ERIO at the German EU Presidency Conference
On January 30 and 31 in Berlin the German EU Presidency organized the Opening of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The aim of the event was to gather all key stakeholders in the fight against discrimination, in order to identify concrete approaches to bring about equal opportunities in practice. Ivan Ivanov, ERIO's Executive Director made interventions during the workshops with highlighting that "...the debate for equal opportunities should go beyond the goals of the Year. Raising awareness on the principle of equal treatment is necessary because neither members of the society nor governmental representatives are well informed about the new anti-discrimination legislation especially those in the new Members States. The recent Euro Barometers shows that between 65 and 85% of the interviewed people leaving in of EU Members States believe that to be Roma tends to be disadvantage in society. This alarming fact indicates that European citizens acknowledge that the questions of Roma are a problem for their societies and urgent measures should be taken. In parallel with awareness raising campaigns for equal opportunities, Diversity as a prerequisite for equality should also be promoted in the European societies..."
For more information go to: http://www.erionet.org/pressreleases.html
The Committee of Ministers issues recommendations on minority protection in Finland
Strasbourg 31.1.2007 - The Committee of Ministers has just adopted resolution on the protection of minorities in Finland. This resolution contains conclusions and recommendations, highlighting positive developments, but also a number of areas where further measures are needed to advance the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The resolutions are largely based on the corresponding Opinions of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention. The detailed Opinions of the Advisory Committee of independent experts, together with the comments by the Government of Finland, are also available on line. It is noticed among the positive developments that Finland has expanded further its consultative structures designed to address concerns of national minorities, including by setting up permanent regional advisory boards for Roma affairs. However, one among the issues of concern remains that for Roma pupils, the limited scope of Roma language education is coupled with other problems, such as their disproportionate presence in special education. The Committee of Ministers adopts the following recommendations in respect of Finland: expand the availability of minority language education - including Russian, Roma as well as the Sami languages outside the Sami Homeland - and step up efforts to address various problems faced by Roma in the educational system. Resolution on Finland:
http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/minorities/2._framework_convention_%28monitoring%29/2._monitoring_mechanism/6._resolutions_of_the_committee_of_ministers/1._country-specific_resolutions/2._second_cycle/PDF_2nd_CM_Resolution_Finland_eng.pdf
Gypsy authority urging hate speech law
Budapest, February 1 (MTI) - Hungary's National Gypsy Authority (OCO) on Thursday urged parliament to renew its attempts to pass legislation against hate speech, the authority's chairman Orban Kolompar told reporters. There have been an increased number of verbal attacks against the Roma minority in recent months, said Kolompar. Legislation is therefore needed to class hate speech as a crime, he insisted. Early last year, the Constitutional Court nullified a law against hate speech adopted by Parliament, finding it unconstitutional. The rejected law would have expanded the scope of punishable acts, by inserting the phrase "incitement to hatred" to replace "instigation" in the Penal Code. Kolompar argued that it was not enough to say that "the majority of people reject statements inciting hatred". Legal means are also needed against people, groups, organisations or parties that made openly offensive, racist remarks, he said.
OCO calls on the main opposition Fidesz party and allied Roma organization Lungo Drom to distance themselves from extreme right organisations, such as Jobbik, which made provocative statements last week suggesting a high ratio of criminal activities committed by members of the Roma community, OCO Spokesman Janos Bogdan, Jr. said.
Scheming Gypsy Proposes New Hate Speech Law
Unfazed by a Constitutional Court ruling striking down a sweeping "hate speech" law passed by the Hungarian Parliament last year, the National Gypsy Authority (Országos Cigány Kisebbségi �?nkormányzat, or OCO) last week renewed its campaign to get a law on the books that would make it a crime in Hungary not only to instigate violence against minorities, but to "incite hatred" towards them. According to statenewswire MTI, OCO CEO Orbán Kolompár (right) says that an increase in the number of such cases of hate-mongering against Hungary's Roma (Gypsy) population mean that Parliament must act: Kolompár argued that it was not enough to say that "the majority of people reject statements inciting hatred". Legal means are also needed against people, groups, organisations or parties that made openly offensive, racist remarks, he said.
