"The protection of Roma rights is a European-wide concern but each government must take responsibility for the situation in their own country – including react against Anti-Ziganism", said Commissioner Hammarberg after a series of meetings in Bucharest on 26-28 October.
In an exchange with Foreign Minister Lazar Comănescu, he welcomed the bilateral talks between the governments in Romania and Italy and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of migrants, including the Roma.
The Commissioner also met the head of the National Agency for the Roma; the chair of the Roma Education Fund; the President of the National Council for Combating Discrimination; the deputy Secretary of state from the National Agency for Child Protection, the state counselor of the Romanian Government and the Roma representative in the parliament. He also consulted representatives of non-governmental organizations protecting the human rights of Roma.
At a European conference on the Rights of the Child, Commissioner Hammarberg appealed to all governments in Europe to address seriously the problem of many Roma children who are stateless or lack birth certificates and identity documents. "It's shameful that this problem is still largely unresolved", he said.