On 30 August 2011, Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General, and Ivan Ivanov, Executive Director of ERIO, called on Vice-President Reding and the Danish Presidency to organise an EU event to mark the International Roma Day on 8 April 2012 that would be devoted specifically to older Roma. Since 2012 will be the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, AGE and ERIO feel it is important to seize this opportunity to ensure that older Roma will be considered among the EY2012 target groups and that their needs will be taken on board in the context of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.
While all Roma people living in the EU face huge challenges and obstacles in their daily lives, the situation for older Roma is even worse and their difficulties and needs are not addressed adequately in today’s political discourse on the socio-economic integration of Roma. Given the EU’s rapidly evolving demography and our ageing population, attention must be given to this largely invisible and growing group who faces many obstacles and unacceptable levels of discrimination, poverty and social exclusion which obstruct their ability to enjoy their fundamental rights as European citizens and prevents their integration into mainstream society.
Following publication of an executive summary of the findings gathered by ERIO and AGE on the situation of older Roma, which was prepared with the assistance of a Roma researcher during 2010, AGE and ERIO are developing a more detailed analytical paper to contribute to the Convention on Poverty and Social Exclusion organised by the Polish Presidency in October and to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October 2011. This document will include a series of recommendations for concrete policy measures which we believe could have a substantive impact in improving the situation of older Roma in the EU.
For further details, please contact Rachel Buchanan, Policy Officer for Employment and Non-Discrimination at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. .
Mise à jour le Mardi, 30 Août 2011 15:24
