PER Report: Roma and the Government in Slovakia: The Debate over Migration

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Subject: PER Report: Roma and the Government in Slovakia: The Debate over Migration

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

PER Report: Roma and the Government in Slovakia: The Debate over
Migration


Roma and the Government in Slovakia: The Debate over Migration
Bratislava, Slovakia
March 13-14, 2000


TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Preface Introduction 
The Rise of Stricter Immigration Policies 
The Perspectives of Government Officials and International Experts 
Recommendations by Experts and Officials: Are There Solutions for the
Roma? 
The Romani Viewpoint 
Recommendations by the Roma: Determining Solutions for their
Communities 
The Working Group of Roma 
List of Participants 
Other PER Publications 
Notes 

PREFACE 

Whether because of racial persecution or economic deprivation, many
Roma from Slovakia have attempted to seek new lives in Western
coun-tries. The consequences of Romani emigration have been great, not
only for the Roma but for Slovakia as a whole. Increasing numbers of
Romani refugees have given the international community reason to
increase pres-sure on the Slovak government to improve the lives of
the Roma. Indeed, improvement of the situation of the Roma has become
a stipulation for accession to the European Union. Romani emigration
has also become part of an intense debate concerning the free movement
of people in an expanding European Union. 

The response by most countries to the arrival of Romani refugees has
been less than cordial. In most cases, they have been repatriated
imme-diately upon their arrival. Furthermore, in order to curtail the
number of Romani refugees, some destination countries have imposed
temporary visa restrictions on all Slovak citizens. 

Why are the Roma leaving, and what should be done to improve their
situation in Slovakia? 

In September 1999, the government announced a program to improve the
situation of Romani communities. In May 2000, a second, more detailed
strategy was introduced, designating a portion of the fiscal-year
budget for specific Romani projects. Nonetheless, many Roma believe
that the current programs and policies have been insufficient. Some
charge that the government is not fully devoted to carrying out its
announced intentions, and others have questioned the effectiveness of
government programs and policies in actually improving life in Romani
communities. The government insists, however, that its programs and
policies do provide a basis for solutions, and it points out that
ministries have been assigned specific tasks concerning Romani
education, employ-ment, and housing. 

On March 13 and 14, 2000, in Bratislava, Slovakia, the Project on
Ethnic Relations (PER), together with the Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), convened a roundtable discussion to
address the issues surrounding the emigration of Roma. The goal was to
encourage government officials and Romani representatives to share
their perspectives on programs and policies affecting the Roma and
thus to bol-ster their efforts to ameliorate the plight of the Roma. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Romani participants organized a
working group that was to formulate a unified approach to the most
seri-ous issues involving their communities. One of its goals was to
clarify the Roma's views on migration and on their situation in
Slovakia. A few weeks after the roundtable, this group met in Poprad,
Slovakia, and drew up a statement demanding that the Roma's rights to
security and freedom of movement be recognized and that significant
changes be made in the treatment of the Romani community by the
government and by the media as well. 

PERs cooperation with ODIHRs Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues was an
invaluable asset in the organization of the meeting. PER and ODIHR
will continue to support future initiatives of the working group. 

This report summarizes the proceedings of the roundtable discussion
and also presents the working group's statement. It was prepared by
Ann Marie Grocholski, PER program officer and assistant to the
executive director, and it was edited by Robert A. Feldmesser, PERs
senior editor. The participants in the meeting have not reviewed the
text, for which PER assumes full responsibility. 

Livia Plaks, Executive Director 
Princeton, New Jersey 
August 2000 


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