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C/ Concilio de Trento, 313 office 9.9 08020 Barcelona (Spain)
Tel. +34 933 05 10 71
Anabel Carballo: a.carballo@fagic.org
In April 2021, the Independent Commission on Antigypsyism delivered its report on antigypsyism in Germany. The over 800-page report assessed the historically rooted structural racism against Sinti and Roma that is ongoing in various societal fields from knowledge production to law enforcement. Following the path of Sweden, Germany is the second European country to start a process of looking at the legacy of centuries of antigypsyism and its current manifestations. CHACHIPEN project argues that antigypsyism today cannot be effectively rooted out without recognition of the past injustices and remedy for the persecution and racism the Sinti and Roma have been facing.
During this event, we will hear the main findings and recommendations of the Independent Commission. We will discuss what these findings mean for Sinti and Roma people in Germany and on how the recommendations can be implemented effectively? We will also discuss to what extent this process can be implemented in other EU Member States and how it relates to the EU non-discrimination, equality and anti-racism laws.
CHACHIPEN project allows us to draw inspiration and lessons from the experiences of the German Independent Antigypsyism Commission (Unabhängige Kommission Antiziganismus). This event is organised by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in the framework of the project CHACHIPEN.
Project description about CHACHIPEN – Paving the way for Truth and Reconciliation Process to address antigypsyism in Europe: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building.
25 April 2023: The Conference History, Memory and Justice for Roma people in Europe was the EU
Roma Week Flagship Event hosted by the European Parliament.
Members of the CHACHIPEN project attended the ‘International Conference on the Genocide of the Roma and Combating Antigypsyism’, hosted by the Swedish Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Stockholm, 20-21 October 2022. Read more about the conference below and in the Summary Report (pdf).
3 March 2023: Hybrid Roundtable in Bucharest on paving the way for truth and reconciliation processes in Romania, linked to the Romanian CHACHIPEN country report.
16 December 2022: Launch of the national report on Spain, ‘The persecution of Roma during Franco’s dictatorship”, Hyrid event on Truth, Memory and Justice
The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma was founded in February 1982. It is an independent umbrella organisation for 17 national associations. Based in Heidelberg, it is an advocacy group representing the interests of the German Sinti and Roma on the level of policy and civil rights. The Central Council advocates the equal participation of Sinti and Roma in politics and society, and the protection of and support for Sinti and Roma as a national minority. As part of its civil rights work, it is engaged in continuous dialogue with state and regional governments on the implementation of the “Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities” in Germany. Due to the efforts of the Central Council, in 1995 the German Sinti and Roma were officially recognised as national minority and – in accordance with the “European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages” – the German Romany was recognised as a minority language. At the international level, the Central Council represents the interests of Sinti and Roma at conferences organised by the EU, the European Council, and the OSCE. It is also a member of numerous national and international minority organisations.
The self-defined primary function of the Central Council is to represent the interests of German Sinti and Roma. However, it also comments on and opposes racist and discriminatory measures and activities abroad, and calls for a better protection of the Roma minorities. Furthermore, the Central Council supports and implements concrete projects that aim at improving the living conditions of the Roma (e.g. housing projects in Romania, Hungary and Slovakia). For this purpose, it works closely with Roma organizations in the countries concerned.
Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma (Central Council of German Sinti and Roma – Website)
Catalogue of the exhibition “45 Years of Civil Rights Work of German Sinti and Roma”
Guillermo Ruiz: Guillermo.Ruiz@sintiundroma.de
ERGO Network mobilizes and connects grassroots, national and international organisations and individuals who share a set of core values to create the courage, capacity and opportunities to combat antigypsyism and Roma poverty; strengthen Roma civil society participation in decision-making at grassroots, national and European level and commit governments and European institutions to effective social inclusion and anti-discrimination policies, standards and funds for Roma.
https://ergonetwork.org/about-us/
Founded in Brussels in 1983, CEPS is a leading think tank and forum for debate on EU affairs, ranking among the top think tanks in Europe.
With an exceptionally strong in-house research capacity and an extensive network of partner institutes throughout the world, CEPS has amply demonstrated its ability to anticipate trends and to analyse policy questions well before they become topics of general discussion. At CEPS, researchers perform policy research on a wide range of policy areas: from the economy and finance to better regulation, the digital economy and trade, as well as energy and climate, education and innovation, foreign policy and the European integration process, or justice and home affairs. The main assets of CEPS are listed as follows:
As one of the few think tanks in Brussels covering most European policy areas, we offer exchanges, provide insights on and potential solutions for EU policy-making through:
Publication (2019): Scaling up Roma Inclusion Strategies. Truth, reconciliation and justice for addressing antigypsyism
Publication (2017): Combating Institutional Anti-Gypsyism. Responses and promising practices in the EU and selected Member States
This First Congress set a milestone for the civil rights movements of Sinti and Roma in Europe. Fifty years after, the Roma communities are facing an antigpysyism on the rise in form of hate crime, hate speech, forced evictions, racial profiling, school segregation and structural discrimination in our societies. We, the consortium members of the Project CHACHIPEN, call up to European institutions and members states for strengthening their efforts for combatting antigypsyism throughout Europe.
