Conference on anti-Gypsyism
How to address anti-Gypsyism in a post-2020 EU Roma Framework?
Roma make up Europe’s largest ethnic minority, many of them facing discrimination, prejudice and social exclusion. To this day, anti-Gypsyism and its ideological mani- festations are still deeply rooted in European societies. The European Fundamental Rights Agency has found anti-Gypsyism to be a key structural driver of Roma exclusion which undermines the process of Roma integration and reinforces the generational deprivation of Roma. Many civil society stakeholders believe that the EU Roma inclusion policy would benefit from a greater focus on the fight against anti-Gypsyism. Both in its midterm review and its final evaluation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, the European Commission identified the lack of a specific non-discrimination goal and targeted strategies to fight anti-Gypsyism as key weaknesses of the current EU Framework.
Several important steps were taken at international and European level to recognise and counter anti-Gypsyism as a specific form of racism against Roma. To provide an additional point of reference for ongoing reflections on the post-2020 EU Roma inclusion agenda, the Austrian EU Presidency hosted an expert conference on anti-Gypsyism. The conference brought together experts from (Roma) civil society, EU Member States and enlargement countries, EU institutions, international organisations and academia to discuss ways forward in the fight against anti-Gypsyism under a possible post-2020 EU Roma Framework. Participants were asked to make clear-cut recommendations that could contribute to future discussions on the post-2020 EU approach to Roma inclusion. To facilitate a results-oriented discussion, participants worked in twelve discussion groups. Discussions focused on specific questions on anti-Gypsyism that had been identified prior to the conference by relevant stakeholders at two preparatory workshops.