHROM (2011)25

 

 

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

 

2nd meeting

Istanbul, Turkey, 22-25 November 2011

 

 

MEETING REPORT

 

 

1.The Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues (CAHROM) held its second meeting from 22-25 November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, with Mrs Mabera Kamberi (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”) in the Chair. The agenda as adopted appears in Appendix 1. The list of participants appears in Appendix 2.

 

Field visit to Roma neighbourhoods in Istanbul, Turkey, 22 November 2011

 

  1.               At the invitation of the Turkish authorities, the CAHROM carried out a visit to three Roma neighbourhoods (Kuştepe in Şişli district, Selamsız in Üsküdar district and Beyoğlu) in Istanbul on 22 November 2011. The visit was organised by Mrs Hande Yalnızoğlu, Turkish CAHROM member and Adviser to Mrs Nursuna Memecan, Member of Parliament, and guided by Zero Discrimination Association. Presentations were made by district governors, mayors, locally-elected public officials and Roma representatives. The report of the field visit appears in Appendix 5.

 

Hearing with Turkish state and local authorities and representatives of civil society

 

  1.               A hearing addressing the situation of Roma in Turkey and policy measures undertaken by the Turkish authorities was held on 23 November 2011. Several ministries and state institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the Turkish Employment Agency IS-KUR participated, together with municipalities, including the Mayor of Beyoğlu, and Zero Discrimination Association.

 

  1.               The Turkish representative to CAHROM summarised the main outcomes of the field visit.

 

  1.               The Mayor of Beyoğlu, Mr Ahmet Misbah Demircan, introduced some of the projects carried out by his municipality to improve the situation of Roma. He invited the CAHROM and the Council of Europe to participate in a major event to be organised by his municipality, in co-operation with the Turkish state authorities, in September 2012 which will include a festival addressing anti-Gypsyism. In addition, the Mayor presented a video on the current urban transformation of Beyoğlu. When asked if this new urban planning would result in the future eviction of Roma families, the Mayor responded that this new infrastructure was necessary due to the risks of earthquakes, however all citizens, including Roma, who wished to live in his municipality would be given the possibility to remain there.

 

  1.               Several ministries and state institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and the National Employment Agency presented their respective approaches and examples of mainstream and targeted policy measures aimed at improving the situation of Roma. Several speakers shared statistics which indicated that, despite recent progress in Turkey, for example, in the schooling of children or accessing health and employment, Turkish Roma citizens still belong to the most vulnerable population group, which warrants positive discrimination measures.

 

  1.               The President of the Zero Discrimination Association outlined the historical presence of three main groups in Turkey, i.e. the Roma in the western part of the country, the Dom in the eastern part and the Lom in the northern part. She highlighted some main problematic areas such as the eviction from traditional neighbourhoods due to the modernisation of cities, the low level of education which impacts employment and participation in public life, the poorer health situation, and the negative stereotypes of the majority population towards Roma.

 

Opening of the 2nd CAHROM meeting, 23 November 2011

 

  1.               The Chair, Mrs Mabera Kamberi (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”), and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma Issues (hereafter “SRSG”), Mr Jeroen Schokkenbroek, thanked the Turkish authorities, in particular Mrs Hande Yalnızoğlu and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, for organising and hosting the 2nd meeting of the CAHROM in Istanbul. They also thanked the district and municipal authorities, as well as Roma representatives and Zero Discrimination Association, for their availability during the field visits and for enabling  CAHROM members to become familiar with projects undertaken to improve the situation of Roma living in Istanbul.

 

Topical issues: anti-Gypsyism and attacks against Roma in Europe

 

  1.               The representative of ECRI introduced ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 13 on combating anti-Gypsyism[1] and discrimination against Roma[2], the adoption of which was felt necessary due to the fact that Roma continue to face serious problems throughout Europe, as documented in ECRI’s long-term country-by-country monitoring. This Recommendation, which also exists in Romani, addresses provisions relating inter alia to education, employment, housing, racist violence and crimes against Roma and the media. Follow-up of this General Policy Recommendation will be ensured through the findings of ECRI country-by-country monitoring reports, the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which increasingly refer to ECRI standards and reports in its judgments, and though the monitoring of NGOs and national specialised bodies against discrimination.

 

  1.           The President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) showed images illustrating racial violence and discrimination against Roma in Europe, from extermination during the Nazi period until the present day. He explained that he used these provocative images as a strong reminder of the situation facing a huge number of Roma in various parts of Europe, where they still suffer from inter alia ghettoisation, segregation, poor living conditions, forced sterilisation, police abuse, hate speech and stigmatisation. Despite EU-funded programmes and policies, he stated that 75% of European citizens still do not want Roma neighbours.
  2.           The OSCE-ODIHR representative presented the main outcomes of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting concerning the situation of Roma and Sinti and racism against Roma. Held in Warsaw on 5-6 October 2011, the main focuses of the plenary discussion and side events related to Roma and Sinti were freedom of speech in relation to anti-Roma rhetoric and the role and responsibility of media and journalists in addressing stereotypes and prejudice towards Roma. Referring to the Roma chapter of a 2010 OSCE monitoring report on hate crime, he announced that OSCE will release soon a new report on extreme right movements. He also indicated that OSCE-ODIHR’s field visit in Hungary was followed up by a meeting with authorities and the police. In addition, he had spoken to authorities during visits in Northern Moravia in the Czech Republic, as well as Plovdiv and Sofia in Bulgaria. Whereas the Bulgarian authorities reacted promptly against violence towards Roma, he noticed that, in the Czech Republic, some local authorities refrained from joining the protest. Referring to the previous presentation, he observed that the Mitrovica camp was closed down and people moved back to South Mitrovica thanks to US aid and EU funds.

 

  1.           In his presentation, the SRSG referred to the relevant paragraphs of the Strasbourg Declaration adopted by member States of the Council of Europe at the High Level Meeting on Roma on 20 October 2010, as well as to relevant extracts of the report of the Group of Eminent Persons. He also reminded participants that the Secretary General had made several statements in the wake of anti-Roma events.

 

  1.           The representative of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) regretted that the situation is worsening in many countries and that there is an urgent need to combat poverty and to fight against impunity of hate speech in mainstream media.

 

  1.           The Italian representative referred to dramatic cases of Roma children losing their lives and incidents against Roma migrants in Italy, but also said that the overall picture needed to be balanced out by the many examples of public outrage at such events. He underlined the importance of training police officers, lawyers, journalists and mediators, as well as of addressing prejudice and stereotypes by using, for instance, the Dosta! campaign.

 

15.The Committee then examined a preliminary draft declaration on the increasing anti-Gypsyism and racist violence against Roma in Europe [CAHROM (2011)24prov] which was introduced by the Chair. Several CAHROM members (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom), the European Commission, as well as Amnesty International, proposed amendments.

 

16.The Committee agreed on several amendments. It approved the draft declaration and agreed to transmit it to the Committee of Ministers for adoption (see Appendix 3).

 

Programme of activities, working methods and future thematic priorities of the CAHROM

 

  1.           The Vice-Chair of the CAHROM introduced the Bureau proposal regarding the working methods and future working thematic priorities of the CAHROM, as approved at the Bureau meeting held in Strasbourg on 7 September 2011.

 

  1.           The CAHROM examined the proposal of the Bureau regarding its working methods and future working thematic priorities [document CAHROM (2011)15]. The Committee adopted the proposal without any amendments (see Appendix 4).

 

  1.           The SRSG indicated that experts’ costs for participation in the expert teams could be covered by the Council of Europe.

 

  1.           The Chair then asked CAHROM members to propose thematic priorities and to indicate if they would be willing to join one or more thematic groups possibly hosting a visit of experts in areas in which they could benefit from other countries’ experience.

 

  1.           The German representative indicated that the summary table of thematic priorities contained in document CAHROM (2011)12rev2 Replies of the CAHROM members about thematic priorities was already a good basis for defining thematic priorities and forming some groups of countries, even though the document only contained 25 replies and required input from those yet to reply.

 

  1.           A number of CAHROM members made concrete proposals which resulted in the following three priority areas and groups of countries being proposed and approved by the Committee:

 

 

 

 

  1.           The Committee asked its Bureau to finalise the precise size and composition of these thematic groups, after consultation with the experts concerned.

 

  1.           The Committee requested the Secretariat to write, following consultation with the Bureau, to the CAHROM members concerned to provide them and their authorities with additional practical information and propose a time table for organising the above-mentioned thematic groups, including possible dates for a visit of experts to the requesting country.

 

  1.           The Secretariat indicated that, on the basis of initial replies received from several CAHROM members prior to the meeting, including France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, an additional thematic group might be established, pending future confirmation from the countries concerned, on issues related to nomadic Roma and Traveller communities.

 

Request from the Zentralrat deutscher Roma und Sinti to obtain observer status in CAHROM

 

  1.           The Committee took note of the request of the Zentralrat deutscher Roma und Sinti to be granted observer status in the CAHROM [document CAHROM (2011)20].

 

  1.           Whilst welcoming the interest of the Zentralrat in the CAHROM’s work, the Committee noted that, to date, only international non-governmental organisations have been granted observer status. Granting observer status to national NGOs might lead to proliferation which could hinder the effective functioning of the Committee.

 

  1.           The President of the ERTF commented that the Zentralrat deutscher Roma und Sinti could contribute to the work of the CAHROM via the European Roma and Travellers Forum.

 

  1.           The Committee decided against the granting of this request. It proposed, however, that the response to be addressed to the Zentralrat deutscher Roma und Sinti should underline that there would be other possibilities for the Zentralrat to actively contribute to the work of the CAHROM, e.g. by providing information in the framework of the future working methods of the CAHROM or by being invited to the CAHROM on an ad hoc basis to contribute to a specific item of the Committee’s agenda or by being invited to a public hearing.

