The Council of Europe today welcomed the endorsement by the European Council of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, which develops a targeted approach for a more effective and EU-wide response to the structural exclusion and discrimination of Europe's biggest minority.
Jeroen Schokkenbroek, Special Representative for Roma issues said: “This is an important step towards achieving much-needed effective policies for the social inclusion of Roma and better respect for their human rights in Europe. These are key priorities for the Council of Europe, agreed by member states in the 2010 Strasbourg Declaration on Roma, and it is certain that both the EU and the Council of Europe play an important role at European level in supporting progress.