I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its Member States. 

1. Protecting and promoting the enjoyment of human rights of the estimated 10-12 million Roma and Travellers in the Council of Europe Member States, of which an estimated 6 million are present within the borders of EU Member States, remains a pressing human rights issue on our continent. Europe’s largest minority continues to face multiple barriers to education, health, employment, housing and political participation due to systemic discrimination and antigypsyism. 

2. In line with the EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020-2030, the EU and its Member States reaffirm their commitment to the elimination of inequalities and discrimination, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, combating antigypsyism, and the strengthening of economic, social and territorial cohesion. 

3. We must deal with the structural and institutional obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights by persons belonging to the Roma and Traveller communities. Various Council of Europe bodies and entities can contribute meaningfully and complement each other to this end: the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress for Local and Regional Authorities, the Council of Europe Development Bank and, most especially, various Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms. Implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights is essential. Furthermore, we commend the Commissioner for Human Rights for prioritizing work on the human rights of Roma and Travellers. 

4. On International Roma Day, we should remind ourselves of the immense potential and strength inherent in Roma and Traveller communities, a strength that should be acknowledged and valued. In this regard, advancing civic and political participation among Roma and Travellers, including women and girls, remains essential.

5. Roma women and youth have an essential role in advancing the change that is needed. They should thus be regarded as central allies in defending and promoting human rights.  We commit ourselves to implementing Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)1 of the Committee of Ministers on equality of Roma and Traveller women and girls from April 2024 and Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on Roma youth participation from April 2023.

6. History has shown that the first victims of waves of declining democracies are persons belonging to minorities, such as the Roma. We must learn from history. Remembering and accurately educating current and future generations about the Roma Holocaust, as well as the overall history of Roma and Travellers is essential. The Joint Programme of the European Union and Council of Europe “Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education (RomaMemory)" and the Council of Ministers Recommendation (CM/Rec(2020)2) on the inclusion of the history of Roma and/or Travellers in school curricula and teaching materials are important in this regard.  We further commend the longstanding cooperation on Roma issues between intergovernmental organisations, in particular between the Council of Europe and OSCE.

7. On the occasion of the celebration of International Roma Day, we take this opportunity to commit to the preparation of the Council of Europe strategy for Roma and Traveller inclusion 2026-2030. Ensuring that Roma and Travellers are equal actors in all processes of its implementation will be key.

The following countries align with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Ukraine and United Kingdom.