 

Thematic exchange of experience on the role of local and regional authorities in implementing national Roma integration policies/strategies

 

  1.           The Director of the Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe presented the Final Declaration of the Summit of Mayors, held in Strasbourg on 22 September 2011, as well Congress Recommendation 315 (2011) and Resolution 333 (2011) on the situation of Roma in Europe adopted on 19 October 2011. She announced the forthcoming creation of a European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion and underlined the need for stronger co-operation between CAHROM members and local and regional representatives.

 

  1.           The representative of Finland introduced the positive example of Finland, highlighting the role of municipalities, Regional Advisory Boards on Romani Affairs and Local Roma Working Groups in the implementation of the Finnish policy on Roma adopted by Government Resolution in December 2010.

 

  1.           The Chair invited CAHROM participants to share other experiences and possible good practices as regards connecting policies/strategies between national, regional and local levels and invited the Committee to examine how it could contribute to the follow-up of the Summit of Mayors, in particular regarding the Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma inclusion.

 

  1.           The Slovak representative referred to the EU programme “Europe for citizens” run by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which aims to bring Europe closer to its citizens through, for example transnational exchanges and co-operation activities. Seven Slovak municipalities were invited by the Slovak Europe for Citizens’ Contact Point to participate in a meeting in Hungary in early November.

 

  1.           It was agreed that CAHROM members would spread information about the Summit Declaration and recent texts adopted by the Congress and provide the Secretariat with suggestions for cities or regions that could be contacted to join the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion to be set up in 2012.

 

Thematic exchange of experience on the elaboration of national Roma integration policies/strategies

 

  1.           The CAHROM held an exchange of views concerning developments in the elaboration of national Roma integration policies/strategies in various member States. Representatives of different member States presented their state of play. While some countries have already completed their strategies, others indicated that they were in the process of finalising theirs. Some delays were to be expected before the strategies could be concluded. Finally, a number of countries suggested that they were not planning to introduce amendments to their existing strategies/policies (for additional information, see Appendix 6).

 

  1.           Mr Detlev Boeing, representative of the European Commission/DG Enlargement, indicated that the EU Roma Platform had met the week prior to CAHROM and that an exchange of views with all stakeholders, including international organisations and NGOs, was also organised during the Platform meeting[3]. This issue will be followed up by the European Commission in 2012 when further meetings will be organised. He added that a Donor Conference will be organised on refugees and housing issues in Spring 2012 and that the Commission is expected to allocate 500 million Euros. Furthermore, he informed the Committee that annual progress reports on EU accession and pre-accession countries were published the week before the CAHROM[4] and referred to country-by-country events organised by DG Enlargement in all Balkan countries in 2011.

 

Roma education

 

  1.           The Committee heard from the Slovak representative on the experts’ meeting on effective strategies/practices to end and/or prevent segregation of Roma children in education in which he participated, both as a Slovak expert and CAHROM member, in Strasbourg on 5-6 September 2011. Ten other experts from the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom attended the meeting, which was aimed at collecting examples of effective social inclusion and desegregation strategies.

 

  1.           Mr Henry Hedman (Finland) informed the Committee that Romani language and culture will soon be taught at the University of Helsinki, a first in Finland. He encouraged other member States to do the same.

 

  1.           The representative of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” explained that segregation was prohibited in her country. There was at least one Romani teacher in each kindergarten.

 

  1.           The representative of Austria asked how it was possible to have so many Romani teachers in kindergartens. She said that, in Austria, Roma parents do not like to have their children sent to kindergarten, and if they do, they send them to mainstream kindergartens.

 

  1.           Lastly, the representative of the Netherlands reported that there is no segregation and therefore no special schools for Roma children. He added that there is substantial dropping out of Roma children from school, especially of girls when they are 12/13 years old. Generally speaking, due to a lack of good education, the participation of Roma in the regular labour market is very low. He further explained that, as there is no ethnic registration in the Netherlands, it is estimated that about 50 municipalities (out of 415) have a substantial number of Roma. Out of those 50 municipalities, 12 are organised in a Platform of Roma municipalities. These municipalities have developed an integrated/holistic approach aimed at so-called multi-problem families, most of them of Roma background. The Platform is working closely together with the national government in a Programme entitled “Combating exploitation of Roma children”. Mr de Vos suggested that this co-operation between local and national levels could be an example for other countries to follow.

 

  1.           As a result of the discussion, the Committee agreed to include the topic of desegregation in the field of education on the agenda of its next meeting.

 

Roma employment

 

  1.           The Secretariat reminded participants that the document CAHROM (2011)7 Implementation report of CM Recommendation (2001)17 on improving the economic and employment situation of Roma/Gypsies and Travellers in Europe which had been drafted by Mrs Louiza Kyriakaki (Greece) in her previous capacity of Chair of the MG-S-ROM, had already been circulated in English and endorsed by the Committee at its 1st meeting. Since the document had recently been translated into French, the Committee was invited to decide to submit the report in the two official languages to the Committee of Ministers for information.

 

  1.           The Committee agreed to submit the Implementation report of CM Recommendation (2001)17 on improving the economic and employment situation of Roma/Gypsies and Travellers in Europe to the Committee of Ministers for information (see Addendum 1 of the meeting report).

 

Roma asylum-seekers and returnees

 

  1.           The representative of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe welcomed the fact that, in line with PACE Recommendation 1941 (2010) on Roma asylum seekers in Europe, the CAHROM has kept on its agenda an item related to measures necessary to create durable solutions for Roma in/from Kosovo[5]. She indicated that there was a need to re-assess asylum rules within the European Union which, due to the presumption of safety applied to persons coming from EU member States, prevents Roma (as well as others) from being granted asylum in another EU member State.

 

  1.           The representative of UNICEF informed participants about their recent work in Kosovo[6]. She referred to the situation with regard to Germany, which was the first country to sign a repatriation agreement, and drew the attention of the Committee to page 23 of its report report on the situation of children returned from Germany[7] which contained a number of recommendations addressed to the German authorities.

 

  1.           The representative of UNHCR referred to the conference held in Zagreb on 26-27 October 2011, at which a Declaration was adopted concerning the sustainable return of Roma to their home countries, including issues such as civil documentation and registration in South Eastern Europe, as well as problems related to statelessness. In particular, she highlighted that being undocumented is a major obstacle for Roma and that, notably since the break-up of Yugoslavia, many Roma have lost their nationality and have no access to political and social rights.

 

  1.           The Chair informed the Committee that a Regional Conference on the subject of people without identification will be organised in around March 2012, in order to discuss the conclusions adopted at the Zagreb conference last October.

 

  1.           The President of ERTF indicated that more that 100,000 Roma had had to leave their home places in Kosovo[8]. He also suggested that the majority would be willing to return but that it is not possible for them to do so since they no longer have access to their home/land. He expressed the opinion that those who have been living in a country for many years should, in principle, be allowed to stay in that particular host country.

 

  1.           The representative of UNICEF confirmed that "housing" is a major obstacle, notably for those willing to go back to their country of origin since, in practice, they have lost their homes. She stressed that, sending asylum seekers back to their home countries whilst knowing that the rate of unemployment of the receiving country is about 50%, might not be the best solution.

 

  1.           The Amnesty International representative indicated that, at present, despite an improved situation compared to a few years ago, there are no favourable conditions for the Roma to return to their home places, notably due to both a lack of financial resources and a lack of action plans or strategies at municipal level.

 

  1.           The representative of Germany asked the Secretariat for clarification of the definition of Roma used as a footnote in Council of Europe documents[9] and, in particular, why it has been extended to other communities.

 

  1.           An ERTF representative stated that this definition issue was also discussed within the ERTF.

 

  1.           The SRSG indicated that the footnote, as it stands now, is very open (non-exhaustive) so as to include the widest diversity of the groups concerned since the situation varies in each country. The Secretary of the CAHROM added that, as also pointed out by the Ukraine representative during the discussion, the Council of Europe started using a common definition for its documents following a Seminar on Cultural Identities of Roma, Gypsies, Travellers and related groups held in Strasbourg in September 2003 which was attended by representatives of most Roma and Roma-related groups present in Europe. A glossary of terms relating to Roma issues first issued in 2006 has recently been updated[10]. The definition of “Roma” has been recently slightly amended to include a reference to Dom and Lom, i.e. the Eastern groups of Roma who are present in Turkey and Caucasus countries.

 

  1.           The representative of the OSCE/ODIHR suggested that the definition used by Roma organisations and international governmental organisations might be different and that it would not be a wise decision to focus only on one group or another. In reference to the broader topic under discussion, he stressed that the right to leave one's country should be carefully examined.

 

  1.           The representative of Slovakia said that he fully understood the difficulty regarding the Roma identification issue. Nevertheless, and following UNICEF’s presentation, his opinion was that the Committee should be in a position to provide an update to the Committee of Ministers.

 

  1.           The SRSG proposed that the CAHROM could draw the Committee of Ministers’ attention to UNICEF’s report and to keep the situation of Roma returnees in Kosovo[11] on its agenda.

 

  1.           The representative of Romania indicated that, on the basis of the information provided by UNICEF, the CAHROM should decide about the next steps to take, in particular regarding the major problem of housing. He asked other Committee members if they consider the measures taken by the authorities to be sufficient.

 

  1.           The representative of the Netherlands indicated that he could agree with the proposal expressed by the SRSG and that it was important to know what exactly should be forwarded to the Committee of Ministers.