ERRC Condemns Anti-Romani Actions in Russia
On 1 February 2007, the ERRC sent two letters to Russian authorities expressing concern at anti-Romani actions in the country and urging immediate action to end such incidents. The first letter, sent to Mr Pavel Gusev, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Moskovskij Komsomoletc", expressed concern about the rise of anti-Romani hate speech in the newspaper and the regular and apparently habitual linkage of Roma with crime. The letter, which was copied to the Director of the Central Regional Administration of Rosohrancultura, urged employees of the newspaper to take a firm stand against anti-Romani hate speech and to refrain from publishing inflammatory anti-Romani language. The full text of letter is available on the ERRC's Internet website at: http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2720.The second letter was sent to Mr Mikhail Cukruk, Chief of the Department of the Ministry of Interior of Volgograd Region, and expressed concern recent police raids in the city of Volzhskiy, undertaken within the framework of a police action called "Operation Tabor". The action, the name of which points directly to anti-Romani actions by law enforcement officials ("tabors" are Romani settlements), is the most recent in a series of explicitly anti-Romani actions by Russian police taking place since 2002. In its letter, the ERRC urged Russian authorities to take immediate measures to end abusive police operations targeting Roma in the region of Volgograd. The full text of the letter, which was copied to the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, is available online at: http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2720.
The letters are a part of ongoing ERRC work in the Russian Federation to combat hate speech against Roma and the problems experienced by Roma in the Russian criminal justice system. Since 2006, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported ERRC work in the Russian Federation.
New funding for authorized Gypsy and traveler sites Three local authorities in the East of England have been awarded a total of £95,000 to help them improve living conditions on authorized Gypsy and traveler sites in the region. The grant will support the refurbishment of seven sites. This announcement follows a second round of bidding for Gypsy and traveler site grant in 2006/7. Overall this year the government has approved £20.2 million of investment that will provide 140 additional pitches for Gypsies and travelers, and refurbish 76 sites. Up to £56 million is being made available through the grant between 2006-8 to provide new and refurbished sites, and tackle the problem of unauthorized camping. Schemes are subject to evaluation by both independent consultants and regional assemblies. Communities Minister, Meg Munn, said: �??By improving the provision of authorized sites; we can tackle the problem of unauthorized camping and ensure everyone has a decent place to live. �?�The grant is vital in our drive to increase the number of authorized sites for Gypsies and travelers. Providing more authorized sites reduces the cost to taxpayers of costly enforcement action and creates a sustainable solution for the whole community.�?� Regional assemblies then evaluated how bids fit with emerging regional priorities for Gypsy and traveler provision: for example, new provision in areas subject to high levels of unauthorized camping, and refurbishment of sites to ensure that they do not fall out of use.
http://www.ppmagazine.co.uk/?cid=623
OSI publication: Monitoring education for Roma The OSI Education Support Program presents a Statistical Baseline for Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe. The Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute responds to the fundamental lack of accurate information on Roma in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe with its new publication, Monitoring Education for Roma: A Statistical Baseline for Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe. The publication presents the most readily available data on Roma education in these regions, in the interest of promoting education justice for Roma.
The statistical baseline was collated at the beginning of the Decade of Roma Inclusion to allow for monitoring of improvements on key education indicators for Roma over the course of that 10-year program. The current information demonstrates the negative impact that education discrimination has had on Roma; how much work and commitment is required of governments to bridge the education gap between Roma and majority populations in these regions; and what daunting challenges remain, even in the most committed countries, to achieving the Decade's goals in education.
The publication is available on OSI's website at :
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp/articles_publications/publications/monitoring_20061218
TIP: Check out the information about the related EUMAP monitoring on Equal access to quality education for Roma at
http://www.eumap.org/topics/minority/reports/roma_education
Recent ECMI Publications: Momographs
http://www.ecmi.de/rubrik/56/monographs/ ROMS ON INTEGRATION II: ANALYSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. January 2007, 114 pp. Download (PDF file 923 KB): ROMS ON INTEGRATION: ANALYSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS March 2006, 124 pp Download pdf 566 KB http://www.ecmi.de/download/monograph_4_en.pdf
Office of Viktoria Mohacsi MEP: Announcement of Internship Program
Viktória Mohácsi, Member of European Parliament (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) herewith invites applications for a 3 months internship in the European Parliament Brussels starting with the 09th of April 2007 Deadline for the application: 23rd of February 2007. Requirements: Intermediate or higher English communication skills, Romanes and Hungarian language constitutes an advantage, Well informed on desegregation and the situation of Roma in Europe, Computer literacy (Microsoft Word, Excel, PP, Outlook), Provided: Professional training: European Roma and Human Rights, Professional training: EU decision making processes and Institutions, Direct working contact with 27 countries' MEPs and other EU Institutions, Direct working contact with the MEP's Romani NGO network, Possibility to fulfill personal ideas concerning European Roma, 1200 EUR monthly remuneration (-450EUR/months accommodation costs), Accommodation for 450 EUR/month + charges, must be paid by the intern. How to apply: Please send a EU format Curriculum Vitae and a Letter of Motivation to:
mailto:vmohacsi@europarl.eu.int
On January 30 and 31 in Berlin the German EU Presidency organized the Opening of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The aim of the event was to gather all key stakeholders in the fight against discrimination, in order to identify concrete approaches to bring about equal opportunities in practice. Ivan Ivanov, ERIO's Executive Director made interventions during the workshops with highlighting that "...the debate for equal opportunities should go beyond the goals of the Year. Raising awareness on the principle of equal treatment is necessary because neither members of the society nor governmental representatives are well informed about the new anti-discrimination legislation especially those in the new Members States. The recent Euro Barometers shows that between 65 and 85% of the interviewed people leaving in of EU Members States believe that to be Roma tends to be disadvantage in society. This alarming fact indicates that European citizens acknowledge that the questions of Roma are a problem for their societies and urgent measures should be taken. In parallel with awareness raising campaigns for equal opportunities, Diversity as a prerequisite for equality should also be promoted in the European societies..."
