Strasbourg, 28.11.2006 - The Council of Europe will train civil servants in Sarajevo from 5-6 December to monitor and evaluate laws that assure equal treatment of Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovina - as part of a larger ongoing project to support the Roma in four other Balkan countries: Albania, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Montenegro and Serbia.
European citizens historically targeted by racism and exclusion, the Roma also suffered during the recent Balkan conflicts. For this reason, Council of Europe experts from the Roma and Travellers Division- with funding from the European Commission - will help government actions and efforts for Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovinain the two-day Sarajevoworkshop.
Called "Equal Rights and Treatment for Roma in South Eastern Europe", the joint Council of Europe/European Commission programme has already achieved its first cycle of training in "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and Albania, with plans for similar training in Serbia.
The programme also includes "Dosta!"- a Romani word meaning "enough" - an awareness raising campaign for fighting against prejudices and stereotypes towards Roma which is supported by Ambassadors of Good Will, including German Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass, French film maker Tony Gatlif and Roma musician Saban Bajramovic.
A press conference to present the Dosta! awareness raising campaign will be held on Monday 4 December at 12 noonin the CommonInstitutionsBuilding, Trg BiH 1. Room 3/II inSarajevo. Accreditation for journalists who wish to attend must be finalised by 30 November through Radmila Stojadinovic of the Council of Europe office at +387 / 33 26 37 40 and radmila.stojadinovic@coe.int
Since 1993, the Roma and Travellers issue has been at the heart of three of the Council of Europe's top priorities: protection of minorities, the fight against racism and intolerance and the fight against social exclusion. The difficult situation facing the some 8-10 million Roma in Europeultimately represents a threat to social cohesion in member states. Moreover, increasingly active Roma and Travellers associations have repeatedly appealed to the Council of Europe to ensure that this minority's fundamental rights be upheld in member states.
Press contacts:
In Sarajevo:
Radmila Stojadinovic of the Council
of Europe office, Tel. +387 33 26 37 40 and radmila.stojadinovic@coe.int
Frane Maroevic (Spokesperson, European Commission Delegation to Bosnia
and Herzegovina), Tel. +387 33 254 749 or Mobile+387 61 103
076 and frane.maroevic@ec.europa.eu
In Strasbourg:
Ivana D'Alessandro (Roma and Travellers
Division), Tel. +33 (0)3 90 21 51 51 andivana.dalessandro@coe.int
Panos Kakaviatos (Council of Europe Press Service), Tel. +33(0)3
9021 47 06or panos.kakaviatos@coe.int