 

  1.           The representative of Germany indicated that information could not be sent to the Committee of Ministers before identifying whether those who were sent back to Kosovo[12] were effectively Roma.

 

  1.           The representative of France stated that, while he would convey the CAHROM’s message to his authorities, he wished to point out that, in France, laws need to be respected. People who are not coming from a Schengen country should, therefore, be subjected to existing rules. He indicated that he agreed with the German representative and stressed that, since France does not recognise the concept of “minority”, in practical terms, France does not deport Roma but individuals in general.

 

  1.           Finally, the representative of OSCE/ODIHR stressed that the most important issue would be to ask all the governments concerned to make efforts to integrate the persons concerned.

 

  1.           As a conclusion regarding the situation of Roma returnees in Kosovo[13], the Committee noted with concern the information provided by UNICEF in its recently updated report on the situation of children returned from Germany. It agreed to draw the Committee of Ministers’ attention to this report[14] and to keep the situation of Roma returnees in Kosovo[15] on its agenda.

 

Migration and freedom of movement of Roma: the issue of visa liberalisation

 

  1.           The PACE representative first informed the CAHROM participants that she is currently preparing, on behalf of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, a report dedicated to the issue of movement and migration of Roma in Europe. An outline of that forthcoming report was distributed. She asked CAHROM participants to help her gather relevant information, especially statistics, on Roma migration. Three areas are of particular importance: the portrayal of Roma migrants in the media, Roma migrants as targets of the police and security discourses, and expulsions of Roma in member States, in particular EU member States.

 

  1.           Referring to Chachipe’s report distributed at her request, she also expressed concern about enhanced border checks and profiling requested by the European Commission and some EU countries as a condition for maintaining visa liberalisation in countries of the Western Balkans. She indicated that travel restrictions would be incompatible with the fundamental rights embodied in the European Convention on Human Rights. She asked those countries involved to explain the reasons for the existing restrictions and also asked the Committee to express its view on this matter.

 

  1.           The SRSG, recalling the existence of ECtHR case-law on the right to leave a country, invited representatives of the countries concerned to provide more information.

 

  1.           The representative of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" informed the Committee that, at present, Roma passports are not being stamped when leaving the country. She added that the Parliament is currently examining the adoption of a law which would apply to the whole population, not exclusively to Roma. She explained that several monitoring exercises have taken place. For example, delegations from Belgium and Sweden have visited Kumanovo. It was reported that all young people have left the town with only old people still living there. People mainly leave the country during the winter season. The authorities identified a tourist company that was organising bus trips every Friday to Western Europe and sanctions have since been applied to that company. She stressed that the issue at stake was financial, not political. Very good conditions provided to asylum seekers in recipient states play the role of a pull factor. These states may provide asylum seekers with a flat and 300 Euros per person per month (i.e. 1,500 to 2,000 Euros per month per family), whilst in her country, they receive 80 Euros per month for the entire family.

 

  1.           She further informed the Committee that her authorities are preparing an Action Plan to tackle this issue, since otherwise the visa liberalisation regime may be suspended. If that was the case, mainstream society would probably blame the Roma community with potentially serious consequences for the latter.

 

  1.           The representative of Serbia informed the Committee that her authorities have taken a number of measures to address the situation, e.g. a brochure was prepared and distributed in Serbian, Albanian and Romani. NGOs should also be fully informed and take responsibility when dealing with this issue. Co-operation is needed from all of those involved.

 

  1.           The representative of Albania indicated that her country is one of five having a visa liberalisation regime with the EU. The situation in Albania is similar to other countries. It was difficult to obtain accurate figures in Albania. A task force was established under the Ministry of Interior and an Action Plan has been prepared. Its aim is to reduce the number of asylum seekers. One of the measures adopted concerns awareness-raising within the Roma community.

 

  1.           The representative of OSCE/ODIHR stated that all of the above elements should be put on the table for discussion and that additional elements should also be considered e.g. trafficking. At this stage, it might not be necessary to adopt new laws and criminalise individuals. The right to leave a country should always be respected.

 

  1.           The ERTF President indicated that the amounts received by asylum seekers were less than the figures mentioned by the representative of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. In Germany, they receive 20 to 30% less than the poverty ceiling (which is 350 to 500 Euros). He urged the authorities to examine in detail why people are actually leaving “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and requested that the CAHROM send a strong and clear message to the authorities on this particular issue.

 

  1.           The representative of France stated that French legislation was in compliance with European regulations. He added that, in France, all individuals have the right to minimum health and hospitalisation services as part of the universal protection.

 

  1.           In response, the SRSG indicated that the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights on the right to leave a country was fairly precise as regards the circumstances in which it was possible for authorities to restrict the right to leave the country).

 

  1.           The SRSG further suggested that the countries concerned consider requesting the expertise of the Council of Europe to assist them in finding ways and means of ensuring that measures are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. For example, a meeting to discuss this issue with relevant CoE experts in this particular field could be organised.

 

Developments concerning the Dosta! Campaign and the database on Roma-related policies and good practices

 

  1.           The Committee received information from the Secretariat about the new Roma portal of the Council of Europe, as well as about the websites of the ROMED mediators’ training programme, of the Dosta! awareness-raising campaign for combating prejudices and stereotypes towards Roma and of the recently-created database on Roma-related policies and good practices[16].

 

  1.           The Secretariat informed the CAHROM members concerned that they would soon be requested to complete an overview document on the implementation of the Dosta! campaign, and to indicate a person responsible for regularly publishing information in the local language(s) under the respective country page of the multilingual Dosta! website. The Secretariat called on other CAHROM members to indicate whether their countries had the intention of joining the Dosta! campaign in the near future, and proposed to the Turkish authorities to consider associating the Dosta! campaign to the event on anti-Gypsyism scheduled in Beyoğlu in September 2012.

 

  1.           The representative of Slovakia informed the Committee about Slovakia’s intention to join the Dosta! campaign.

 

  1.           The representative of Croatia informed the Committee about a future Dosta! event that the Office for National Minorities of the Government of Croatia will be organising in Zagreb during the first half of 2012.

 

  1.           The SRSG asked the above country representatives to contact Mrs Eleni Tsetsekou, responsible for the Dosta! campaign in his Support Team.

 

  1.           At the request of Mrs Aurora Ailincai, ROMED Project Manager, a questionnaire related to the situation of mediators will shortly be circulated to CAHROM members in order to complete the database on mediators under the ROMED webpage.

 

  1.           As concerns the database on policies and good practices, the Secretariat explained that a provisional version, including already-validated examples of good practices in member States, has been accessible via the Roma portal of the Council of Europe since 20 October, the first anniversary of the Strasbourg Declaration. The database website should be fully operational by the end of 2011 and include a research engine by themes and countries. Only good practices validated either by the CoE Steering Committee for Education (CDED) or by the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights have been posted so far. Good practices identified as such by international partners (European Union, OSCE/ODIHR, Roma Decade, ERTF, etc.) will be taken into consideration. The database should also include relevant links to, and information about, national Roma-related strategies/policies/action plans.

 

Recent developments and up-coming events at national and international levels

 

  1.           Committee members and observers provided information about recent developments at national and international level. This included the Guidelines adopted by Roma youth representatives at the Roma Youth Conference held in Strasbourg in September 2011 and the main findings of Amnesty International’s recent reports. The Spanish expert presented the conclusions of the International Conference of Romani Women held in Granada in October 2011 and made reference to the Declaration adopted by over 300 Romani women who participated in that Conference.

 

  1.           The representative of the Holy See informed the Committee that, on 11 June 2011, His Holiness Benedict XVI welcomed, in a private audience at the Vatican, a Roma delegation of two thousand Europeans on a pilgrimage to Rome to mark the 75th anniversary of the martyrdom of blessed Zefirino Gimenez Malla, a Gypsy killed during the Spanish Civil War. He stressed that, although it was the first time that a Pope had received a Roma group in the Vatican, the Roma have been “at the heart of the Church” for a long time, as Paul VI said in 1965, celebrating mass in a field close to Rome, and as Benedict XVI repeated. After hearing some testimonies, the Pope commemorated the thousands of Gypsies persecuted through the centuries, especially those killed during the Second World War.

 

Arrangements for the next meeting

 

  1.           The Committee took note of the invitation of the authorities of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” to hold the 3rd CAHROM meeting in either Skopje or Ohrid on 22-25 May 2012. Some of the agreed thematic group of experts on housing may be invited to come a few days earlier to attend a Roma Decade Conference on Roma and housing in order to share their experience and participate in bilateral discussions with relevant authorities and NGOs on this matter.

 

  1.           The Committee agreed that the 4th CAHROM meeting would take place in Strasbourg in the autumn (probably November 2012 in order to give sufficient time for the work of thematic groups of experts). The dates will be fixed at the next meeting.

