Several programmes took place yesterday in Brussels on the occasion of the International Roma Day. Lívia Járóka MEP spoke of the changes in progress in the policies concerning the reception of the European Roma, and – as one of its primary conditions – the necessity of reinforcement in the civil sphere.
In accordance with the tradition, the Fidesz-MPSZ group of the People’s Party in the European Parliament celebrated the International Roma Day this year too. The International Roma Day was officially declared holiday by the first Roma World Congress in London, 1971.
Early afternoon Járóka has met experts of equal chances from Hungary. In the meeting, Járóka gave information on the EPP-s activities aiming the thorough inclusion of the Roma. After this, she discussed the national and European Roma policy with the quests.
On the Roma Day conference of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO), Járóka, board member of the ERIO spoke about the noticeable positive change of attitude in the European policy: the attention the mainstream European politics pays on the situation of the Roma these days seemed unimaginable four years ago.
About the role of the civil sphere, the MEP pointed out that while many outstanding civil organisations has been established in the past few years, the local self-organization of the Roma still doesn’t work satisfactorily. Every community has to fight its own particular problems, so in order to better the situation of the Roma, they first and foremost must be involved in the action, from planning to supervision. “The Roma civil society must do much more than before for the self-esteem and dignity of the Roma communities, and for helping them to become partners in the decisions concerning them” – closed the MEP her speech.