NRC

To:
Mr. Joseph DAUL, Chairman of the EPP ED group
Mr. Martin SCHULZ, Martin, Chairman of the PES group
Mr. Graham WATSON, Chairman of ALDE group
Mr. Brian CROWLEY, Chairman of the UEN group
Mr. Daniel COHN-BENDIT, Co-President of the Greens/EFA group
Mr. Francis WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE group

Dear Presidents of Political groups in the European Parliament,

Regarding the debate on European Roma Strategy that appears on your agenda of the forthcoming January plenary session in Strasbourg, we would kindly appreciate your highest attention on the following points:

• The European Roma Strategy is a necessity as well as priority for the European Union especially after the events that took place in Italy last year. Such strategy should serve the EU as an instrument for prevention of similar developments in other EU member states;
• The European Roma Strategy should primarily focus on improving the living conditions of the Roma in Europe, create jobs for jobless Roma, deepen the system of non-discrimination and combat Anti-Gypsyism in the EU, support education of the Roma, bring health in the Roma settlements and promote Roma political inclusion.
  In a same time the European Roma Strategy should take into account the official recommendations of the CoE, the OSCE action Plan on Roma as well as the Decade of Roma Inclusion programs.
• Creation of a Roma Unit within the European Commission should be a number-one priority for the EU, especially after the European Council recognises the urgency of the matter and undertakes concrete steps as soon as possible. Such Unit on Roma issues can help the policy, implementation and monitoring part of the European Strategy on Roma in Europe;
• The European Roma Strategy should serve Roma as equal citizens in the EU and should be tabled for consultation as well as to be developed together with Romani partners;
• The Roma in the EU are 12 million people. With the future enlargement of the EU meaning of the accession of the Western Balkans states the number will increase to 14-15 million and with Turkey will come to 16-17 million Roma;

We count on your generous support to the Roma and we thank you for sharing this letter with your MEP colleagues so that our voice as your voters is heard too.

Devlesa
Asmet Elezovski
President of National Roma Centrum
Spokeperson of Roma National Congress
Delegate European Roma and Travellers Forum

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Reagarding the latest events in Italy, following the horrific murder of an Italian woman, when Romanian Roma was suspected, which leads to immediate expulsion of Roma, buldozing of Romani setlements, and anti-Romani settlement in the media and in the public life.

To:
Mr. Traian Basescu
President of Romania

To
Mr. Călin Popescu – Tăriceanu
Prime Minister of Romania

To
Mr. Romano Prodi
Prime Minister of Italy

To
Hans-Gert Pöttering
President of the European Parliament

To:
Mr. Terry Davis
Secretary General of the Council of Europe

To
Mr. Nicolae Paun
Deputy in the Parliament of Romania

To
European Roma and Travellers Forum

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Respected,

National Roma Centrum (NRC) is civil and human rights based organisation, aimed at combating anti-Romani racisms and human rights abuse of Roma, representing and stimulating the active participation and integration of Romani people on the principles of the modern multiethnic European society.

NRC is writing to express grave concern following the horrific murder of an Italian woman, Mrs. Giovanna Reggiani, and on the other hand systematic violence and abuse of Roma in Italy, irrelevant if they are Romanian Roma in Italy or Italian Roma. Please do not exploit the emotions which followed Mrs Reggiani’s killing in order to evict and to expel Roma. On November 1, the Italian government issued a decree according to which EU citizens deemed to pose a threat to public order and security can be deported from the country. Italy’s authorities pushed through an emergency decree allowing for the immediate expulsion without trial of any immigrants deemed to represent a threat to public safety.

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To Mr. Janez Janša Prime Minister of Republic Slovenia Cc. Dragutin Mat Minister of Interior of Republic of Slovenia Cc. Matjaž Hanžek Office of the Ombudsman of Republic of Slovenia Honourable Prime Minister The National Roma Centrum (NRC) is a professional non-governmental organization located in Kumanovo, Macedonia, with the aim of representing and stimulating the active participation and integration of Romani people on the principles of the modern multiethnic European society. National Roma Centrum is writing to express grave concern about the recent Roma eviction, and to urge the authorities of Republic of Slovenia to carry out a prompt, thorough and effective investigation. We are calling for appreciation of basic human rights and freedoms, guaranteed to all people, according to the European Convention of Basic Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as with the Directive 2000/43/ЕС of the EC (Race Directive). We are calling upon these legal instruments, according to them people can choose the manner and place of living, and equal right to participate in local and national policy-making bodies, these rights are guaranteed as well as for marginalized groups and minorities. Honourable Prime Minister The European Court of Human Right’s case law and other international legal standards require a prompt and effective official protection where there are potential violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. Further positive obligations arise where there is a possibility that racial animus may have influenced events, implicating the Convention’s ban on discrimination. States Parties to the Convention – including Slovenia — have a positive obligation to immediately investigate alleged violations of the European Convention. Such an obligation also arises by implication under Article 1, where the State must secure the “rights and freedoms of the Convention”. Strojan’s family from Ambrus, Slovenia must be protected, but not manipulated and forcible evicted on the basis of ethnic or racial origin. If the family is willing to go back, the state should guarantee this right, without any prejudices by the majority or by the local communities. Strojan’s family has Slovenian citizenship, and upon that they have the right to choose their place of living, as other citizens, this right is established by the Slovenian and International law too. The obligation to investigate is even more pressing where potential Convention violations may have a racial motivation. Under Article 14 of the Convention, everyone’s rights must be protected from discrimination on the basis of race and other grounds were influenced by racial considerations. We also allege an anti-Romani bias among Slovenians citizens and Slovenians authorities. Thus, a thorough investigation should begin at once, to allay any suspicion of racial bias, and to avoid the manifestation of an European Convention violation. Honourable Prime Minister We urge you to undertake any and all measures within the powers available to your office to ensure a swift, full, thorough and effective investigation into the eviction of Strojan’s family, and that any and all perpetrators involved in illegal actions in connection with this will be swiftly brought to justice. We urge further that authorities investigate the possibility of racial motive or animus in the circumstances leading to and/or surrounding Strojan’s family eviction, in addition to seeking to determine whether other forms of wrongdoing have taken place. The results of the investigation, should be transparent, and set to rest any and all open questions surrounding these events.

Asmet Elezovski

Download: Rasism_in_Slovenia.pdf

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Dear All, We RNC trough NGO National Roma Centrum have received answer from Mr. Borelli, president of EU Parliament about of issues of MP Livia Jaroka. I hope that we will be in future cooperative in mutual action.

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