Strasbourg, 24 January 2013                                                    CAHROM (2012)26

AD HOC COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON ROMA ISSUES

(CAHROM)

4^th meeting

Strasbourg, Council of Europe

28-30 November 2012

MEETING REPORT[1]

Opening and adoption of the agenda

1.                  The Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues (CAHROM) held its 4^th meeting in Strasbourg on 28-30 November 2012. The agenda, as amended to introduce an agenda sub-item on a draft Opinion of the CAHROMon the draft CM Recommendation (2012)XX on access to social rights for young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, was adopted (see below).

Recent developments

2.                  The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe for Roma issues, after underlining the growing number of participants in CAHROM meetings and welcoming in particular the presence of the European Commission/DG Justice, presented recent developments at the level of the Council of Europe. He also stressed the interest of the Committee of Ministers in the thematic work of the CAHROM. A document prepared by the Support Team of the SRSG for Roma issues on recent Roma-related developments at the Council of Europe and presented at the OSCE-HDIM meeting in Warsaw in October 2012 was distributed (see below).

3.                  The Secretariat responsible for the ROMED training programme on intercultural mediation described progress made and the active cooperation with the European Commission DG EAC for the launch of ROMED II starting in 2013 (see the PowerPoint and ROMED-related links below). Following this presentation, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland expressed interest in the ROMED programme.

4.                  The Chair reported back about her participation as Chair of the CAHROM in the Ministerial Conference on Social Cohesion (Istanbul, Turkey, 11-12 October 2012) and indicated that the Conference Final Declaration recommends the Committee of Ministers to elaborate concrete guidelines to assist member states in protecting and empowering groups of vulnerable persons, particularly in times of crises, and in achieving social sustainability through intergenerational solidarity (see her speech and the Final Declaration below). She also announced that the next Ministerial Conference on Social Cohesion would take place in Azerbaijan in 2015.

5.                  The European Commission representative from DG Justice welcomed the opportunity to address the CAHROM. He said that the Commission had adopted its first assessment report on the national policies of member states and issued a Communication in May 2012. The report contains horizontal conclusions and recommendations for each member state: structural issues should be addressed in close cooperation with local authorities involving the civil society and effective anti-discrimination measures should be set up (the Action and Implementation Guidelines regarding anti-discrimination policies will be finalised by spring 2013).

In October 2012, DG Justice convened the first meeting of the network of National Contact Points (NCP) on Roma Inclusion from all EU Member States, which offered the opportunity to create a community of experts, to allow the establishment of bilateral/multilateral contacts between the national points, and to exchange good practices on school segregation, migration, trafficking and other issues. One outcome of this meeting was the setting up of a smaller pilot group of NCPs composed of 13 Member States to discuss possible elements to be included in a Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on Roma integration.

The European Parliament will not institutionally be involved in the procedure but supports this development. The next meeting of the pilot group will take place on 6 and 7 December 2012. In May 2013 the Commission will publish the first implementation report of the National Policies which will assess the effectiveness (or not) of the Member States’ implementation policies.

The EU does not only address Roma issue through the National Policies process but also through its financial instruments (next programming period 2014-2020 for structural funds). The European Commission works on a bilateral basis and prepare the ground in member states to identify the priorities that deserve attention, among them Roma. Additional financial support through structural funds will be provided to support the efforts of the member states, taking into account the particular difficult economic context.

After the first semester of 2013, once Regulations are approved, Operational Programmes will be created taking into account strategies and (country specific) policy recommendations. Roma issues have already been visible in the 2013 assessment and three member states have received recommendations to implement Roma inclusive policies. In response to a question from Austria, the EC representative responded that Roma education is a priority.

6.                  The Committee particularly welcomed the presence of DG Justice from the European Commission in the CAHROM, as they are coordinating the Commission’s work on Roma integration. The United Kingdom stressed the value of having governmental representatives who are participating in both CAHROM and NCP meetings, which would facilitate coordination between the Council of Europe and EU on Roma issues. The Delegation of the EU to the Council of Europe highlighted the good cooperation between the two organisations, referring in particular to ROMED and the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion, and underlined that a better use of structural funds by EU member states would help in developing transferrable good practices and initiatives. Similar comments were also made by Italy and the Slovak Republic.