For more information go to: http://www.erionet.org/pressreleases.html
The Committee of Ministers issues recommendations on minority protection in Finland
Strasbourg 31.1.2007 - The Committee of Ministers has just adopted resolution on the protection of minorities in Finland. This resolution contains conclusions and recommendations, highlighting positive developments, but also a number of areas where further measures are needed to advance the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The resolutions are largely based on the corresponding Opinions of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention. The detailed Opinions of the Advisory Committee of independent experts, together with the comments by the Government of Finland, are also available on line. It is noticed among the positive developments that Finland has expanded further its consultative structures designed to address concerns of national minorities, including by setting up permanent regional advisory boards for Roma affairs. However, one among the issues of concern remains that for Roma pupils, the limited scope of Roma language education is coupled with other problems, such as their disproportionate presence in special education. The Committee of Ministers adopts the following recommendations in respect of Finland: expand the availability of minority language education - including Russian, Roma as well as the Sami languages outside the Sami Homeland - and step up efforts to address various problems faced by Roma in the educational system. Resolution on Finland:
http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/minorities/2._framework_convention_%28monitoring%29/2._monitoring_mechanism/6._resolutions_of_the_committee_of_ministers/1._country-specific_resolutions/2._second_cycle/PDF_2nd_CM_Resolution_Finland_eng.pdf
Gypsy authority urging hate speech law
Budapest, February 1 (MTI) - Hungary's National Gypsy Authority (OCO) on Thursday urged parliament to renew its attempts to pass legislation against hate speech, the authority's chairman Orban Kolompar told reporters. There have been an increased number of verbal attacks against the Roma minority in recent months, said Kolompar. Legislation is therefore needed to class hate speech as a crime, he insisted. Early last year, the Constitutional Court nullified a law against hate speech adopted by Parliament, finding it unconstitutional. The rejected law would have expanded the scope of punishable acts, by inserting the phrase "incitement to hatred" to replace "instigation" in the Penal Code. Kolompar argued that it was not enough to say that "the majority of people reject statements inciting hatred". Legal means are also needed against people, groups, organisations or parties that made openly offensive, racist remarks, he said.
OCO calls on the main opposition Fidesz party and allied Roma organization Lungo Drom to distance themselves from extreme right organisations, such as Jobbik, which made provocative statements last week suggesting a high ratio of criminal activities committed by members of the Roma community, OCO Spokesman Janos Bogdan, Jr. said.
Scheming Gypsy Proposes New Hate Speech Law
Unfazed by a Constitutional Court ruling striking down a sweeping "hate speech" law passed by the Hungarian Parliament last year, the National Gypsy Authority (Országos Cigány Kisebbségi �?nkormányzat, or OCO) last week renewed its campaign to get a law on the books that would make it a crime in Hungary not only to instigate violence against minorities, but to "incite hatred" towards them. According to statenewswire MTI, OCO CEO Orbán Kolompár (right) says that an increase in the number of such cases of hate-mongering against Hungary's Roma (Gypsy) population mean that Parliament must act: Kolompár argued that it was not enough to say that "the majority of people reject statements inciting hatred". Legal means are also needed against people, groups, organisations or parties that made openly offensive, racist remarks, he said.
