Brussels, 16/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 16 September, the Council of Europe put forward the proposal to hold a high level meeting with its 47 member states and the European Union to initiate a process for improving socio-economic integration of the Roma community. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjoern Jagland made this announcement when addressing the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which regularly brings together the foreign ministers of member states or their representatives. In a press release published in Strasbourg, Jagland says the initiative is to “help overcome the immediate and long-term challenges related to the rights and obligations of Roma communities throughout Europe”. He goes on to add: “I believe it is our responsibility to work with member states to find solutions to current issues”. In his view, the aim of this ministerial meeting is twofold. First of all, it will serve to clarify the applicable Council of Europe and EU standards in the case of the Roma migration, and secondly, to launch a process involving the Council of Europe, the EU and national governments, focusing on specific actions aimed at improving the economic and social integration of Roma people in Europe. “This is a pan-European challenge and requires a pan-European response. Social and economic marginalisation, and all problems which come with it, are not limited to one country”, Jagland underlined. He added: “The Council of Europe is determined to work with our partners in the member states to ensure respect for our standards. This is not only a legal and moral imperative. Respect for human rights is an asset in the conduct of any public policy, including in those related to migration”.
Secretary General Thorbjoern Jagland is to meet, on Friday 17 September, the French secretary of state for European affairs, Pierre Lellouche, to discuss the above initiative. Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe, took the view that “sending Roma families from one European country to the next does not resolve anything”. He went on to point out that, although Paris particularly targeted Roma from Romania and Bulgaria, recent expulsions were also recently carried out by Copenhagen, Rome and Stockholm. (B.C./transl.jl)