Joint statement of the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Micheline Calmy-Rey, and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mevlüt Çavusoglu
Strasbourg, 07.04.2010 - "Roma are full citizens of Europe. Yet their situation within our society raises serious human rights issues," say Micheline Calmy-Rey, Chair of the Committee of Ministers, and Mevlüt Çavusoglu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, in a statement to mark International Roma Day.
"There are approximately 10 million Roma in Europe and their communities continue to suffer discrimination, poverty and social exclusion. In many cases they do not even have guaranteed access to such fundamental rights as education, employment, health and housing. This is an unacceptable situation which we must all strive to change.
Within the Council of Europe we have the necessary legal framework to combat discrimination against Roma and promote their integration. But we also have to change opinions and attitudes since discrimination is often based on ignorance. This is why the Council of Europe launched the Dosta! campaign, which aims to make the public more aware of Roma lifestyles, culture and language.
International Roma Day is an opportunity for all concerned – the authorities, the media, non-governmental organisations and Roma themselves – to discuss together what steps should be taken to make equal opportunities and non-discrimination a reality for all the Roma communities of Europe."
