ROMANI YOUTH

FORUM OF EUROPEAN ROMA YOUNG PEOPLE
116 Route du Polygone,

Strasbourg - Cedex 67027,

France

PHOTO : www.demotix.com

Press Release

Voicing out the needs of the Roma Young People.

Brussels, April 11, 2012:

Marking the 41st anniversary of the International Roma Day, the representatives of the Forum of European Roma Young People (FERYP) and TERNYPE met with the President of the European Parliament Mr. Martin Schulz.

In a joint voice the Roma youth raised the attention of the President to a worrying raise of anti-gypsism in Europe and the need to address this situation.

The networks also brought to the attention of the president the fact that Roma youth needs are not addressed in the National Roma Integration Strategies submitted by Member States. The Roma strategies must do beyond education and employment measures. Fighting anti-gypsism and favoring the inclusion of the Roma youth should therefore be part and parcel of the next phase of the implementation; the networks suggested the Parliament to raise these issues in its next meetings, as a matter of urgency.

The strong need for supporting the higher education of young Roma was also emphasized, especially in the era when the youngsters are motivated to study, but living conditions are becoming more difficult. Better education leads to better possibilities in the labor market and to greater economic benefits for European societies.

Mr. Schulz, warmly welcomed the meeting with the delegation of young Roma representatives. He emphasized the high openness of the European parliament to address the situation of young Roma in Europe. Mr. Schulz was interested to hear that over 40% of Roma in SEE are youngsters below 22 years[1].

His cabinet will follow up on the possibilities suggested by the Roma youth networks on how to best address these issues through different committees of the European programs as well as possibilities to ensure active participation of Roma youth.