7.                  Croatia presented the main priorities of its presidency of the Decade for Roma Inclusion (2005-2015), i.e.:

-                      Linking the Decade of Roma Inclusion and the EU Framework (Conference scheduled in late February 2012);

-                      Linking historical experiences of Roma in Europe with the advancement of the tolerance and non-discrimination of Roma (Conference scheduled mid-March 2013);

-                      Linking Decade Success in Education with EU Education Policy and the status of the Romani language (an International conference scheduled in April 2013);

-                      Roma Youth in Action for Tolerance and Recognition (international conference and series of cultural events and a youth festival scheduled in April or May 2013).

Croatia also indicated that it had, together with Hungary and Serbia, established a brainstorming group to make proposals for the future of the Rome Decade after 2015. Croatia will hand over its presidency to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of June 2013 (see the full presentation below).

8.                  The President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) reported orally on recent activities and the ERTF reform and asked whether the CAHROM members could provide the Forum with their comments on the ERTF Charter on the Rights of Roma. He stressed the fact that ERTF will review its internal statutes and regulations by March 2013. In reference to previous interventions, the ERTF president pointed out that Turkey provides positive examples of good practices that should be taken into account in the framework of the ROMED programme and the thematic work of the CAHROM.

9.                  The Committee agreed to provide the Secretariat with any comments they may have on the ERTF Charter by the end of February 2013 with a view to holding a discussion on that subject at its next meeting.

10.              The Secretariat gave a presentation on the Council of Europe database on Roma-related policies and good practices, including information on how the CAHROM, as well as local and regional authorities, international organisations and NGOs, could provide content, register as experts, and make use of it. A list of 41 good practices introduced so far in the database has been circulated to participants. The database set up by the Council of Europe received positive feedback from a number of participants. The ERTF president, however, raised his concerns about the database, especially as regards the possibility to come up with a common definition in Europe of what a good practice is.

Direction and priorities of the CAHROM’s work

11.              The Polish expert presented a non-paper (see this paper below) on the work of the CAHROM. She said that the working methods of the CAHROM (see document below), including thematic working groups and visits, had increased the focus on substantive work, exchange of good practices and sharing of experiences on policy implementation, and so provided the basis for even more relevant action. She went on to say that it is important to consider why European and national policies have so far not led to results as satisfactory as one would wish. The non-paper makes five main suggestions to the CAHROM concerning the general approach underpinning Roma policies, i.e. to have a stronger focus on:

-          effective law enforcement mechanisms, in particular regarding the parental obligation towards children’s education;

-          vocational education for Roma;

-          mechanisms encouraging employers to employ Roma workers, as well as possibilities for internships and vocational training;

-          co-operation with genuine Roma leaders to limit negative phenomena and to promote changes of cultural models that impede personal development of individual members of Roma communities;

-          the responsibility of Roma themselves for their own situation (provided that basic conditions are met in the country offering chances for Roma to realise their potential).

12.              The Polish contribution gave rise to a wide-ranging discussion. It received support from some CAHROM members, whilst others and some observers had concerns about some of the ideas expressed in the paper (e.g. the paragraph related to co-operation with “genuine Roma leaders” and the one on the “responsibility of Roma for their own situation”) recalling freedom of association, social conditions and legal or administrative obstacles that may still prevent Roma from realising their full potential.

13.              The Committee agreed that this discussion should be continued at its next meeting. CAHROM participants were invited to send their written comments on the Polish non-paper to the Secretariat by the end of February 2013.

Thematic group on issues relevant for nomadic Roma and Travellers

14.              The CAHROM Secretariat briefly introduced document CAHROM(2012)20 prov which includes replies from Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to a questionnaire on nomadic Roma and Travellers, with a view to help in identifying thematic issues of common interest. France and Italy will send their replies after the CAHROM meeting. The countries concerned welcomed the setting-up of a CAHROM thematic group focusing on the specificities of these communities.

15.              The Belgian expert confirmed that Belgium was interested in being a requesting country for such a thematic group and proposed hosting a visit to her country in February 2013. The itinerary will include visits to Brussels (federal level), Flanders and Wallonia. The exact dates, venues and programme will be communicated to the members of the thematic group via the Secretariat at a later stage. The main focus of the thematic report will be on halting sites (provision of sites and infrastructure, dealing with unauthorised sites, recognition of caravans as a home, relations between travelling communities and the settled population, etc.). The countries involved would also consider including other issues such as access to health, education and other services. The thematic group will be composed of experts from Belgium, France, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Other countries such as Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway may contribute, wherever possible, to certain chapters of the thematic report at a later stage.

