Unit 3 European policy on Roma

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Unit 3 European policy on Roma

• 9 March 2005
• Laura Laubeova
• laubeova_at_chello.cz

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(No Transcript)
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Background policy actors

• EU
• CoE
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
• Lund, Oslo, and Hague recommendations
• OSCE ODIHR Roma/ Sinti Contact point
• WB (Decade of Roma inclusion 2005-2015)
• UN
• UNDP
• NGOs (OSI, ERRC, MRG ..)
• Romani organisations
• National governments, etc

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Resources

• Liegeois, Jean-Pierre (1994) reader
• Kovats, Martin (2001) The Emergence of European
  Roma Policy reader
• Danbakli, Marielle, ed.(2001)Roma, Gypsies Text
  Issued by International Institutions. Hatfield
  University of Hertfordshire Press.
• Rooker, Marcia (1997) "Monitoring Human Rights
  The Importance of the Universal Level for Roma
  and Sinti" CPRSI Newsletter, February 1997,
  vol.3, no. 1, pp. 3-10
• Puxon, Grattan (2000) The Romani Movement in
  Acton Scholarship and the Gypsy Struggle
• Matras, Yaron (1998) Development of the Romani
  Civil Rights Movement in Tebbut Sinti and Roma

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Martin Kovats (2001) The Emergence of European
Roma Policy.

• EU PHARE
• CoE Verspaaget report 1995 Specialist Grp on
  R/G Guiding principles for improving the sit. of
  R.
• OSCE HCNM 1993, 2000 ODIHR Contact point on R
  S issues
• recommendations /guidelines or Roma
  representation
• decontextulisation
• focus on broader economic and social factors (WB,
  UNDP)

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Key events after 1989

• Resolutions in support of Romani rights
• 1990 CSCE
• 1992 UN HR Commission
• 1993 CoE
• 1993 EU Seville Congress
• 1994 joint seminar of CSCE and CoE in Warsaw
• 1994 Standing conference of Romani associations
  in Europe
• 1995 Roma advisory council at CoE (gadje experts)
  
• Matras, 199861

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Key movements IRU RNC

• 1971 First World Romani Congress gt IRU
• Intellectual interest (in linguistics, culture),
  Gypsy Lore Society1888
• France CMG Communaute Mondiale Gitane 1959 (Ionel
  Rotaru), CIT Comite Intl Tzigane (Vanko Rouda) gt
  71 congress
• Irish Traveller Community mid 60s
• Finish Gypsy Association, Spanish Secretariado
  Gitano, Slovak and Czech Associations for
  Gypsies/Roma (68 73) Facuna, Dr. Cibula
• Gypsy Council in England 1966 Johnny Brazil
• National Gypsy Education Council (1970 Lady
  Plowden) organised next three IRU congresses
• renamed to GCECWCR (for education, welfare and
  civil rights)

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World Romani Congresses (IRU)

• 1st 1971 London (Slobodan Berberski)
• 2nd 1979 Geneva (Jan Cibula)
• 3rd 1981 Gottingen, Germany (Rajko Djuric)
• 4th 1990 Warsaw (Rajko Djuric)
• 5th 2000 Prague (Emil Scuka)
• 6th 2004 Lanciano, Italy (Stanislav Stankiewicz)

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RNC

• Rom Cinti Union in Hamburg (80s) -gt RNC, Rudko
  Kawczynski
• Grassroot, militant, Romani refugees from Eastern
  Europe basic human rights approach
• Pan-European Romani Identity
• vs
• nationalist Zentralrat of German Sinti and
  Roma (81)
• Matras, 199849-63, Puxon, 200094-113

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Useful links and sources

• European Roma Information Office
  http//www.erionet.org/Home.html
• European Roma Forum http//www.europeanromaforum.
  org/
• European Roma Rights Centre http//www.errc.org
• Czech Radio http//www.romove.cz
• WB (2003) www.worldbank.org/eca/roma
• UNDP (2003) http//roma.undp.sk

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EU

• Amsterdam Treaty (Article 13)
• two Directives (2000/43/EC, 2000/78/EC)
• European constitution (Treaty establishing a
  Constitution for Europe) incl. Charter of
  Fundamental Rights (Part II)
• CoE ECHR (constitutes general principles of the
  Union's law, TITLE II, ARTICLE I-9)
• ECHR Protocol 12 (that relates to Article 14)
• European Court for HR (Strassbourg)
• EUMC (on Racism and Xenophobia)
  http//www.eumc.eu.int/
• ECMI http//www.ecmi.de
• etc

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European constitution

• http//www.europa.eu.int/constitution/index_en.htm
  
• ARTICLE I-2 The Union's values
• The Union is founded on the values of respect
  for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality,
  the rule of law and respect for human rights,
  including the rights of persons belonging to
  minorities.
• These values are common to the Member States in
  a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination,
  tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality
  between women and men prevail.
• The Union's objectives
• It shall combat social exclusion and
  discrimination, and shall promote social justice
  and protection,

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Charter of Fundamental Rights

• Non-discrimination (ARTICLE II-81)
• Any discrimination based on any ground such as
  sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin,
  genetic features, language, religion or belief,
  political or any other opinion, membership of a
  national minority, property, birth, disability,
  age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

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Discrimination definition 2000/43/EC

• Indirect discrimination shall be taken to occur
  where an apparently neutral provision, criterion
  or practice would put persons of a racial or
  ethnic origin at a particular disadvantage
  compared with other persons, unless that
  provision, criterion or practice is objectively
  justified by a legitimate aim and the means of
  achieving.