ERRC Condemns Anti-Romani Actions in Russia
On 1 February 2007, the ERRC sent two letters to Russian authorities expressing concern at anti-Romani actions in the country and urging immediate action to end such incidents. The first letter, sent to Mr Pavel Gusev, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Moskovskij Komsomoletc", expressed concern about the rise of anti-Romani hate speech in the newspaper and the regular and apparently habitual linkage of Roma with crime. The letter, which was copied to the Director of the Central Regional Administration of Rosohrancultura, urged employees of the newspaper to take a firm stand against anti-Romani hate speech and to refrain from publishing inflammatory anti-Romani language. The full text of letter is available on the ERRC's Internet website at: http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2720.The second letter was sent to Mr Mikhail Cukruk, Chief of the Department of the Ministry of Interior of Volgograd Region, and expressed concern recent police raids in the city of Volzhskiy, undertaken within the framework of a police action called "Operation Tabor". The action, the name of which points directly to anti-Romani actions by law enforcement officials ("tabors" are Romani settlements), is the most recent in a series of explicitly anti-Romani actions by Russian police taking place since 2002. In its letter, the ERRC urged Russian authorities to take immediate measures to end abusive police operations targeting Roma in the region of Volgograd. The full text of the letter, which was copied to the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, is available online at: http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2720.
The letters are a part of ongoing ERRC work in the Russian Federation to combat hate speech against Roma and the problems experienced by Roma in the Russian criminal justice system. Since 2006, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported ERRC work in the Russian Federation.
New funding for authorized Gypsy and traveler sites Three local authorities in the East of England have been awarded a total of £95,000 to help them improve living conditions on authorized Gypsy and traveler sites in the region. The grant will support the refurbishment of seven sites. This announcement follows a second round of bidding for Gypsy and traveler site grant in 2006/7. Overall this year the government has approved £20.2 million of investment that will provide 140 additional pitches for Gypsies and travelers, and refurbish 76 sites. Up to £56 million is being made available through the grant between 2006-8 to provide new and refurbished sites, and tackle the problem of unauthorized camping. Schemes are subject to evaluation by both independent consultants and regional assemblies. Communities Minister, Meg Munn, said: �??By improving the provision of authorized sites; we can tackle the problem of unauthorized camping and ensure everyone has a decent place to live. �?�The grant is vital in our drive to increase the number of authorized sites for Gypsies and travelers. Providing more authorized sites reduces the cost to taxpayers of costly enforcement action and creates a sustainable solution for the whole community.�?� Regional assemblies then evaluated how bids fit with emerging regional priorities for Gypsy and traveler provision: for example, new provision in areas subject to high levels of unauthorized camping, and refurbishment of sites to ensure that they do not fall out of use.
http://www.ppmagazine.co.uk/?cid=623
OSI publication: Monitoring education for Roma The OSI Education Support Program presents a Statistical Baseline for Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe. The Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute responds to the fundamental lack of accurate information on Roma in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe with its new publication, Monitoring Education for Roma: A Statistical Baseline for Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe. The publication presents the most readily available data on Roma education in these regions, in the interest of promoting education justice for Roma.
The statistical baseline was collated at the beginning of the Decade of Roma Inclusion to allow for monitoring of improvements on key education indicators for Roma over the course of that 10-year program. The current information demonstrates the negative impact that education discrimination has had on Roma; how much work and commitment is required of governments to bridge the education gap between Roma and majority populations in these regions; and what daunting challenges remain, even in the most committed countries, to achieving the Decade's goals in education.
The publication is available on OSI's website at :
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp/articles_publications/publications/monitoring_20061218
TIP: Check out the information about the related EUMAP monitoring on Equal access to quality education for Roma at
http://www.eumap.org/topics/minority/reports/roma_education
Recent ECMI Publications: Momographs
http://www.ecmi.de/rubrik/56/monographs/ ROMS ON INTEGRATION II: ANALYSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. January 2007, 114 pp. Download (PDF file 923 KB): ROMS ON INTEGRATION: ANALYSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS March 2006, 124 pp Download pdf 566 KB http://www.ecmi.de/download/monograph_4_en.pdf
Office of Viktoria Mohacsi MEP: Announcement of Internship Program
Viktória Mohácsi, Member of European Parliament (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) herewith invites applications for a 3 months internship in the European Parliament Brussels starting with the 09th of April 2007 Deadline for the application: 23rd of February 2007. Requirements: Intermediate or higher English communication skills, Romanes and Hungarian language constitutes an advantage, Well informed on desegregation and the situation of Roma in Europe, Computer literacy (Microsoft Word, Excel, PP, Outlook), Provided: Professional training: European Roma and Human Rights, Professional training: EU decision making processes and Institutions, Direct working contact with 27 countries' MEPs and other EU Institutions, Direct working contact with the MEP's Romani NGO network, Possibility to fulfill personal ideas concerning European Roma, 1200 EUR monthly remuneration (-450EUR/months accommodation costs), Accommodation for 450 EUR/month + charges, must be paid by the intern. How to apply: Please send a EU format Curriculum Vitae and a Letter of Motivation to:
mailto:vmohacsi@europarl.eu.int
