Liga za dekadu

"It is well known that culture is inextricably related to the functioning of social, economic and political life of a community and that it therefore enjoys the results of development, but it also suffers the consequences of collapse and various types of destruction of such systems. Culture is the first and, as it seems, the most visible victim of policy..."

Here you can read the complete article "Connection and Mutual Influence Between the Roma Policy and Culture" from the author Mr. Osman Balic.

On the occasion of a visit of the Coordinator for Roma policy, Ms Marta Garcia Fidalgo to Serbia which has been carried out from 12- 14 February, the League of Roma, Standing Conference of the Roma Associations of Citizens in Serbia expresses its pleasure and support for the European Commission’s initiatives regarding the further development of Roma policy.

During the visit of the representative of the European Commission Ms Marta Garcia Fidalgo, the representatives of the League of Roma have expressed their views and satisfaction with the results achieved within the Decade of Roma in Serbia, and have presented the data showing the fact that the past Decade of Roma is one of the most prosperous period in the history of Roma in Serbia and in the Balkan Region as well.

Read the complete press release.

This year the ten year long program The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 , initially signed by representatives of governments of nine countries1 will come to its end. The Decade of Roma Inclusion was founded because of several centuries long institutional negligence of Roma population. This initiative was undertaken for the first time. The main goal has been set: improving social position of Roma, in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe in the first place.

Read the entire document.

Roma people will occupy a total of two seats in the newly-elected European Parliament (EP). Soraya Post, a Roma activist and human rights fighter from Sweden, led the candidate list of the Feminist Initiative to victory yesterday.

Post will also continue in her position as Vice-Chair of the European Roma and Travellers Forum as well. The other MEP of Roma nationality is Damian Drăghici of Romania. 

The success of Soraya Post is significant given the topics that she might be able to shore up at the EP and win more attention for. According to her campaign statements, the presence of a feminist representative could enhance the effort to enforce certain current issues, such as that of equality between men and women or the fight against racism, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.  

Rising anti-Romani tendencies in various European states should also become a more-discussed topic. "If I am elected to the EP, the first thing I will attempt will be to push for the establishment of a European Commissioner on Equal Rights and the Fight against Racism," Post said during her campaign. 

Damian Drăghici is currently a senator in the Romanian Parliament and an adviser to the Romanian Prime Minister on Roma issues. He ran on the Social Democratic ticket during the EP election.

Currently only 15 of the 766 MEPs come from or somehow represent ethnic or religious minorities, which does not correspond to the reality of an EU in which more than 10 % of the population belongs to some minority. Up to now only three Roma had ever won seats since direct elections to the EP began in 1979.

The first Roma MEP, from 1986 - 1999, was Juan de Dios Ramírez of Spain, followed by the 2005 election of Lívia Járóka and the 2006 election of Viktória Mohácsi, both from Hungary. Nevertheless, more and more Roma candidates are turning up on the candidate lists of various parties throughout Europe. 

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