Proposals for other thematic groups

16.              The Secretariat recalled that a list of thematic priorities had been presented by a number of CAHROM members in 2011/2012 (see below) and called up CAHOM experts to update and/or complete this document by providing to the Secretariat their national thematic priorities for 2013.

17.              The Committee took note of several proposals for future thematic groups, including:

- one or two thematic groups on housing related issues for which several countries have expressed interest, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Serbia, Slovakia, «the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia» and Turkey depending on the main issues addressed in the thematic group. As regards the specific focus of such thematic groups, social housing, legalisation of houses/settlements, self-(re)construction, prevention of evictions, security of tenure, loans for housing have been proposed.

The Committee tasked the Secretariat and the Bureau with setting up one or possibly two thematic groups and identify possible requesting and partner countries for each sub-theme with a view to organising a thematic visit before the next CAHROM plenary meeting if possible. For that purpose, the above-mentioned countries and Spain (as suggested by participants) will be contacted by the Secretariat prior to the next Bureau meeting.

- the recognition of the Romani language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the teaching of Roma language, history and culture at school. Croatia might be a requesting country, whilst Slovakia offered its expertise.

The Committee agreed to explore the possibility of establishing such a thematic group with other countries having ratified the Language Charter at the next meeting following an exchange of views with the Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This exchange should allow CAHROM participants to have a better overview of the variants of the Romani language spoken in member states, their recognition, and the degree of protection of Romani under the Charter.

18.              In the field of education, the topic of compulsory pre-school education was raised. The Committee agreed that a questionnaire will be circulated to CAHROM members to collect information about national situations. The replies to this questionnaire, as well as conclusions and recommendations of existing studies at international level (CoE, OSCE-ODIHR, UNESCO, UNICEF, etc.) will be presented at the next CAHROM meeting. Depending on the results of this discussion, a thematic group on this specific topic may be set up.

19.              Further proposals were made which are more relevant for an exchange of experience at the regional and local levels and could be included in the future thematic programme of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma inclusion, i.e.:

·         a proposal from Italy to discuss methodologies of intervention linking anti-poverty and Roma policy measures using the integrated approach;

·         a proposal from the Republic of Moldova on the role of local and regional authorities in contributing to the implementation of Roma integration policies, including financially, as a follow-up to the CAHROM thematic report on that particular subject.

Action of the Council of Europe against trafficking of human beings and its relevance to the terms of reference of the CAHROM

20.              Referring to the thematic report on school drop-out and absenteeism of Roma children (see below), the Dutch expert said that in the Netherlands, the early marriage of Roma girls results in their dropping out of school early, and, could, in certain cases when families live in different countries, feed international trafficking. At the end of his presentation, he proposed that a meeting be organised with a small number of participants which would include representatives of relevant Council of Europe bodies, CAHROM members and national representatives from institutions like the police, public prosecution, youth care and health services.

21.              The Committee took note of the presentation by the Secretariat of GRETA on the first results from the evaluation of the implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings based on 13 country evaluation reports (see the PowerPoint presentation below). The main issues emerging from GRETA’s evaluation reports address:

·         Prevention;

·         Identification of victims;

·         Assistance to victims;

·         Non-punishment;

·         Compensation;

·         Prosecution.

22.              The lively debate that followed the presentation, involving representatives from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as from ERTF, OSCE-ODIHR and the Holy See, addressed in particular the role and influence that cultural traditions might play, especially as concerns early marriages. Participants had different opinions on this matter and debated about the advisability of addressing forced and under-age marriage, as well as begging, in a discussion about trafficking of human beings. Whilst underlining the necessity to protect children and young girls and to have the law enforced by authorities and the police, some participants pointed to the risk of a purely culture-based approach to these issues, as this can fuel prejudice.

23.              Following the discussion, it was agreed that the Dutch proposal to set up a small scale working group would be further discussed in the light of the results of the GRETA Conference to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 4-5 December 2012 that will be attended by the Dutch expert on behalf of the CAHROM (see presentation below). Messages that the CAHROM would like to pass on to participants of the Sofia Conference and its Workshop on Roma as a vulnerable group include the following:

·         the importance of raising awareness and understanding of Roma communities among relevant public agencies;

·         the importance of involving Roma themselves in tackling trafficking issues within their communities and to associate Roma representatives in any discussion about this topic;

·         the importance of raising awareness among Roma of their rights so they are better placed to protect themselves from exploitation;

·         the need to collect further data to assess the extent of the phenomenon among vulnerable groups, including Roma;

·         the need to promote a human rights approach to this issue, to focus on prevention and to develop cooperation between member states;

·         the need to avoid generalisations and stereotyping of whole communities, having in mind that this phenomenon does not pertain to the Roma community as a whole, but is linked to certain family traditions, and sometimes to the economic situation of these Roma families.

