Newsroom

Following the launching of the EURoma Platform, the EU will promote the social inclusion of the Roma

Luxembourg, 8th June 2009

The European Union (EU) has announced new measures to improve the social inclusion of the Roma in response to the “increasing pressure and discrimination” of racist and xenophobic groups in some member states.

During the last meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Affairs Council (EPSCO) on the 8^th June in Luxembourg, Michael Kocáb, the Czech Minister for Human Rights lead the discussion focus on the equal treatment and social inclusion of excluded communities.

The meeting of deputy ministers and high officials of the EU-27 unanimously adopted the Council conclusions on population ageing and on preventing multiple forms of discrimination against elderly men and women and the conclusions concerning the inclusion of Roma. This, according to Minister Kocáb, is a major step forward in the area of human rights and equal treatment at the European level.

The adopted text stresses the need to guarantee the access to education, housing, health, employment, social services, justice, culture and sports.

The Czech presidency submitted the Council Conclusions following the conference of the European Commission in Prague on 24 April 2009. The EU Council will thus have an opportunity to discuss and adopt the first Common Basic Principles for Roma Inclusion.

There is a broad agreement on the fact that the new EU platform should provide for an open and flexible environment which enables all key actors – EU institutions, Member States, civil society and other international actors and initiatives – to exchange knowledge, experience and good practice, to make (and renew) commitments for initiatives as well as possibly monitor the progress achieved. For further information please visit: http://www.eu2009.cz/en/

The Second EU Roma Summit will take place in Spain on the 8^th April 2010, International Day for the Roma population.

Newsroom

Following the launching of the EURoma Platform, the EU will promote the social inclusion of the Roma

Documents

This website is cofunded by:

Technical Secretariat: