30/03/2011 Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“The Council of Europe has been the pioneer in promoting the protection of the Roma and has been making efforts for a long time now to improve their situation,” stressed Annette Groth (Germany, UEL), who is currently preparing a report on "The Situation of Roma in Europe: movement and migration," at the opening ceremony of the Plenary Assembly of the European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF).
However, “I am a little bit ashamed that we have produced so many papers, so many reports for so little results,” she added. In order to move forward, “we need to explode some myths and deep rooted prejudices,” she said, especially those asserting that “Roma are all nomadics,” that “they are all from abroad,” and that “all Roma migration is illegal”. “This is simply not true.”
“We need to substantially improve the situation of Roma and fight for their rights,” she insisted. “We must therefore work very closely with Rudko Kawczynski, the ERTF Chair, and with John Warmisham, Congress rapporteur, to collect examples,” concluded Mrs Groth. In January 2011, PACE and ERTF concluded an agreement to reinforce their cooperation.