CHACHIPEN (meaning ‘truth’ or ‘rights’ in Romani language) is the name of a joint project, led by CEPS Brussels-based think tank, together with European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network, the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the Federación de Asociaciones Gitanas de Cataluña (FAGIC) in Spain and the Asociatia Fast Forward Romania. Through CHACHIPEN, project partners aim to advance the recognition and response to historically rooted and systemic antigypsyism. The project employs the Truth and Justice approach to review past rights violations and ongoing structural discrimination towards Sinti and Roma that hamper them to participate equally in society.
“The 8th of April, the International Roma Day, is an important occasion to remind politicians and society of their historical responsibility. It is shameful that the largest minority in Europe, with 10-12 million members, still faces exclusion, discrimination, apartheid and violence today, and that their basic civil and human rights remain denied to a large extent. The causes of these deplorable conditions lie in antigypsyism. Its outlawing is not firstly the task of the minority itself. It is the task of the society as a whole and of its institutions; it is the task of the European institutions and the European states because Sinti and Roma are equal citizens of their countries.”, stated Romani Rose, President of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.
“International Roma Day is about recognizing Roma as a diverse European people contributing to the European fabric with their distinct cultural heritage, languages, history and traditions. On the 8th of April, we celebrate our uniqueness and richness, while we continue to raise awareness on the severe economic and human rights situation of our communities at national level, in an effort to enable greater solidarity and better state responses to the social marginalization and racism faced by the Roma. As CHACHIPEN partners, we believe that change happens locally and therefore we invest in building national civil society coalitions to further advocate for the recognition of antigypsyism and the creation of national mechanisms for truth and reconciliation processes for victims of persecution, racist policies and antigypsyism, said Gabriela Hrabanova, Director of the European Roma Grassroots Organisations”.
Short description of the project CHACHIPEN
Contact persons:
9 December 2022: Launch of the national report on Sweden, ‘Considering the Swedish Commission Against Antigypsyism 2014-2016: Experiences, lessons learned and recommendations
This international stocktaking roundtable invites us to examine the current state of recognition of the dark chapters of history related to antigypsyism. The event will explore how the legacies of this historically-rooted structural form of racism against Roma are impeding the right to know and the right to truth and justice.
CHACHIPEN project allows us to draw inspiration and lessons from the experiences of the German Independent Commission on Antigypsyism (Unabhängige Kommission Antiziganismus) which presented its conclusions in April 2021.
On the occasion of the International Roma Day, we greet the Roma communities throughout the world. On 8th April 1971 Romani activists hold the First International Congress calling for a stronger awareness raising of the persecution faced by Sinti and Roma and for the demand of equal participation.
CEPS in cooperation with ERGO Network and Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, are proud to launch “CHACHIPEN”, a new project on the remembrance, recognition of antigypsyism, justice and trust-building between Roma and non-Roma people in Europe.
CEPS, together with the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network, the Federación de Asociaciones Gitanas de Cataluña (FAGIC), the Asociatia Fast Forward and the ARESEL Network of Romania, will launch a new project called “CHACHIPEN” (meaning truth in Romani language). The launch is organised in the run up to the 50th International Roma Day, which takes place on 8 April.
CHACHIPEN’s key objectives are to advance the recognition and response to historically-rooted and systemic antigypsyism, to achieve justice, equality, non-discrimination and the full participation of Roma as equal citizens across Europe. The project employs an innovative approach, through the model of “Truth and Reconciliation Processes” to review the past rights violations and ongoing structural discrimination towards Roma, which hinder the implementation of the EU non-discrimination acquis.
The opening high-level panel will situate the discussion on recognising historically rooted antigypsyism within the wider EU and national policy context, and will provide some individual live testimonies (see some of the listed speakers below). We will then discuss how to increase recognition of antigypsyism, how can we rebuild trust between Roma and non-Roma, and what is role can mainstream institutions play. Our experts will also discuss the differences in approach, from the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions to the Expert Commissions on antigypsyism, as well as the role for Roma civil rights activism in the new EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation, and in the new EU anti-racism plan.
Project description about CHACHIPEN – Paving the way for Truth and Reconciliation Process to address antigypsyism in Europe: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building.