 

Adoption of the abridged meeting report (list of decisions)

 

  1.           The Committee adopted the abridged report.

 

 

***********

 

 

Appendices and addendum to the abridged meeting report of the 2nd CAHROM meeting

 

Appendix 1Meeting agenda

Appendix 2List of participants

Appendix 3Draft declaration on increasing anti-Gypsyism and racist violence against Roma in Europe

Appendix 4Bureau proposal regarding working methods of the CAHROM, as adopted by the Committee

Appendix 5Report of the field visit

Appendix 6Thematic exchange of experience on the elaboration of national Roma integration policies/strategies

 

Addendum 1Implementation Report of CM Recommendation (2001)17 on improving the economic and employment situation of Roma/Gypsies and Travellers in Europe


Appendix 1

 

MEETING AGENDA

 

 

22 November 2011

 

Field visit to three Roma neighbourhoods in Istanbul (Kuştepe in Şişli district, Selamsız in Üsküdar district and a third one in Beyoğlu municipality)

 

23 November 2011

 

  1. Opening of the meeting

 

  1. Public hearing with Turkish state and local authorities and representatives of civil society

 

  1. Adoption of the agenda

[CAHROM(2011)19 Annotated agenda]

 

  1. Topical issues: anti-Gypsyism and attacks against Roma in Europe

[Progress report of CoE Roma activities; Strasbourg Declaration; Report of the Group of Eminent Persons; ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 13; CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants; CAHROM (2011)24prov preliminary draft declaration on increasing anti-Gypsyism and racist violence against Roma in Europe]

 

  1. Programme of activities, working methods and future thematic priorities of the CAHROM
    1.    Working methods and thematic priorities

[CAHROM (2011)1 Terms of Reference of the Committee; CAHROM(2011)14 Report of the 1st CAHROM meeting; CAHROM(2011)21 Report of the 1st CAHROM Bureau meeting; CAHROM (2011)15 Proposal of the Bureau regarding CAHROM’s future working methods; CAHROM(2011)12rev2 Replies of the CAHROM members about thematic priorities]

  1. Request to obtain observer status

[CAHROM(2011)20 Request of the Zentralrat deutscher Roma und Sinti to be granted observer status in CAHROM; CAHROM(2011)21 Report of the 1st CAHROM Bureau meeting]

 

24 November 2011

 

  1. Thematic exchange of experience on the role of local and regional authorities in implementing national Roma integration policies/strategies

[Declaration and General Report of the Congress Summit of Mayors on Roma Issues; Congress Recommendation 315 (2011) and Congress Resolution 333 (2011) on the situation of Roma in Europe: a challenge for local and regional authorities; CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants]

 

  1. Thematic exchange of experience on the elaboration of national Roma integration policies/strategies

[Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)5 on policies for Roma and/or Travellers in Europe; CAHROM(2011) 13 Summaries of CAHROM members’ interventions on national programmes/action plans for Roma, including list of past and current Roma integration strategies; CAHROM(2011)14 1st CAHROM meeting report; Communication of the European Commission on a EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies; Conclusions of the EPSCO Council of 19 May 2011 adopted during the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council; CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants]

 

  1. Roma education and employment

1. Desegregation in the field of education

[CM Recommendation(2009)4 on the education of Roma and Travellers in Europe; CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants]

2. Employment

[CAHROM (2011)7 Implementation Report of CM Recommendation(2001)17 on improving the economic and employment situation of Roma/Gypsies and Travellers in Europe]

 

25 November 2011

 

  1. Asylum, migration and freedom of movement of Roma
    1. Roma asylum-seekers and returnees

[CAHROM (2011)8 Final CAHROM Opinion on PACE Recommendation 1941 (2010) on Roma Asylum Seekers in Europe; PACE Recommendation (1941) 2010; PACE Resolution 1768 (2010); PACE doc. 12393 Milorad Pupovac’s report on Roma Asylum Seekers in Europe; CM/AS(2011)Rec1941 final CM Reply to the Parliamentary Assembly concerning Roma Asylum Seekers in Europe; UNICEF report “Integration Subject to Conditions”; UNICEF-Kosovo report “”No place to call home”; UNHCR documents; CAHROM (2011)25 Relevant extracts from international conferences addressing durable solutions for Roma asylum seekers and Roma returnees to Kosovo[17]]

  1. Migration and freedom of movement of Roma

[CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants; Chachipe document “Human rights concerns in relation with recent measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers from the Western Balkans in the EU” distributed at the request of the PACE representative]

 

  1. Developments concerning the Dosta! Campaign and the database on Roma-related policies and good practices

[Information document about Dosta! activities in member states and introduction document to the database on Roma-related policies and good practices]

 

  1. Recent developments and up-coming events at national and international levels

[CAHROM (2011)22 Written contributions submitted by participants]

 

  1. Arrangements for the next meeting

 

  1. Adoption of the list of decisions

[CAHROM (2011)23 Draft abridged report of the 2nd CAHROM meeting]

 

  1. Close of the meeting


Appendix 2

 

 

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS / LISTE DES PARTICIPANTS

 

 

MEMBER STATES / ETATS MEMBRES

 

 

Albania/Albanie

Mrs. Blerina Zoto TEPELENA

Technical Secretariat of Roma

Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunity

Rruga e Kavasës, AL-Tirana

Tel.: +355 682082142; Fax: +355 4223 0719

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Austria/Autriche

Mrs. Christa ACHLEITNER

Federal Chancellery

Department for National Minority Affairs

Ballhausplatz 2

A-1010 Vienna

Tel.: +43(1)531152465; Fax: +43(1)531152158

E-mail:  [email protected]

 

Belgium/Belgique

Apologised/excusée

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina/Bosnie-Herzégovine

Mrs. Saliha ĐUDERIJA

Assistant Minister

Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Trg BiH 3, 33000 Sarajevo

Tel: +387 33 703 962; Fax: +387 33 206 655

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Bulgaria/Bulgarie

Mrs Rositsa IVANOVA

Secretary and Senior Programme Officer

Secretariat of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues

Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria

Tel.: +359 2 940 36 22; Mobile 0889 50 19 18 ; Fax: +359 2 940 21 18

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Croatia/Croatie

Mr. Branko SOČANAC

Head of the Office for National Minorities

of the Government of the Republic of Croatia

Mesnička 23, HR-10000 Zagreb

Tel.: +385 1 45 69 358 ; Fax: +385 1 45 69 324

E-mail: [email protected]

Czech Republic/République tchèque

Mr. Ondřej KLÍPA

Head of Secretariat of the Council for Roma Minority Affairs

Council for National Minorities of the Government of the Czech Republic

Office of the Government of the Czech Republic

nábřeží Edvarda Beneše 4

CZ Praha 1 - 118 01

Tel.: +420 224 002 043; M +420 724 050 336

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Estonia/Estonie

Mrs. Sirli TOOMING

Senior Specialist

Department of Cultural Diversity

Ministry of Culture

23 Suur-Karja Street, EE-15076 Tallinn

Phone: +372 628 2261 +372 628 2261; Fax: +372 628 2325

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Finland/Finlande

Mrs. Hannele SYRJÄ

Senior Officer- Advisory Board on Romani Affairs

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

P.O.Box 33, FI-00023 Government

Tel.: +358 (0)9 160 74308; Fax: +358 (0)50 553 5530

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Mr. Henry HEDMAN

Member of the Advisory Board on Romani Affairs

Lavinnonraitti 1-3,

12350 Turkhauta

Phone + 358 19 733 255, and + 358 50 5632640

E-mail : [email protected] ; [email protected]

 

France

M. Pierre HERISSON

Sénateur de la Haute-Savoie

Président de la Commission nationale consultative des Gens du voyage

7 avenue du Parmelan

74000 Annecy

Tél. : +33  (0)6 07 16 20 70
E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]

 

Mlle Constance TARNEAUD

Assistante parlementaire du Sénateur Pierre HERISSON

Paris

Tel : +33 (0)1 42 34 34 80 ; Fax : +33 (0)1 42 34 40 89

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Georgia/Géorgie

Apologised/excusée

 

 

Germany/Allemagne

Mr. Detlev REIN

Federal Ministry of Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany

Division M II 4 - Nationale Minderheiten in Deutschland; Europäische

Minderheitenpolitik; Belange anderer Sprachgruppen in Deutschland

Graurheindorfer Straße 198, 53117 Bonn

Tel.: +49 22899 681 3766; Fax: +49 22899 681 53766

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Greece/Grèce

Apologised/excusée

 

Hungary/Hongrie

Apologised/excusée

 

Ireland/Irlande

Apologised/excusée

 

Italy/Italie

Mr. Pietro VULPIANI

UNAR - Ufficio nazionale antidiscriminazioni razziali

Dipartimento per i diritti e le pari opportunità

Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri

Largo Chigi 19, I-00187 Roma
Tel.: +39 06 67792302; Fax +39 06 67792272; Cell +39 349 8367351

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Latvia/Lettonie

Mr. Deniss KRETALOVS

Senior Desk Officer

Division for Society Integration and Development of Civil Society

Ministry of Culture

Kr. Valdemara street 11 a, LV-1364 Riga

Tel.: +371 67330312

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Lithuania/Lituanie

Mrs Gražina SLUŠKO

Responsible for Roma issues

Division of national minority issues

Ministry of Culture

J. Basanaviciaus str. 5, LT- 5683 Vilnius
Tel. +370 2 619 486, Fax +370 2 623 120

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Luxembourg

M. Michel NEYENS

Conseiller de direction première classe

Ministère de la Famille et de l’Intégration

12-14, avenue Emile Reuter

L-2420 Luxembourg

Tel: +352 247-86515

E-mail: [email protected]

Republic of Moldova/République de Moldova

Mr. Nicolae RADIŢA(Bureau member/membre du Bureau)

Chairman of the NGO “Roma National Center”

109/1 Alexei Mateeevici str., ap. 306

Chisinau

Tel.: +373 22 227099, 244667

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Montenegro/Monténégro

Mrs. Aleksandra ZLOKOVIC

Adviser - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration

Stanka Dragojevica 2

81000 Podgorica, Montenegro

Tel.. +382 20 246 443; Fax. +382 20 225 702

E-mail. [email protected]

 

