It is a fact that Roma people are subjected to discrimination in many parts of Europe. Hence, it is extremely important that a group of eight NGOs, among which include Amnesty International and the Open Society, is raising awareness on the need of EU-wide strategy on Roma. To get this message across to EU leaders, the NGOs sent a letter to European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso urging for "an EU framework strategy to promote inclusion."

Earlier this month, the NGOs voice was echoed in a joint statement by Italian prime minister Romano Prodi and Romanian prime minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, subsequently tragic events occurred in Rome [1].

On Thursday 15 November, the silence within the EU was broken by the adoption of a resolution to create a network of organisations with a two-fold mandate:
 to promote Roma rights and duties in society
 to facilitate Roma social inclusion

Within the Commission, a fundamental rights group composed by 10 Commissioners [2] will analyse the issues for further action.

How are Roma people discriminated?

According to Amnesty International experts, Roma people are segregated from cradle to grave. The fact that children are excluded from mainstream public schools and that ad hoc measures are conceived to isolate Roma communities far away from inner cities, underpins the aforementioned assumption.

The promotion of social inclusion into an European free society in which every single citizen has the right of access to facilities regardless of socioeconomic status and origins is a key driver for EPHA. Hence, we embrace the NGOs cause and initiatives as the ROMAin project and raise our voice to better the Roma’s living conditions.

From the European Public Health Alliance