On 2 August, the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, the persecution and murder of Sinti and Roma during National Socialism was commemorated in the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
The ‘CHACHIPEN’ means ‘truth’ in the Romani language, pursues the key objective to advance the recognition and response to historically-rooted and systemic antigypsyism to achieve justice, equality, non-discrimination and the full participation of Roma as equal citizens across Europe. The project employs an innovative approach, through the model of Truth and Reconciliation Processes (further TRP), to review the past rights violations and ongoing structural discrimination of Roma that hinders the implementation of the EU non-discrimination acquis.
THE CONTEXT
The European Commission has stressed that “the most successful actions do not just align with, but rather transform mainstream structures and policies by fighting prejudices and stereotypes and building a positive image of Roma among policy-makers and other stakeholders”. In October 2020, the European Commission has launched the new Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation for 2020-2030.The CHACHIPEN project aims at understanding and raising-awareness about antigypsyism in societies across Europe with an innovative transitional justice-like approach as a way to transform the shared historical narrative that also acknowledges the contribution of Roma to Europe.
The project partners have successfully piloted this approach. CEPS and the Alliance against Antigypsyism (that includes ERGO Network and Central Council for German Sinti and Roma), have previously produced a landmark study entitled “Scaling up Roma Inclusion strategies”. It aimed at learning from South African, Canadian, Australian TRP experiences as well as from the Swedish Commission on Antigypsyism. These lessons informed and innovated the envisioning of a post-2020 EU Roma policy.
The CHACHIPEN project will combine participatory research, strengthening advocacy capacity among Roma activists and communities, and targeted awareness-raising activities among policymakers, the media, and public institutions. The project aims to learn from TRP experiences in Sweden and Germany and to use them to advance the TRP in Romania and Spain. It also promotes such an approach at the EU level to inspire the other Member States to start similar processes as a way to rebuild trust, cooperation and reconciliation among the Roma communities and majority society institutions as an essential step towards effective delivery of non-discrimination and equality. The European Commission has also committed itself with the new EU Roma Strategic Framework 2030 to ‘raise awareness on Roma history and culture, and promote truth and reconciliation’.
THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES
The EU Roma and pro-Roma Coalition welcomes the Communication for a new EU Strategic Framework for Roma equality, inclusion and participation at a time when real human rights commitments are crucial for the 12+ million Roma in Europe. We believe that the strategic framework announced last week is a step in the right direction. It can, however, only mean something if Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries put the fight against antigypsyism at the core when implementing national Roma strategies for Roma equality, inclusion and participation.
“As ERGO Network, we welcome the commitment of the European Commission to embed the EU strategic framework in a human rights and equality framework and include Roma participation, the fight against antigypsyism and poverty among the horizontal priorities. Now national governments need to step up. They have to ensure the highest commitments under EU Council recommendations to fight antigypsyism, make school segregation illegal, sanction hate speech, hate crimes and police ill-treatment, prevent forced evictions, invest in infrastructure, clean and safe housing, employment, healthcare and empowerment at the grassroots level”, says director Jamen Gabriela Hrabanova.
“It is crucial that the new EU action plan against racism reinforces the EU Roma framework so that we can effectively address antigypsyism and structural racism experienced by Roma communities in Europe”, said Michael Privot, Director of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR). “National governments should prioritise adopting concrete commitments and measures against racism, for example by prohibiting racial profiling, collecting equality data disaggregated by race and ethnic origin, and increasing racial diversity in institutions.”
“The fight against antigypsyism is the decisive prerequisite for this new Framework in order to achieve an equal participation of Sinti and Roma. We expect that going forward more of our political representatives in Europe act as true human rights promoters and stand up against antigypsyism and any other form of racism”, says Romani Rose, chair of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.
“We welcome that the framework emphasizes the crucial role of civil society in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating public policies aimed at increasing equality, inclusion and participation, as well as the need for increasing transparency and accountability of these policies. Many important recommendations of the Roma Civil Monitor pilot project have been incorporated into the new framework, for example the supervisory role of national parliaments over governmental actions, engagement of Roma civil society in ESIF monitoring committees, the Roma Civil Monitor continuation and stronger target-setting, data collection and reporting. The actual effect of these recommendations will, however, depend on the Member States’ political will to take steps towards a more inclusive and equal society.” – Roma Civil Monitor pilot project.
