On 18 September 2024, the fifth Ministerial Meeting on Roma Integration took place in Berlin, bringing together ministers from Western Balkan Beneficiaries, representatives of the Council of Europe, European Commission, other high-level officials and representatives from the Roma Foundation for Europe.
Organised under the leadership of the German government, this meeting aimed to discuss the progress achieved by the Western Balkans Beneficiaries on Roma integration and implementation of the objectives outlined in the Poznan Declaration.
The participating ministers presented the progress on Roma inclusion in their Beneficiaries across various sectors, including employment, education, housing, health, data collection, etc.
A video message from Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, emphasised the importance of working in partnership with Roma communities rather than for them, stressing the role of Roma women and youth as key drivers of change. Commissioner O'Flaherty also highlighted the urgent need to address widespread racism and antigypsyism, noting that Roma face severe socio-economic challenges, with life expectancy significantly lower than that of the general population.
Representatives from the European Commission emphasised the critical need to protect the human rights of the Roma community and reiterated the EU's commitment to supporting these efforts.
Eleni Tsetsekou, Head of the Roma and Travellers Division of the Council of Europe provided an overview of the five-year assessment of the implementation of the Poznan Declaration commitments based on the research conducted as part of the Joint EU-CoE Roma Integration Phase III Programme.
According to the assessment findings, several key recommendations were made for the participating Beneficiaries in regard to Roma integration agenda: improve access to skills training and public sector employment, promote formal job transitions, and support entrepreneurship; develop urban plans for social housing investments and enhance education quality through scholarships and inclusive curricula; ensure equitable healthcare access, eliminate statelessness, integrate Roma history into educational materials, and strengthen data collection on Roma integration policies. Additionally, enhancing the role of National Roma Contact Points, increasing national and local investments for Roma issues, use of Western Balkans Investment Framework and fostering civil society involvement in decision-making were recommended, along with promoting digital literacy and green technology initiatives within Roma communities.
The Council of Europe is expected to publish the full 2019-2024 Poznan Declaration assessment report in 2025.
