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Roma: a European Minority – the Challenge of Diversity

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Roma: a European Minority – the Challenge of Diversity Cover Roma2:Roma: A European Minority 3/7/11 10:59 AM Page 1 The German Nobel Prize Laureate Günter Grass calls the Roma a blind spot in the consciousness of Europe and George Soros, founder and president of the Open Society Foundations, warns us of the danger of the creation of a perma- nent underclass if Europe does not act more vigorously to tackle the problems Roma: A European Minority of its largest minority. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament wants to contribute to the debate about the best way forward with regard to the Roma. In view of the presentation of the EU The Challenge of Diversity framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, the authors, Roma and non-Roma, in particular look at the role of the EU from many different angles. They all underline the need for better mutual understanding in and between communities. Not the Roma are the problem, but the inability of our societies Edited by to deal with cultural diversity. Monika Flašíková-Beňová, Roma: A European Minority is part of a series of publications of the S&D Group Hannes Swoboda and in which politicians, experts and academics present their points of view. Jan Marinus Wiersma Roma: A European Minority Challenge of Diversity – The Cover picture: “Roma girls outside Miercurea-Ciuc, Titiriga Romania” – Courtesy of Rachel 4 5 7 3 3 3 2 8 2 9 8 7 B2-31-11-078-EN-C ISBN 978-92-823-3375-4 9 Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 1 Roma: A European Minority The Challenge of Diversity Edited by Monika Flašíková-Beňová, Hannes Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 2 The contributions in this publication do not represent the official position of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament ISBN 978-92-823-3375-4 doi: 10.2861/5820 © 2011 – European Union – Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The contents of this book are copyrighted and the right to use of contributions rests with the authors. Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 3 Table of contents Preface 5 Martin Schulz Introduction 7 Monika Flašíková-Beňová and Hannes Swoboda The Point of No Return 13 Jan Marinus Wiersma THE DEBATE 23 A Blind Spot in the Consciousness of Europe 25 Ein blinder Fleck im europäischen Bewusstsein An interview with Günter Grass / Ein Interview mit Günter Grass Time to Break the Vicious Circle of Roma Exclusion 39 George Soros Roma and the Politics of Demographic Imagination 45 Ivan Krastev WHAT ROLE FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION? 53 EU Roma Actions – the Evolution of Policies and Instruments 55 László Andor The Imperative of Roma Integration 65 Viviane Reding The Need for a Coordinated EU Response 67 Kinga Göncz and Claude Moraes EXCLUSION AND DISCRIMINATION 77 Inclusion of the Roma: Europe’s Joint Responsibility 79 Gábor Daróczi Why “Fixing” the Roma is the Wrong Approach 89 Valeriu Nicolae Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 4 Roma Inclusion and Discrimination 99 Eva Sobotka Towards an Effective and Purposeful Confrontation of Cultures 107 Nazzareno Guarnieri Forgotten by time 113 Tanja Fajon ROMA IN WESTERN EUROPE 117 The Process of Inclusion of the Roma Community in Spain: 119 A Model for Europe? Isidro Rodriguez Integrated Approach of Roma in the Netherlands 127 Cor de Vos PARTICIPATION AND CITIZENSHIP 135 Civic Participation of Roma – Active Citizenship in Serbia 137 Boris Tadić Roma as Active Citizens: Closing the Gap 141 between Political Elites and Local Communities Catherine Messina Pajic Roma Integration: Civic Participation is not a “Luxury Option” 151 Lili Makaveeva The Historical Importance of Roma Politics 161 Martin Kovats La France et les Roms 169 Michel Rocard S&D GROUP ROMA ACTIVITIES IN THE 173 PRESENT TERM OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 5 Preface: Human Dignity is Non-Negotiable Martin Schulz Recently I met Nobel Prize Laureate and writer Günter Grass to discuss the situation of the Roma and Sinti in Europe. Supporting the Roma in their struggle has for years been an almost daily task of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. To improve their situation, the Roma also need the support of civil society. It was heartening to see both the commitment of this famous writer and the work his Roma foundation is accomplishing. Human dignity is non-negotiable within the European Union. This was my first thought when I saw how the Roma community was treated by the Italian government in 2007. Three years later, the pictures of the destruction of Roma camps and the expulsions from France deeply shocked me. I welcomed the decision of the European Commission to exercise its powers as guardian of EU law – this time not in relation to the internal market but based on a fundamental principle of EU citizenship. It is, after all, about defending and enforcing core values of the EU. The integration of the Roma into our societies must be a priority for all member states and the European Union. Those who are confronted with these problems on a daily basis, like local mayors, need our support. Our societies must be willing to inte- grate the Roma and they themselves must be more engaged in this process, of course with full respect for their cultural identity. The events in Italy and France have lead to an increased aware- ness that the EU must tackle the Roma issue. Indeed, it is now Martin Schulz is President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and 5 Democrats in the European Parliament. Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 6 frequently discussed in Council meetings and the European Commission is preparing an EU Framework for National Integration Strategies. The S&D Group has led demands for a European solution for years and we will continue to keep the Roma issue on the European agenda. For my group it is of great importance to have close contact with the Roma community and support their grassroots movements. We will continue to speak with Roma people, listen to their worries and greatly value their input in developing ideas for Roma integration. This book is a contribution to this debate. 6 Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 7 Introduction Monika Flašíková-Beňová Hannes Swoboda “The Gypsy problem is a litmus test not of democracy but of a civil society,” Václav Havel said in 1993. “The two are certainly two sides of the same coin; one is unthinkable without the other. One means legislation to enable the people to vote and make them the source of power. The civil society is related to human behaviour.” The enlargements of 2004 and 2007 brought between five and six million people of Roma origin into the European Union. Protecting their rights and addressing their social and economic problems consequently became a Euro- pean issue and even a test case of the European Union’s values. What Havel had in mind almost twenty years ago was a society in which people would act as responsible citizens and manifestations of intolerance would be driven out. While a large part of the Roma population was employed during communism, mainly as unskilled industrial workers, the fall of the communist system caused the elimination of their jobs when radical pro-market policies were introduced. At the same time, there were, was, and remains a widespread manifestation of intolerance and outspoken discrimination against this ethnic minority group – with the complicity of many politicians. After the violent attacks on Roma originating from new member states in Italy in the autumn of 2007 and the expulsion of Roma from France in August 2010, the issue of their inclusion gained considerable political momentum and caused for the first time public debate all-over Europe. It created anger in the new member states who often had been lectured to do more for the Monika Flašíková-Beňová and Hannes Swoboda are Vice-Presidents of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European 7 Parliament. Roma_book back3:Roma book S&D Group 3/15/11 11:42 AM Page 8 Roma. A typical reaction from the region of origin is the following quote in the Romanian paper Adevărul: “Until recently, Westerners would lecture us on how to treat Gypsies – whether it was a matter of terminology (say Roma, not Gypsy!) or legis- lation. But now that they, too, got invaded, they melodramatically changed their tune, taking drastic steps that Bucharest, Bratislava, Budapest, Sofia, Zagreb and Belgrade would not have dared to take. Is this sheer hypocrisy? At any rate, the West has now taught us quite a lesson!” This recent episode makes clear that much more should be done, both at the European and national level, to break the vicious circle of poverty, exclusion and discrimination. Poverty does not stop at borders. And above all, it has shown that it is not just an “Eastern European issue”, but a challenge for all countries in the EU. When speaking about Roma, one has to bear in mind the large diversity of this people. Roma also live, and have lived, in signif- icant numbers in countries like France and Spain, where their situation is considerably better but not without problems.
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