Netherlands/Pays-Bas

Mr Cornelis Marinus (Cor) de VOS

Former Mayor of Nieuwegein

Puccinihof 3, 3438 XW Nieuwegein

Tel.: +31306303876 ; Cell +31653165072

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Norway/Norvège

Mrs Cecilie HAARE

Adviser - Department of Sami and Minority Affairs

Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs

Akersgt. 59, Oslo

P.O. Box 8004, N-0030 Oslo

Tel.: +47 22 24 70 95 ; Fax : + 47 22 24 95 38

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Poland/Pologne

Mrs. Małgorzata RÓŻYCKA

Main Specialist

National and Ethnic Minorities Division

Department for Denominations and National and Ethnic Minorities

Ministry of the Interior and Administration

5 Stefan Batory Str., PL02-591 Warsaw

Tel.: +48 (0)22 60 144 22

Email: [email protected]

 

Portugal 

Apologised/excusé

 

Romania/Roumanie

Mr. Valentin MOCANU

Secretary of State

Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection

2 B Dem. I. Dobrescu Street

Sector 1, Bucharest

Tel.: +40 21 319 25 84; Fax: +40 21 311 05 80

E-mail: [email protected] 

Russian Federation/Fédération de Russie

Mr. Sergey TOLKALIN

Deputy Director

Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya sq., Moscow, 119 200

Tel.: +7 499 244 30 31/244 30 25 ; Fax: +7 499 244 30 45

E-mail : dgpch@mid.ru ; [email protected]

 

Serbia/Serbie

Mrs. Slavica DENIC

State Secretary

Ministry of Human and Minority Rights,

Public Administration and Local Self-Government

Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, 11000 Belgrade

Tel.: + 381 11 301 4880

E-mail : [email protected]  / [email protected]

 

Slovak Republic/République slovaque

Mr. Ján HERO

Member of the Board of the NGO “Through the Children to the Family”

Dolná 48/19, 967 01 Kremnica

Tel.: +421 915 988443; 421 45 6743082

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 

 

Slovenia/Slovénie

Mrs. Vera KLOPČIČ

Higher scientific fellow at the Institute for Ethnic Studies

Erjavčeva 26, 1000 Ljubljana

Tel.: +386 1 200 18 74

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Spain/Espagne

Mme Rocio ARIÑO SERRANO

Chef des Programmes - Sous-direction des Programmes Sociales

DG des Services pour la Famille et l’Enfance

Ministère de la santé, des Services sociaux et de l’Egalité

Po de la Castellana, 67, 6ème étage, Bureau B-633

28071 Madrid

Tel.: +34 918226592

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Sweden/Suède

Mrs. Elin STRAND

Ämnessakkunnig/Special Adviser

Enheten för diskrimineringsfrågor / Division for Discrimination Issues

Arbetsmarknadsdepartementet / Ministry of Employment

Tel. (Direct no): +46 (0) 8 405 14 61; Mobile: +46 (0) 76 135 88 98

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Switzerland/Suisse

Apologised/excusée

 

“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”/« L’ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine »

Mrs. Mabera KAMBERI(Chair/Présidente)

Head of the Sector for Coordination and Technical Assistance

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Ul Dame Gruev No. 14, MK- 1000 Skopje

Tel.: +389 2 3 106 224; Mobile: +389 75 367 632;

Fax: +389 2 311 0251

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Turkey/Turquie

Mrs. Hande YALNIZOĞLU

Adviser to Ms. Nursuna Memecan, Member of the Parliament

Meşrutiyet Cad. Güneş Han No: 19 Beyoğlu / İstanbul

Tel.:+90 532 617 4656

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Mr. Osman ŞAHIN

Chief of Section at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Ismet Inönü Bulvari, No:5,

06100 Emek, Ankara

Tel.: +90 312 212 83 00 / 2009; Fax: +90 312 212 37 88

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Mr. Cem EMRE

Department of International Relations and EU Coordination

Ministry of Culture and Tourism

İsmet İnönü Bulvarı. No:5 

06100 Emek, Ankara.

Tel.: +90 312 212 83 00/2040; Mobile: +90 532 456 06 34

Fax: +90 312 212 37 88

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] 

 

Ukraine

Mr. Petro Grygorichenko

President of the Association of public organisations “Congress of Roma of Ukraine”

38, Postova str.

03061 Kyiv

Tel.: +38 (044) 278 87 11; Mob.: 098 042 28 42

E-mail: [email protected]  

 

United Kingdom/Royaume Uni

Mr. Ian NAYSMITH(Vice-Chair/Vice-président)

Head of Gypsy, Traveller & International Policy Equalities & Enterprise Division

Department for Communities and Local Government

Eland House (5/A1)
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU

Tel: + 44 (0)303 444 2063. Fax: +44 (0)20 7944 2460

E6mail : [email protected]

 

 

* * *

 

PARTICIPANTS

 

Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) / Comité consultatif de la Convention-cadre pour la protection des minorités nationales

 

Apologised/Excusé

 

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe/ l’Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe

 

Mrs. Annette GROTH

Member of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe / Congrès des Pouvoirs locaux et régionaux du Conseil de l’Europe

 

Mrs Antonella CAGNOLATI

Director of the Secretariat of the Congress

Tel: +33 3 88 41 21 07

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights / Commissaire aux Droits de l’Homme du Conseil de l’Europe

 

Apologised/excusé

 

European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) / Commission européenne contre le racisme et l’intolérance (ECRI)

 

M. François SANT’ANGELO

Member of ECRI

Conseiller juridique au Centre pour l'égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme à Bruxelles

Rue Royale, 138, B-1000 Brussels

Tel:+ 32 2 212 31 00

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) / Banque de Développement du Conseil de l’Europe

 

Apologised/excusée

 

* * *

 

OTHER PARTICIPANTS / AUTRES PARTICIPANTS

 

European Union / Union européenne

 

Mr. Detlev BOEING

Principal Administrator

DG Enlargement - Policy Coordination

European Commission

CHAR 4/245, rue de la Loi 170

B-1040 Brussels

Tel: +32 (0) 2 296 83 66; Fax:+32 (0) 2 296 74 32

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement

 

Holy See/Saint-Siège

 

Rev. Do P. Gabriele F. BENTOGLIO

Sous-Secrétaire

Conseil Pontifical de la Pastorale pour les Migrants et les Itinérants

Via Calandrelli 11, I-00153 Roma

Tel : +39 (06) 69 88 73 95

E-mail: [email protected]

 

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues (CPRSI) / Bureau de l’OSCE pour les institutions démocratiques et les droits de l’homme (BIDDH) Point de contact pour les questions roms et sintis

 

Mr. Douglas WAKE

ODIHR Deputy Director

19 Ujazdowskie Avenue 

PL - 00-557 Warsaw, Poland

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Mr. Andrzej MIRGA

Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues

19 Ujazdowskie Avenue 

PL - 00-557 Warsaw, Poland

Tel : +48 22 520 06 00 x 1143; Fax: +48 22 520 06 05; Mob: +48 695 808 825

E-mail : [email protected]

 

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) / Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD)

 

Apologised/excusé

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) / Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR)

 

Mrs. Selen AY

Senior Protection Associate

UNHCR Office in Ankara, Turkey

E-mail: [email protected]

 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/ Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’Enfance (UNICEF)

 

Mrs Beate DASTEL

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

UNICEF Office in Kosovo

Nr. 1 Ali Pashë Tepelena Street
Prishtina, Kosovo, UNMIK

E-mail: [email protected]

* * *

 

OBSERVERS / OBSERVATEURS

 

European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) / Forum européen des Roms et des Gens du voyage (FERV) / Evropako Forumo e Romengo thaj e Phirutnengo (EFRP)

 

Mr. Rudko KAWCZYNSKI

President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum

c/o Council of Europe

F-67075 Strasbourg cedex, France
Tel: + 33 (0)3 90 21 53 50 / 43 31; Fax: + 33 (0)3 90 21 56 58

E-mail : [email protected]  or [email protected]

Web: www.ertf.org  

 

Mr. Gheorghe RADUCANU

ERTF Executive Committee Member

c/o Council of Europe

F-67075 Strasbourg cedex, France
Tel: + 33 (0)3 90 21 53 50 / 43 31; Fax: + 33 (0)3 90 21 56 58

E-mail : [email protected]  or [email protected]

 

European Roma Information Office (ERIO)/ Bureau d’information européen sur les Roms

 

Apologised/excusé

 

European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)/ Centre européen pour les droits des Roms (CEDR)

 

Apologised/excusé

 

Project on Ethnic Relations (PER)/ Projet sur les Relations ethniques

 

Apologised/excusé

 

Open Society Foundations (OSF)

 

Mr. Bernard RORKE

Director of International Advocacy and Research

Oktober 6. u. 12

H-1051 Budapest

Hungary

Tel: +36 1 327 3858

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat / Secrétariat de la Décennie pour l’intégration des Roms

 

Mrs. Tunde BUZETZKY

Head of the Roma Decade Secretariat

H-1066 Budapest

Terez krt 46, 4th floor

Tel: +36 1 411 1325; Fax: +36 1 411 1326

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Mr. Adem ADEMI

Programme Coordinator

H-1066 Budapest, Terez krt 46, 4th floor

Tel: +36 1 411 1325; Fax: +36 1 411 1326; Cell:+36-30-641-49-86   

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Mr. Marek SZILVASI

Intern

H-1066 Budapest, Terez krt 46, 4th floor

E-mail : [email protected]

 

Forum of European Roma Young People (FERYP)/ Forum des jeunes Roms européens

 

Apologised/excusé

 

Roma Education Fund (REF) / Fonds pour l’éducation des Roms

 

Mr. Costel BERCUS

Chairman of the Board of REF

Terez krt. 46, Mark Center
H-1066 Budapest

Hungary

Phone: +36 1 235 8030
E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.romaeducationfund.org

 

Amnesty International / Amnestie internationale

 