“Any efforts aimed at social and economic integration of Roma will remain fruitless unless we address the deeply-rooted discrimination against the Roma. We appreciate that the Commission acknowledges the fight against antigypsyism as one of the new priority areas, however, reacting against discrimination when it happens is not enough. Preventive measures that foster a sense of belonging, contribution and value of Roma as members of our societies need to be central to the new EU Roma Framework. Culture needs to have a more pivotal role as a positive and preventive strategy that effectively alters negative perceptions and builds greater acceptance of the Roma among the majority. At the same time it reinforces a sense of dignity and pride among the Roma”, – European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.
“We are happy that the Western Balkan countries have taken a step forward and already committed to play an important part in fighting discrimination against Roma throughout Enlargement and Neighborhood countries and dedicate national and EU resources to improve the situation of Roma throughout the accession process.” stated by Adriatik Hasantari, Director of Roma Active Albania.
“Phiren Amenca welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to include Roma youth and achieve equality for them in the areas of employment, education, training and participation. We remind Member States that it is not enough to involve young Roma: Roma youth’s place is at the forefront of these processes. At the end of the day, all these policies concern young Roma the most.” Marietta Herfort, Director of Phiren Amenca International Network.
“The European Public Health Alliance welcomes the European Commission commitment to improve Roma health by reducing the life expectancy gap between Roma and the general population. However, this ambitious objective requires strong efforts in many policy areas going beyond access to healthcare. Therefore, EPHA calls on Member States and Candidate countries to adopt and implement holistic and comprehensive policy measures addressing the social determinants of health within national strategies for Roma equality and inclusion and to set up national indicators and targets enabling progress monitoring of child, women and elderly’s health”. – European Health Alliance.
“We applaud the Commission’s attempt to mainstream equality across policies, including on socio-economic inclusion, artificial intelligence, the European Green Deal, digital inclusion and the fight against hate speech. Such alignment must now be built into the budgetary instruments of the EU. A first step would be to link recovery funds with the European Semester country-specific recommendations on Roma. However, we and our Roma partners had hoped for more ambitious targets in the Framework. This is partly due to outdated datasets and evidence with low numbers of incidents. We are calling on the Commission to ensure updated data is being made available to improve the policy work of the EU institutions and civil society. We will keep on pushing for a legally binding EU Framework and call on the Council to follow the same positive path of the European Parliament by endorsing the concept of positive incentives. This is vital to foster a European Union that cares about and protects all its citizens,” says Heather Grabbe, Director of Open Society European Policy Institute.
“The new Framework recognizes the importance to invest into the empowerment and participation especially of Roma youth and Roma women. Voluntary and civic activism is an important contribution to combat stereotypes and antigypsyism in our societies. Therefore, the European Commission and Member States need to strengthen and fund the work of civil society, especially of Roma youth organizations.” Vivian Isberg, TernYpe International Roma Youth Network.
“We very much welcome the EC proposal to include novelties compared to the previous EU Framework, widening the number of sectorial and horizontal key objectives, on which Member States should focus their investments in the next 10 years. Considering that, from our experience, education and employment are essential to ensure equality and close the gap between Roma and the general population, we applaud the effort of including specific minimum objectives and targets in these areas. The allocation of specific EU funds for Roma is also a priority at Fundación Secretariado Gitano, so we hope that the proposed financial instruments will support the endeavours to guarantee the exercise of civil and social rights as a way to achieve full equality under the same conditions as the general population”. Isidro Rodríguez, General Director of FSG.
In times of social and public health uncertainty, it is important that Roma are not left behind and that this coming decade is being used by governments to amend some of the past injustices and daily racial discrimination against Roma. National politics must shift their narratives and measures on Roma in a positive and empowering way, reflective of democratic societies, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Failing to act now will have long term and profound consequences upon generations to come and on society as a whole.
Signatories
European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO Network)
European Network against Racism (ENAR)
European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC)
European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI)
TernYpe International Roma Youth Network
Phiren Amenca International Network
Roma Civil Monitor project (RCM)
Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG)
Roma Active Albania (RAA
CSOs call on the European Commission to ensure that commitments made under the EU Strategic Framework on Roma are held at the highest standards, and demand Member States to adopt an EU Council Recommendation supporting national Roma strategies to bring real justice and equality and ensure meaningful Roma participation at all levels and walks of life.
Statement of the Alliance against Antigypsyism about the current working process of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) to adopt a new “working definition of antigypsyism”.
Appeal to the European Commission and the European Council to make the post-2020 EU Strategic Framework for Roma Equality and Inclusion a top priority in its Covid-19 response.
Civil Society response on the Roadmap of the European Commission
Today, a coalition of more than fifteen Romani and anti-racism civil society organisations from across Europe called for the Council of the European Union, and governments of European countries, to make a clear commitment to the new proposals for post-2020 Roma Inclusion plans made by the European Commission in its communication to the European Parliament and Council yesterday.
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