24.              The Committee agreed to place this topic on the agenda of its next meeting, as well as to invite a representative of the Lanzarote Committee and/or its Secretariat to present the work of this Committee in the field of child exploitation.

Thematic report on social housing for Roma (with “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” as requesting country and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Spain as partner countries)

25.              Representatives of the requesting and partner countries made a summary presentation about the framework of the thematic visit and main conclusions of the thematic group.

26.              Following these presentations, some participants stressed the importance of integrated housing projects that should include training and education. Serbia and Italy both underlined that integrated approaches (in housing and education fields) should be the way to stop segregation. Italy referred to the specific role of European Structural Funds that should be taken into account for the next programming period 2014-2020. Other positive measures, such as microcredits for housing in “the former Republic of Macedonia” and Serbia, as well as grants to plan social housing in Hungary were mentioned.

27.              The Committee endorsed the thematic report of the team of experts and decided to send it to the Committee of Ministers for information, also drawing its attention to information on follow-up initiatives (see documents below). The Committee agreed that any additional reference texts or publications provided by CAHROM participants to be introduced in the Addendum to the thematic report should be submitted to the Secretariat by 10 January 2013. The Addendum will be publicly available on the CAHROM website in the original language.

28.              Several observers provided comments on the housing situation of Roma in connection with their respective activities. The FRA representative stressed the good practice transferable from Spain as an example of an integrated approach that shows the benefits of social housing and its sustainable results (see below the link to the 2009 FRA case study: “Improving Roma housing and eliminating slums, Spain”). He also referred to the findings of the 2012 FRA Pilot Roma Survey which highlights the availability of key housing amenities for Roma in Spain.

29.              The representative of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) mentioned past or current loans for Roma housing-related projects in Bulgaria, Hungary and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (see the link to the brochure on CEB activities in favour of Roma below). The CEB representative invited country representatives to submit proposals for loans and indicated that the CEB Secretariat is at the disposal of authorities should they require technical expertise on how to submit a loan request.

30.              Amnesty International (AI) referred to its work on housing rights of Roma in Europe since the last CAHROM meeting and mentioned the cases of evictions and/or inadequate resettlements in France, Italy, Romania and Serbia, condemning the discriminatory treatment that Roma received. The AI representative also underlined that lack of security of tenure is a problem affecting many Roma who are at risk of forced evictions. AI therefore recommended that CAHROM address security of tenure as a priority and examine the issue of forced evictions in its future thematic work related to housing (see the full AI statement below).

Thematic report on inclusive education of Roma children as opposed to special schools (with the Czech Republic and Slovakia as requesting countries and Hungary, Slovenia and United Kingdom as partner countries)

31.              Representatives of the requesting and partner countries made a summary presentation about the framework of the thematic visit and main conclusions of the thematic group. The expert from Slovakia indicated that the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Roma Communities has just adopted a new Action Plan which takes into consideration the recommendations of the thematic group.

32.              Following these presentations, some participants, including France, Italy and the United Kingdom, stressed the need to work with families and to motivate parents to send their children to mainstream schools. Several participants underlined the key role of mediators/school assistants in this context. An integrated comprehensive approach towards education was considered by several participants as the most effective policy to avoid school segregation. Several speakers suggested that the British and Hungarian “testing” systems could serve as a reference to adapt the current testing systems in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other topics discussed included the promotion of dialogue between various actors (institutions, families, Roma and non-Roma parents and children), the level of qualification and role of Roma school assistants, the involvement of Roma organisations and the need to increase the participation of young Roma in training activities.

During the discussion, the CAHROM noted that ending segregation of Roma children is not just a matter of good policy for member states, but also a legal obligation under the European Convention on Human Rights and relevant ECtHR case-law.

33.              The Committee endorsed the thematic report of the team of experts and decided to send it to the Committee of Ministers for information, also drawing its attention to information on follow-up initiatives (see documents below). The Committee agreed that any additional reference texts or publications provided by CAHROM participants to be introduced in the Addendum to the thematic report should be submitted to the Secretariat by 10 January 2013. The Addendum will be publicly available on the CAHROM website in the original language.