Mrs Barbora CERNUSAKOVA

Researcher, EU Team, Europe and Central Asia Programme

1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW, UK
Tel: +44 20 7413 5759, Fax: +44 20 7956 1157

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Mrs Rita PATRICIO

Executive Officer, Council of Europe

Rue de Trevesm 35, Bte. 3

1040 Brussels; Belgium

Tel: +32 2 502 14 99

E-mail: [email protected]

 

* * *

INTERPRETERS/INTERPRETES

 

English / French:

 

Christine TRAPP-GILL

Brian RIGGS

 

English / Romani:

 

Sejdo JASAROV

Diana SIMA

* * *

SECRETARIAT

 

Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues / Représentant Spécial du Secrétaire Général pour les questions relatives aux Roms

 

Mr Jeroen SCHOKKENBROEK

Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues

Council of Europe, F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Tel.: +33 3 88 41 22 79

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Support Team of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues / Equipe d'appui du Représentant Spécial du Secrétaire Général pour les questions relatives aux Roms

 

Mr Sixto MOLINA

Head of the Support Team of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues

Council of Europe, F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Tel.: +33 3 88 41 35 92

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Mr. Michaël GUET

Secretary of the CAHROM

Council of Europe, F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Tel.: + 33 3 90 21 49 63

E-mail: [email protected]

 

Mrs. Ljiljana STOJISAVLJEVIC

Assistant to the Secretary of the CAHROM

Council of Europe, F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Tel.: +33 (0)3 88 41 33 73, Fax: +33 3 90 21 40 53

E-mail: [email protected]


Appendix 3

 

 

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

__________

 

Draft Declaration

on increasing anti-Gypsyism and racist violence against Roma in Europe

 

as adopted by the CAHROM at its 2nd meeting in Istanbul

for adoption by the Committee of Ministers

__________

 

Declaration on increasing anti-Gypsyism and racist violence against Roma[18] in Europe

  1. In many countries, Roma are subject to racist violence directed against their persons and property. These attacks have sometimes resulted in serious injuries and deaths. This violence is not a new phenomenon and has been prevalent in Europe for centuries. However, there has been a notable increase of serious incidents in a number of member states, including serious cases of racist violence, stigmatising anti-Roma rhetoric, and generalisations about criminal behaviour.
  2. Such incidents have been publicly condemned by inter alia the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and his Special Representative for Roma issues, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Council of Europe Group of Eminent Persons, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), as well as various international governmental and non-governmental organisations.
  3. The Committee of Ministers recalls the priorities agreed by member states in the Strasbourg Declaration on Roma adopted at the Strasbourg High Level Meeting on 20 October 2010 which include ensuring the timely and effective investigation of racially motivated crime and strengthening efforts to combat hate speech and stigmatisation.
  4. In its General Policy Recommendation no.13[19] on combating anti-Gypsyism and discrimination against Roma ECRI recalls that anti-Gypsyism is a specific form of racism, an ideology founded on racial superiority, a form of dehumanisation and institutional racism nurtured by historical discrimination, which is expressed, among others, by violence, hate speech, exploitation, stigmatisation and the most blatant kind of discrimination. As such, anti-Gypsyism is one the most powerful mechanisms of Roma exclusion.
  5. The effectiveness of strategies, programmes or action plans aimed at improving the situation and the integration of the Roma, be at international, national or local level, can be significantly reinforced by resolute action to combat anti-Gypsyism and action to improve the trust between Roma and the wider community, where appropriate building on ECRI’s guidelines. Such documents should make clear that attitudes among the non-Roma population are a crucial factor that needs to be addressed. Roma inclusion measures should include both measures targeted at the Roma population (in particular positive measures) and measures targeted at the non Roma population, notably to combat anti-Gypsyism and discrimination.

 

  1. Against this background, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe:
  1. expresses its deep concern about the rise of anti-Gypsyism, anti-Roma rhetoric and violent attacks against Roma which are incompatible with standards and values of the Council of Europe and constitute a major obstacle to successful social inclusion of Roma and full respect of their human rights;
  2. draws the attention of governments of member states to ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 13, in particular its paragraph 8 which contains useful guidelines on combating racist violence and crimes against Roma;
  3. calls on governments and public authorities at all levels and the media to refrain from using anti-Roma rhetoric, in particular during electoral campaigns, and to condemn vigorously, swiftly and in public, all acts of racist violence against Roma, including threats and intimidation, as well as hate speech directed against them;
  4. calls on governments and public authorities at all levels to be vigilant not to use Roma as easy targets and scapegoats, in particular in times of economic crisis, and to conduct in a speedy and effective manner the requisite investigations of all crimes committed against Roma and identify any racist motives for such acts, so that the perpetrators do not go unpunished and escalation of ethnic tensions is avoided;
  5. welcomes the existing examples of swift reaction from state and local authorities to hate crime and anti-Roma incidents, including legal responses (e.g. amendments of national legislation to protect Roma from harassment and intimidation; prosecution and conviction by national courts of persons committing such crimes, including through the Internet and other media, preventing and condemning extremist organisations committing such crimes). It stresses the need for effective action to record racist crimes, support victims, and encourage the latter to report such racist incidents;
  6. recognises the interdependence of inclusion and anti-discrimination; therefore, any strategy, programme or policy developed to improve the situation and integration of Roma should include, in addition to measures promoting the social and economic inclusion of Roma in areas such as education, health, employment and housing, measures combating discrimination and addressing anti-Gypsyism, in line with its Recommendation (2008)5 on policies for Roma and/or Travellers in Europe. Such measures could include research on the phenomenon and awareness-raising activities among the non Roma population, conducted in co-operation with Roma organisations, with a view to addressing stereotypes and prejudice towards Roma. In this respect, it recognizes the role and responsibility of media and journalists. It also recalls that the Council of Europe Dosta! campaign is one of the tools at disposal of member states and encourages them to use it;
  7. underlines the need for all member states to adopt specific and comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in line with international and European standards; to set up anti-discrimination bodies equipped to promote equal treatment and to assist victims of discrimination; and to ensure that this legislation is effectively implemented.


Appendix 4

 

 

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

__________

 

 

PROPOSAL OF THE BUREAU

on CAHROM’s future working methods,

under items 4 i. and 4 ii. of its Terms of Reference

 

adopted by the CAHROM

at its 2nd meeting (Istanbul, Turkey, 22-25 November 2011)

 

__________

 

 

 

 

Background

 

  1. At its first meeting, held in Strasbourg on 30-31 March 2011, the Ad Hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues (CAHROM) proceeded with an exchange of views on its future role, working methods and thematic priorities.

 

  1. The Committee agreed at that meeting that “it should give space on its future agenda for thematic exchanges of experience and good practices, as well as analysis of the implementation of policies in order to draw conclusions about lessons learnt that will be of benefit to other member states”[20]. It took note that “its Terms of Reference place priority emphasis on analysis and evaluation of the implementation of national policies on Roma in light of international standards, and in particular those developed by the Council of Europe, without pursuing activities relating to monitoring”[21].

 

  1. In order for the Bureau members to make further proposals to the Committee regarding working methods, the Committee was requested by the Chair to provide the Secretariat with answers to questions both concerning thematic priorities for which member states would like to gain more knowledge and experience from other countries, together with thematic topics on which member states could share good practices and policy measures with other countries.

 

  1. The Secretariat collected answers to those questions in document CAHROM (2011)12rev[22]. A summary table of identified thematic priorities and countries requesting and offering a thematic exchange of experience is appended to document CAHROM (2011)12rev.

 

 

Rationale

 

  1. The Bureau has examined practical ways and means of implementing the Terms of Reference of the CAHROM, in particular items 4.i and 4.ii.[23], having in mind that, during plenary meetings, time is too limited to enable a thorough exchange of information and deep analysis and assessment of policies.

 

  1. On the other hand, the Bureau underlines the key role that the CAHROM, due to its unique mandate and composition, can play in this respect at a time of international momentum generated by various international organisations/institutions and their member states regarding the design, implementation and assessment of national strategies/action plans for Roma[24].

 

  1. The Bureau believes that the CAHROM’s main role is to be a forum where member states having a national experience/expertise to share with others or wishing to receive expertise from other member states in a specific thematic policy area could exchange experience at a governmental expert level. The Bureau equally agrees that a mutual analysis and assessment of specific thematic policy areas with a view to drawing up lessons learnt would be of benefit for the countries concerned and possibly for the whole CAHROM membership.

 

  1. The Bureau stresses that this is not a monitoring exercise since the CAHROM has no mandate to assess the compliance of national policies with the Council of Europe’s standards[25]. The purpose is entirely pragmatic, i.e. to learn from each other, bearing in mind that each member state has both something to learn and to offer. The ultimate common objective is an overall improvement of the effectiveness of Roma integration policies across Europe and, thus, the situation of the Roma themselves.

 

 

Proposals

 

  1. Taking into account in particular the thematic policy areas identified through the replies to the questionnaire [see document CAHROM(2011)12rev] and the common thematic interest shared by several member states, it is suggested that a selected number of thematic policy areas be studied, analysed and evaluated at each plenary meeting of the CAHROM.[26]

 

  1. The list of specific thematic policy areas identified for the following year should be agreed at the autumn plenary meeting of the CAHROM. During the same plenary, a group of countries (e.g. three or four) should be identified per theme, taking into consideration as much as possible geographical coverage, the size of the Roma population, as well as the institutional framework, in order to ensure the best possible transfer of experience.