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Role of NGOs in drafting the directive

• Policy actors governments public admin.,
  private sector, intl. organisations, NGOs
• Role of NGOs
• Starting Line Group ERRC, Interrights, MPG Cf
  directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC

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Enlarged Europe May 2004

• Green paper on Equality and non-discrimination
  in an enlarged European Union
• http//www.stop-discrimination.info
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/fundam
  ental_rights/greenpaper_en.htm
• http//www.enar-eu.org/en/info/fact18.shtml

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Council of Europe
ECRI European Commission against Racisms and
Intolerance Specialist Group on Roma and
Gypsies European Commission for Democracy through
law The Parliamentary Assembly The Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities, Programmes to
build inter community confidence in
society Council of Europe monitoring
department CoE Commissioner for Human
Rights Advisory Committee of the Framework
Convention etc
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Improving housing conditions of Roma and
Travellers in Europe

• Recommendation Rec(2005)4  of the Committee of
  Ministers to member states  on improving the
  housing conditions of Roma and Travellers in
  Europe (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers
  on 23 February 2005 at the 916th meeting of the
  Ministers' Deputies) https//wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.
  jsp?id825545BackColorInternet9999CCBackColorIn
  tranetFFBB55BackColorLoggedFFAC75

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Council of Europe cont.

• ECHR
• European Charter for Regional or Minority
  languages
• European Framework Convention for Protection of
  National Minorities (FCNM)
• FCNM implementation- Eg. Office of the
  Government of the Czech Republic Information
  about Compliance with Principles set forth in the
  Framework Convention for the Protection of
  National Minorities according to Article 25,
  Paragraph 1 of this Convention,
  http//www.vlada.cz

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FCNM

• What commitments do State Parties undertake when
  they ratify the FCNM?
•   Choice of identity
•    Non-discrimination
•    Promotion of effective equality
•    Promotion of conditions favouring the
  preservation and development of culture,
  religion, language and traditions
•   Freedom of assembly, association, expression,
  thought, conscience and religion
•   Access to and use of media

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FCNM

•        Linguistic freedoms
•        - use of the minority language in private
  and in public as well as its use before
  administrative authorities
•        - use of ones own name in the minority
  language
•         - Display of information of a private
  nature in the minority language
•        - Topographical names in the minority
  language
•        Education
•        - Learning and instruction in the
  minority language
•       - Freedom to set up educational
  institutions
•        Transborder contacts
•        International and transborder
  co-operation
•        Participation in economic, cultural and
  social life
•        Participation in public life
•        Prohibition of forced assimilation

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FCNM cont.

• FC emphasises State Responsibilities rather than
  being a broad expression of rights.
• What is National Minority? No definition.
  Selected in good faith.
• The existence of a minority is a matter of fact
  not a matter of legislation by a State ( UN HR
  committee)
• Monitoring of State compliance with the
  Convention Advisory committee (AC) Committee
  of Ministers (CM),
• State reports (every 5yrs or upon request of CM,
  if needed AC sends States written
  questionnaires),
• AC Country visits, alternative reports from NGOs
• AC adopts an opinion,upon which the State can
  comment
• CM adopts a resolution with conclusions and
  recommendation to the State on the implementation
  of the FC.
• Resolution incl Comments and opinion available on
  CoE web site
• www.coe.int/T/E/human_rights/minorities

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UN conventions and committees

• Declaration of HR
• UN CERD
• CRC
• ICCPR
• ICESCR
• CEDAW
• CAT
• Geneva Convention 51
• UN Commissioner for Human Rights

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1

• all human beings are born free and equal in
  dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason
  and conscience and should act towards one another
  in a spirit of brotherhood ( and sisterhood)
• Europes challenge is to work twds realisation of
  this right.
• How to help transform established law ( national
  or intl.) from pieces of paper to popular
  practice ?
• Who are the key policy making and policy
  implementing actors?

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Case studyImpact of international criticism
on policies twds Roma in CZ schooling

• UN CERD (Committee on Elimination of Racial
  Discrimination) Concluding observations on CR,
  1998, "de facto segregation (article 5 ICERD not
  fully implemented)
• UN CERD 2000 Report on CR
• UN CRC (Rights of Children)
• UN HRC (Human Rights Committee) Concluding
  observations, July 01, "to eradicate segregation
  of R.ch. in its edu...
• EC Opinion and Progress Reports on CR

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NGO projects

• Roma Rights and Access to Justice in Europe
• Overview Report and First Year Report
• http//www.rraje.org/Reports/overview.pdf

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IRU

• 6th World Romani Congress pledges fight against
  racism   Lanciano, 10. 10. 2004, 1307 (Ustiben,
  by Grattan Puxon)
• http//www.romea.cz/english/index.php?idservis/z_
  en_2004_0150
• http//www.romea.cz/english/index.php?idservis/z_
  en_2003_0009