34.              Several observers provided comments on the education of Roma in connection with their respective activities. Amnesty International (AI) indicated that they had just submitted to the Committee of Ministers their comments on the Consolidated Action Plan of the Czech Government for the execution of the judgement of the European Court of human rights (ECtHR) in the case D.H. and Others v. The Czech Republic. The AI representative also referred to school segregation and recent developments in this area in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic and informed the CAHROM about the recent publication of a joint AI/ERRC report “Five more years of injustice: segregated education in the Czech Republic” (see below for the full AI statement, its comments on the Czech Consolidated Action Plan and the link to the joint AI/ERRC report).

Bilateral cooperation in the field of Roma migration and freedom of movement

35.              The Committee heard presentations from the Migration Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly and from the Migration Co-ordination Unit.

36.              The PACE representative welcomed the fact that the CAHROM had taken up several of the issues raised by PACE Recommendation 2003 (2012) on its agenda, such as Roma migrants, asylum seekers and freedom to leave one’s own country. He noted that the PACE report raises concerns about decisions that may limit freedom of movement and violate human rights, double discrimination faced by Roma migrants, collective expulsions and the forced return of Roma to Kosovo[2] (see the full presentation below).

37.              The representative of the Migration Co-ordination Unit advised the Committee that they had held meeting in Belgrade in June 2012 with officials of the countries in the Balkans concerned by a growing number of asylum seekers looking for asylum in the EU Schengen area. During that meeting, the countries concerned were warned about the risk of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (in particular Article 2 of Protocol no. 4) regarding the freedom of leaving one’s own country. In that respect, he expressed concerns about recent measures (such as stamping and confiscating passports, financial sanctions, ethnic border controls) and legal provisions adopted in Serbia and in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” which seem in practice to target members of the Roma community. He also indicated that despite many allegations, there is still a lack of data and evidence concerning the impact of those measures and that additional analysis should be conducted. The CAHROM expressed its readiness to cooperate with relevant Council of Europe bodies should a more in-depth study be undertaken within the Council of Europe.

38.              Following these presentations, the ERTF said that there had been cases of ethnic border control of Roma in the “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and called for an investigation to ensure that member states do not violate the ECHR or the UN Refugee Convention. Germany reiterated its position as concerns returns to Kosovo. Greece stated that, whilstthe right to freedom of movement should be fully respected, there was a need to address the abuse of the asylum system in the EU Schengen area through unfounded demands, many of them coming from Roma. Poland commented that its “food for thought” non-paper recommended that increased resources and support be made available to member states with a high number of Roma to limit the pressure for migration which, if it occurs on a massive scale, can have negative social effects both for the receiving countries and the countries of origin.

39.              The Committee also heard presentations from the Municipality of Strasbourg about initiatives to integrate a number of Romanian Roma families, as well as from France and Romania about their on-going bilateral cooperation regarding Roma migrants.

On the latter, the Committee was informed that monthly meetings take place in Bucharest, involving several embassies, to discuss cooperation and exchange information in the field of Roma migration, as well as assistance programmes for the integration of Roma returned from Western Europe and for the integration of Roma in Romania in general to reduce emigration. One of the objectives of the bilateral cooperation between Romania and France is also, according to the Romanian CAHROM expert, the involvement of local authorities to make them real partners.

The municipality of Strasbourg has developed since 2010 a project aimed at reducing the use of expulsion procedures in ghetto-like areas by integrating a number of Roma migrants (mainly from Romania) through the creation of a temporary transit accommodation (site temporaire d’insertion “Espace 16”) for a limited number of Roma families (70) with accompanying measures (access to education, health, social services and employment). The main challenge for the municipality is to ensure constant coordination with various actors (the State/Préfecture, local actors and international partners).

In response to several interventions concerning the expulsion of Roma from France, the French CAHROM member indicated that Bulgarian and Romanian Roma can exercise Treaty rights of freedom of movement as long as they do not place a burden on the French social system. He confirmed that France pursues its policy of returning Roma to their countries of origin through bilateral cooperation and assistance programmes (including financial assistance for micro-entrepreneurship at local level).

40.              The experts from France and Romania were invited by the Committee to provide written information about their projects and initiatives and to update the CAHROM on their bilateral cooperation. Other countries were requested to provide written information about any bilateral cooperation in the field of Roma migration with a view to pursuing the discussion on this topic at the next meeting.