 

  1. In light of paragraph 5 above, the Bureau proposes that, in between plenary meetings, bringing together small groups of experts (e.g. three-four experts) would be the best format for studying, analysing and evaluating the agreed thematic policy areas in selected countries. The group of experts would comprise an expert from the country seeking relevant experience from other member states (hereafter “the requesting country”) and experts from countries willing to offer their experience on that particular thematic topic (hereafter “the partner countries”).

 

  1. Experts taking part in the exercise should preferably be CAHROM members having the necessary thematic expertise. The CAHROM member can, however, designate another relevant expert to be part of the team. The expert from the requesting country should work in this particular thematic area and the exchange of experience should be of benefit to his/her work in the short term. He/she should also be able to influence national policy in the specific thematic area. As far as possible, experts from partner countries should have a similar profile. Each working group should have one working language, either English or French. All experts in the same working group should be fluent in that language.

 

  1. As regards the contribution of “other participants” and “observers” (i.e. international organisations and NGOs listed in paragraphs 5.C and 5.D of the CAHROM’s Terms of Reference), and bearing in mind that “the Committee [shall] seek synergies with the work of other international organisations active in this area, in particular with the European Union”[27], the Bureau feels it important to recognise that CAHROM members and observers have different roles and responsibilities. The Bureau stresses that international organisations and NGOs will, nevertheless, be given the opportunity to bring an input into the work of the team of experts, either during the visit to the requesting country, through written information provided to the experts’ team or by providing comments on the team’s report when presented in the plenary.

 

  1. Once the list of thematic areas and groups of countries is established, the CAHROM members concerned should provide experts of the same thematic group, via the Secretariat, with all relevant information covering the specific thematic area (legislation, relevant chapters of the national Roma strategy/action plan, relevant data, list of measures and projects implemented, financial means made available, quantitative and qualitative indicators, results of impact assessment studies, criteria used to assess the impact of the national policy in this particular thematic area, etc.). This information should be made available in one of the common Council of Europe official languages of the team of experts.

 

  1. The experts should also be provided, through the Secretariat, with other sources of information such as relevant Council of Europe, EU, OSCE, World Bank, UN and NGO documents/studies/reports, etc.

 

  1. Following receipt by the experts of this material, the experts may seek complementary information from other members of the team.

 

  1. The requesting country is expected to invite the other experts of the team to visit that country. Direct discussion with relevant actors (policy makers, Roma organisations, NGOs, local offices of international organisations, etc.) will be highly valuable in terms of informing the experts’ work and drafting the report.

 

  1. Following the receipt of a written invitation from the host country, such a visit would be organised in due time before the plenary meeting during which the report will be presented.

 

  1. The experts, in close co-operation with the Secretariat, will then prepare a draft report in the light of all information collected. This report would cover the different countries involved in the exercise, with a special focus on the thematic policy of the “requesting country”. In the process of drafting the report, each expert will therefore be acting as a commentator of other countries’ policies whilst analysing, by comparison, its own model.

 

  1. The report should be an analytical synthesis of the thematic policy area covered by the exercise. The report is not meant to be a comprehensive scientific document. It should focus on lessons learnt and identify effective policies and good practices in the participating countries for possible transfer of experience at bilateral or multilateral level.

 

  1. The report will be finalised by the Secretariat and approved by the team of experts. The finalised report will then be translated into the other official language of the Council of Europe and circulated to all CAHROM participants (members and observers), preferably no later than six weeks prior to the plenary meeting during which this thematic policy area should be addressed.

 

  1. During the plenary meeting, one of the members of the team of experts will summarize the analytical part of the report and present the overall conclusions and lessons learnt. Participants in the CAHROM, including representatives of international organisations having an observer status in the Committee, will have the possibility to propose factual corrections to the report or provide additional information relevant to the thematic area covered which could be reflected in the plenary meeting report. The CAHROM will be invited to endorse the report.

 

  1. The Chairperson will use his/her discretion in deciding how much time can be made available in the plenary meeting for the discussion on each thematic area (normally a few hours for each report depending on the topic and scope). The Bureau will reflect this in the draft plenary meeting agenda.

 

  1. As a follow-up to the report, the countries involved in the thematic team of experts may envisage bilateral or multilateral follow-up visits. Should lessons learnt from the report be considered to be of general value (also to other member states), the CAHROM could decide to draft recommendations on this specific thematic area for submission to the Committee of Ministers. Effective policies and good practices identified in the report will help the Secretariat to feed the online database set up by the Council of Europe.

 

  1. Once the CAHROM has endorsed the report, the Committee will transmit it to the Committee of Ministers for information alongside any proposals for follow-up.

 


Appendix 5

 

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

__________

 

 

REPORT OF THE FIELD VISIT TO ROMA NEIGHBOURHOODS

IN ISTANBUL, 22 NOVEMBER  2011

__________

 

 

A field visit to three Roma neighbourhoods in Istanbul was organised by Ms. Hande Yalnızoğlu, Turkish CAHROM member and Adviser to Ms. Nursuna Memecan, Member of the Parliament. The visit was guided by Zero Discrimination Association and Hande Yalnızoğlu, with the help of interpreters.

 

As a general introduction it was recalled that Istanbul is a 2,700 years old city and Roma have been living in various parts of Istanbul for hundreds of years.

 

The first Roma neighbourhood visited was Kuştepe (“birds’ hill”) which belongs to Şişli district. The District Governor, the Deputy Mayor of Şişli, the local elected public official (“Mukhtar”), the president of Istanbul Florists’ Association and Mr Metin Şentürk, Roma leader, addressed the Committee in a cultural centre in the presence of many Roma local residents.

 

Kuştepe Roma neighbourhood was founded in 1952 by Roma who had been evicted from another area. Kuştepe is right in the centre of Istanbul in-between modern business and shopping area and a private university. About 200,000 residents live in Şişli; however, the day-time population can reach 4 million people. Kuştepe neighbourhood is inhabited by about 5,000 Roma people, and is facing urban development which, in the near future, may result in evictions of Roma families. During the visit, some Roma families feared that the aim of our visit was to announce future evictions (as it happened in the traditionally Roma inhabited Sulukule district, in the old part of Istanbul, which went through an urban  project few years ago resulting in the evictions of quasi all Roma residents who are now living in the suburbs of Istanbul, except a few families who managed to stay in new apartments in Sulukule).

 

Roma in Kuştepe mainly work nowadays as florists, metal collectors and sellers, shoe-makers, cleaners and housekeepers. The living standard is very poor and so is the level of education. Eight children have finished primary education and go to the school which is neighbouring Roma houses. The use of the Romani language is scarce; most of Turkish Roma speak Turkish and do not practice Romani anymore, though some of the Roma whom the Committee visited could talk to Romani-speaking CAHROM members.

 

The Istanbul Florists’ Association was created 14 years ago. The municipality is also a regular interlocutor of the Istanbul Florists’ Association and deals with any problems related to Roma florists.

 

The cultural centre was created by Şişli district governance and is services-oriented. It helps with the education of Roma children (including homework and educational training for 42 children). The municipality helps motivate the children going to school but also to get an idea of what exists outside Kuştepe through visits to museums, etc.

The district governor recalled that there is only one Turkey composed of different ethnic groups and that intermarriages were numerous. All citizens are equal but there is definitely a need to include positive measures, a term introduced by European institutions. In that sense, Roma are equal citizens but need positive discrimination. More tolerance and social inclusion of all Turkish citizens are still challenges.

 

He underlined that the district has changed a lot since 1999, thanks in particular to Şişli mayor. The schools and the cultural centre helped modernise the Kuştepe neighbourhood. Prior to this action, more than 300 kids were left on the street.

 

Following a brief presentation by Mrs Mabera Kamberi, Chair of the CAHROM, about the Committee and the reasons for such a visit, Mr Nicolae Radiţa from Moldova raised two questions: one concerned the participation and representation of Roma at the local governance level and the second was about the protection and promotion of the Romani language.

 

The municipality responded that 69 Roma were employed by the Şişli municipality. As concerns the language, the municipality replied that the Romani language was an asset and that 80% of Turkish Roma spoke Romanes, though this information was contradicted by other testimonials during the visit.

 

To the question about the estimated number of Roma living in Turkey, which was raised by Mr Raducanu, representative of the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF), the answer was that it is estimated that about 5 million Roma live in Turkey (which is more than twice the largest estimated number of Roma living in Romania).

 

The second Roma neighbourhood visited was Selamsız (who never says hello) located in Üsküdar district, close to the harbour on the other side of the Bosphore, and therefore a more traditional district than those located in the European part of Istanbul. Over 500,000 inhabitants live in Üsküdar. Roma have been living in this district since 1700s. Today’s Roma neighbourhood comprises 310 Roma households (about 1,400 people).

 

A lunch was offered by the mayor of Üsküdar, Mr Mustafa Kara, who declared in his welcoming speech that Roma are probably the most unifying factor in Europe after football. He said that in this world-wide environment his tiny municipality was trying to develop projects that could be exported to other countries and referred to a multi-fold project addressing professional training for young Roma, rehabilitation of families, education and schooling of children and protection of abandoned street children. A detailed paper presentation of this project was handed over to participants.

 

He also welcomed the presence of Committee members from all over Europe and encouraged them to share good practices with his Deputy. Recalling the tolerant attitude of the Ottoman Empire towards its minorities, he indicated that projects developed by his municipality aimed at a mutual acceptance by the respective communities.

 

The Committee then visited the Roma neighbourhood, in the presence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, and several media.

 

Most of the Roma in this neighbourhood are musicians. Their living standard is higher than in the previous Roma settlement visited but the level of education is equally low. This neighbourhood is considered to be more integrated into the urban environment. Roma families were not evicted when the urban plan was renewed some years ago. The housing conditions are still not entirely satisfactory for all Roma families and some of them used the presence of the mayor and media to inform them about their daily problems.

