In the aftermath of the recent removal of a 31-member Roma community in the Slovenian village of Ambrus, Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg spoke to the Slovenian public television RTV about the situation of Roma in Europe. The Commissioner said trends are worsening across Europe as an estimated half of all Roma children are not enrolled in school and Roma communities continue to be the poorest groups in society. The level of discrimination does not seem to be subsiding either, he said.
"The responsibility for social exclusion partly lies with the governments, who do not seem to do enough to integrate the Roma and to educate societies in an effort to reduce long-standing prejudices. In particular, governments do not have a very good record in securing the rights of the Roma in terms of housing and education. While international organisations are trying to help, the problem ultimately needs to be resolved on the national level. Local authorities are crucial to the success of national Roma integration policies," he said.
The Commissioner also said he is concerned about the recent attacks on Slovenian ombudsman Matjaž Hanžek. "Governments have to accept that ombudsmen can sometimes be critical. The independence of the ombudsman institution should not be put at risk," he said.
Commissioner Hammarberg is scheduled to visit Ljubljana on November 15-16 for talks with the government.