School drop-out and absenteeism of Roma children, in particular girls

41.              The Committee held a preliminary discussion on the visit to Finland (requesting country) of a team of experts from Latvia, Norway and Sweden (see Finnish presentation below). Participants exchanged views on the preliminary findings of the CAHROM thematic group of experts whose final report will be presented at the next CAHROM meeting. Following a suggestion made by Germany, the countries concerned by this thematic report agreed to change the title of the thematic report into “school attendance of Roma children, with a specific focus on Roma girls”.

42.              The Dutch expert reported back about follow-up received from municipalities of Nieuwegein and Veldhoven following a visit of a CAHROM thematic group of experts from Hungary, Spain and Sweden in February 2012 and the endorsement by the CAHROM of their thematic report on school drop-outs and absenteeism of Roma children (see the thematic report and the document on follow-up to thematic reports below).

Roma youth and children

43.              The Committee took note of information presented by the Secretariat of the Council of Europe project “Building a Europe for and with Children” and Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2012-2015) (see the PowerPoint below). The Committee was informed that the Children’s Rights Division had elaborated, together with the Support Team of the SRSG for Roma issues, a concept for a study to be carried out in 2013 on Romani child victims of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in Hungary, Italy and Romania, as part of the implementation of the CoE Strategy for the rights of the child 2012-2015. The Committee agreed to include on the agenda of its next meeting a presentation on the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse and the work of the Lanzarote Committee in that respect.

44.              The Committee took note of recent developments regarding the Roma Youth Action Plan and of the action of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in that regard, in particular through its report on the situation of Roma youth. A consultation with Roma young people to discuss policies and actions at local and regional levels to promote the effective participation of Roma young people in social, political and civic life in Europe was jointly organised by the Congress and the SRSG for Roma Issues in the framework of the Roma Youth Action Plan in Strasbourg on 25 November 2012.

45.              The Committee also took note of the invitation from the representative of the Council of Europe Advisory Council on Youth to send a CAHROM representative to the next meeting of the Informal Contact group on the Roma Youth Action Plan to be held in Strasbourg on 7-8 December 2012. The representative of the Advisory Council said that the Roma Youth Action Plan lists priority topics for Roma youth, including early marriage.

46.              The Committee appointed the Dutch and Serbian Committee members to have special responsibility for mainstreaming youth issues in the work of the CAHROM.

47.              The Committee adopted an Opinion on the draft CM Recommendation (2012)XX on access to social rights for young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods (see below) and decided to send it to the Committee of Ministers and to relevant youth bodies for information.

Role of local and regional authorities

48.              The Committee heard presentations from the Head of Department II of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and from the Congress Rapporteur on Roma and Travellers on recent developments concerning the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion (see a presentation of the Alliance below). It noted that discussions were under way with the European Commission on a joint project for the Alliance and that two activities of the Alliance will be organised on 17 December 2012, one in Madrid on social housing for Roma, and the other in Budapest on inclusive education.

49.              The Committee welcomed these recent developments, considering that an exchange of experience and good practices at local and regional levels is necessary, and took note of the developments in the Republic of Moldova following the CAHROM thematic report and visit (see below). Some CAHROM members suggested introducing trans-border cooperation in the management of cross-border activities of Roma among the future activities of the Alliance (see also paragraph 19 above).

Election of the Bureau (Chair, Vice-Chair, Bureau member)

50.              The Committee proceeded with the election of its Bureau. Mr Ian Naysmith (United Kingdom) was elected as Chair, Mr Nicolae Radiţa (Republic of Moldova) as Vice-Chair and Mr Ján Hero (Slovak Republic) as third Bureau member. The new Bureau will take office as from 1 January 2013 for one calendar year.

51.              A meeting of the Bureau will be scheduled by the end of January 2013 with a view to setting up new thematic groups and discussing the agenda of the 5th CAHROM meeting.

Exchange with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe

52.              The Committee held an exchange with the Commissioner for Human Rights who referred to his recent Human Rights Comments addressing school segregation and evictions. He also informed participants about his recent visits to the Czech Republic and to «the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia» highlighting the serious issue of school segregation in both countries. As regards the latter, the Commissioner also expressed concern about allegations of ethnic profiling by authorities which reportedly prevent many Roma from leaving the country under the visa-free travel regime in the Schengen area instituted three years ago. In that respect he recalled that certain measures may run counter to certain international standards, such as freedom to leave one’s country and the right to seek asylum, and result in another layer of discrimination against the Roma minority. The Commissioner invited the Committee to address measures for combatting anti-Gypsyism within national Roma integration strategies and, wherever possible, in the context of its thematic work.