The programme also included a visit to the socio-educational centre where Roma children and teenagers study and work together with other minority groups. A positive aspect of the functioning of this socio-educational centre is the mixed environment and the possibility given to Roma children to visit other parts of the city, museums and take part in other cultural activities.

 

The third Roma neighbourhood was located in Beyoğlu district, close to Taksim area, and inhabited by over 200,000 inhabitants, including approximately 600 Roma households.

 

This is a mixed neighbourhood that received and still receives most of the migrants coming to Istanbul. It used to be an old Greek, Armenian and Syriak settlement. In 1980s the Romani wooden-houses were burnt down and, as a result, the Roma families were split in the surrounding areas.

 

The Committee visited a socio-cultural centre which is run and financed by the Beyoğlu municipality. The permanent staff members of the centre (about 10 persons) are employed by the municipality. Some volunteers help as well. The centre provides meals for poor people (70 of them take their meals daily in the centre, while 255 take food home), as well as the possibility to take showers. About 60% of the beneficiaries (centre’s clients) are of Roma origin. The centre includes a shop to buy cloths through a system of credit card provided free of charge by the municipality. The number of points credited to each card (one-month, three-month or six-month period) depends on the socio-economic situation of the person (an assessment of the personal situation is conducted which includes visits to the house). With those points any person over 18 years old can benefit from the services, for example the purchase of cloths collected through donations or given by private companies. There are several similar centres in Beyoğlu district.

 

The Mayor of Beyoğlu, Mr Ahmet Misbah Demircan, will speak at the public hearing with Turkish authorities on 23 November 2011 and will inform the Committee members about a major event, including a festival, that will take place in September 2012 and to which Committee members are invited.

 

**************


Appendix 6

 

 

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

__________

 

 

THEMATIC EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCE ON THE ELABORATION OF NATIONAL ROMA INTEGRATION POLICIES/STRATEGIES

 

1.- The Polish representative indicated that, at this stage, no changes will be introduced regarding the already existing Polish strategy.

 

2.- The Spanish representative commented that a first draft was prepared in October 2010. An internal meeting is now scheduled with representatives of the Ministries dealing with European Structural Funds. A letter will be drafted and addressed to the European Commission indicating that some delays might be expected in the final adoption of the new strategy. This delay is due to recent elections in Spain. She indicated that the strategy will not only be covering the four main pillars but also non-discrimination and gender equality issues.

 

3.- The Swedish representative stated that they will be presenting their strategy soon, probably around December 2011.

 

4.- The Romanian representative informed the Committee that a new draft strategy had already been prepared and a memorandum adopted following consultation with institutions and NGOs. The main challenge, however, remains the funding of activities included in the strategy.

 

5.- The Ukrainian representative pointed out that the last Roma strategy was adopted for the period 2003-2006 and that there is no strategy at the moment. As a consequence of the current institutional reform, the State Committee on Nationalities, which used to follow Roma issues, no longer exists. The Ministry of Culture is now in charge of this issue. A new strategy is not likely to be adopted in the near future since the Roma question is not a priority for the Ministry at the moment.

 

6.- The Slovak representative explained that an integrated plan was elaborated in September with the assistance of the Roma Decade and UNDP. The new government has prepared a new draft. Meetings were organised by the Office of the Plenipotentiary in October and thorough consultations are taking place with the ministries concerned. He hoped that the new strategy would be transmitted to the European Commission by 11 December.

 

7.- The representative of the Russian Federation indicated that a draft strategy will be presented to the inter ministerial working group and should be adopted in the first half of 2012.

 

8.- The Croatian representative stated that Croatia adopted a Strategy in 2003. This Strategy will now be revised by different working groups. A draft has already been prepared in consultation with different stakeholders. That said, the authorities do not want to hurry this process. Sub-groups have been created and are expected to present their findings in the coming months. The draft will be published on a website for additional discussion. The authorities hope to have this exercise completed by Spring 2012.

 

9.- The representative of the United Kingdom noted that the Conclusions agreed by the EU Member States at the EPSCO Council of 19th May 2011 provide latitude to member states to tailor their approaches to national needs by preparing, updating or developing sets of policy measures within broader social inclusion policies by the end of 2011, as an alternative to developing national Roma integration strategies. In the UK these matters are devolved to the national administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each of which is developing its own policy approach on Gypsies and Travellers. In England, the UK Government is taking these policy measures forward through a cross-government ministerial working group on preventing and tackling inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers, which will publish a progress report shortly.

 

10.- The Bulgarian representative indicated that their internal deadline was 28 November and that last 14 November a meeting was organised to discuss the draft strategy with all the stakeholders, including representatives of the Council of Europe.

 

11.- The representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that a revision of the Action Plan prepared three years ago is currently being prepared. The authorities hope that the new plan will be sustainable.

 

12.- The Italian representative indicated that they were in the process of drafting the strategy. A Task Force and a Roma Forum have been created by Decree. An office for coordination has been established. This process will require further discussion by the new government.

 

13.- The Austrian representative explained that all Länder, the Roma Advisory Council and Ministries have been invited to take an active part in the procedure. Input has also been requested from all associations working on the ground. A meeting will be organised on 28 November with all stakeholders in order to prepare and discuss a draft. A meeting with Ministries and Länder is scheduled on 3 December. She pointed out that the timeframe for this to be fully completed had been very short. This should be considered by the Commission as an ongoing process and that the Commission will certainly be asked for future amendments to be introduced in the strategies.

 

14.- The representative from the Netherlands indicated that they do not have statistics on ethnic minorities and do not have a target group approach. Everybody, including Roma, has equal access to every service and civil rights. Everybody has the same duties, and laws are enforced equally. One important challenge in the Netherlands relates to the dropping out of school by Roma pupils, in particular girls, as well as the low level of participation of Roma in employment.

 

[1] Anti-Gypsyism is defined as “a specific form of racism, an ideology founded on racial superiority, form of dehumanisation and institutional racism nurtured by historical discrimination, which is expressed, among others, by violence, hate speech, exploitation, stigmatisation and the most blatant kind of discrimination”.

[2] Full text at http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/activities/GPR/EN/Recommendation_N13/default_en.asp.

[3] For further information concerning developments regarding the EU Framework for National Strategies, see http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/roma/index_en.htm.

[4] See the European Commission’s “enlargement package” consisting of a global strategy document setting out the policies, goals and prospects for the coming year, as well as progress reports for each of the (potential) candidates, assessing their achievements over the last twelve months, available at http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/press_corner/key-documents/reports_oct_2011_en.htm.

[5] All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

[6] See footnote no.5.

[7] UNICEF’s report is available online at : http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4e6067632.pdf.

[8] See footnote no.5.

[9] The term “Roma” used at the Council of Europe refers to Roma, Sinti, Kale and related groups in Europe, including Travellers and the Eastern groups (Dom and Lom), and covers the wide diversity of the groups concerned, including persons who identify themselves as “Gypsies”.

[10] The Council of Europe’s updated glossary of terms relating to Roma issues is available online at www.coe.int/roma under “tools and texts of reference”.

[11] See footnote no.5.

[12] See footnote no.5.

[13] See footnote no.5.

[14] See footnote no.7.

[15] See footnote no. 5.

[16] See www.coe.int/roma and the respective entries concerning the ROMED programme, the database on policies and good practices and the Dosta! campaign.

[17] All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

 

[18] The term “Roma” used at the Council of Europe refers to Roma, Sinti, Kale and related groups in Europe, including Travellers and the Eastern groups (Dom and Lom), and covers the wide diversity of the groups concerned, including persons who identify themselves as “Gypsies”.

[19] See the full text of ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation no. 13 at: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/activities/GPR/EN/Recommendation_N13/default_en.asp

[20] See paragraph 6 of document CAHROM (2011)14 Meeting report of the 1st CAHROM meeting (Strasbourg, 29-30 March 2011).

[21] Ibid.

[22] At the time of the Bureau meeting (7 September 2011), twenty-two CAHROM members had sent replies.

[23] The relevant paragraphs of item 4 of the Terms of Reference read as follows:

 

i.

study, analyse and evaluate the implementation of policies (national programmes and/or action plans) and identify good practices of member states concerning Roma, with a view to promoting implementation of relevant Council of Europe standards and contributing to the European database on policies/good practices for the integration of Roma to be set up by the Council of Europe;

ii.

exchange information, views and experience on member states’ policies, good practices and measures relating to Roma at national, regional and local level, and in the context of relevant instruments of the Council of Europe, in order to assist member states in the development and implementation of the “Strasbourg initiatives” and effective policies for Roma integration, with due regard to the relevant standards and instruments of the Council of Europe and bearing in mind the specific situation in each member state;

 

[24] For instance, the Strasbourg Declaration adopted on 20 October 2010, the report of the Group of Eminent Persons, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendations, in particular Rec.(2008)5 on policies for Roma and/or Travellers in Europe, the OSCE Action Plan on Roma and Sinti, the Communication of the European Commission on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies and the EU Council Decision adopted on 27 June 2011 during the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council, as well as the objectives of the Decade for Roma Inclusion (2005-2015).

[25] See paragraph 4.v of the Terms of Reference which reads as follows:

 

v.

keep under review the situation of Roma in member states in the light of relevant legal instruments of the Council of Europe, without pursuing activities relating to monitoring;

 

[26] The Bureau notes that the CAHROM will be able, as from 2012, to hold a three-day plenary meeting in Strasbourg and a four-day plenary meeting outside of Strasbourg hosted by a member state, including a one-day field visit.

[27] Last paragraph of item 4 of the Terms of Reference.