53.              Following the Commissioner’s intervention several CAHROM members including Austria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom took the floor to request further information concerning the organisation and planning of the Commissioner’s visits, as well as the criteria which determine the choice of the countries that will be visited. Another question concerned the involvement in visits of the various stakeholders (governments, regional/local authorities Roma NGOs, civil society at large). The Commissioner clarified the working methods (see also the Commissioner’s website below) and also indicated that his office would pursue the publication of identified good practices which may be added, where relevant, to the Roma-related database on policies and good practices.

Roma women

54.              The Committee took note of presentations made by the Secretariat on recent developments in this field in the Council of Europe, as well as on the results of the OSCE-ODIHR human dimension meeting, which this year included a focus on Roma and Sinti women. It also took note of the presentation by the Finnish expert about the background, purpose and framework the 4^th International Roma Women’s Conference that will be hosted by Finland in Helsinki on 16-17 September 2013. Preliminary themes and key issues on the agenda have been proposed as a result of replies to a questionnaire addressed to a number of Roma women’s organisations and experts.

55.              The Committee agreed that the Secretariat would circulate to CAHROM members, on behalf of the Finnish organisers, a request for background information on respective national situation of Roma women early in 2013. CAHROM members and/or national focal points on gender equality would be asked to possibly assist and facilitate the preparation of this background paper by national Roma women’s organisations. The results and conclusions of the Conference will be presented for discussion at the 6^th CAHROM meeting in Italy in late October 2013.

56.              The Committee, whilst underlining that it already pays great attention to Roma women and girls in its work (see for example its thematic reports and its draft opinions and recommendations), postponed the appointment of the CAHROM member who will have special responsibility for mainstreaming gender issues in its work.

57.              The Committee proposed to keep this item on its agenda and to include a presentation on the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence at its next meeting.

Developments concerning the Dosta! campaign

58.              The Committee heard a presentation from the Italian expert about recent developments concerning the Dosta! campaign in Italy. Two video clips were presented: the first one is broadcast in public transport to encourage the non-Roma population to meet and get to know better Roma and Sinti; the second deals with a football match organised between Roma and non- Roma children to overcome prejudice.

59.              Lithuania confirmed a launch of Dosta! in 2013. The authorities plan inter alia to publish a book of Roma fairy-tales, to organise an exhibition of Roma portraits in the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as discussions about Roma inclusion through culture and traditional crafts.

60.              The results of the joint FRA/UNDP survey “Key challenges faced by Roma today” related to the level of knowledge of the Dosta! campaign in 12 member states were distributed to the countries concerned(see below).

Dates and venue of the next CAHROM meetings

61.              The CAHROM fixed the dates and venue of its meetings in 2013. The fifth meeting will take place in Strasbourg on 14-16 May 2013, whilst the sixth meeting will be hosted by Italy in Rome on 28-31 October 2013.

62.              The Committee took note of the proposal of Bosnia and Herzegovina to host a CAHROM meeting in spring 2014 under its presidency of the Decade for Roma Inclusion, provided that the Terms of Reference of the CAHROM are renewed by the Committee of Ministers. The Slovenian expert indicated that Slovenia is also considering hosting a future CAHROM meeting.

Agenda items to be included in the next meeting

63.              The Committee decided to include the following items in the agenda of its next meeting:

-       Presentation of the thematic reports on issues related to nomadic Roma/Travellers and on school attendance of Roma girls in view of their possible endorsement by the Committee;

-       Discussion about the ERTF Charter of the Rights of Roma;

-       Discussion about the Polish non-paper on the work of the CAHROM (food for thought);

-       Exchange of views on national experiences related to pre-school education;

-       Exchange of views with the Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages regarding the application of the Language Charter to the Romani language;

-       Presentation by the Secretariat responsible for activities preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

-       Presentation by the Lanzarote Committee on its work on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse;

-       Bilateral cooperation in the field of Roma migration.

Abridged report

64.              In order to allow all Committee members to have time to consider the draft abridged report, the Chair exceptionally proposed to have it adopted by written procedure (see below the abridged report as adopted).

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