02 December 2020, Prishtine
Deputy Head of the Division for the Advancement of Human Rights in the municipalities of the MLG, Mrs. Luljeta Ibishi Ferizi, was part of the virtual Conference “EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation”, for the period 2020 to 2030, which began with a high level virtual Conference held on 12 October 2020. The German government has pledged that during its EU Council Presidency will support the EU Framework after 2020 to strengthen the fight against anti-Gypsyism as a specific form of racism in Europe.
The new EU framework will not only guide the commitment of EU Member States, but also set out the core policy for Roma equality, inclusion and participation of candidate countries and neighbors. A key priority of the new framework is recognizing and combating anti-Gypsyism as the main cause of exclusion in the areas of education, employment, housing and basic services, health and poverty.
The Government of Kosovo and civil society will address the issues of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, as well as inform on the new EU Framework. The Government of Kosovo is also one of the first countries in the region that has taken the first step by issuing a decision on the Establishment of a Technical Group for Protection from Discrimination of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities, after the regional meeting in October 2020 for the integration of Roma in Western Balkans.
The conference was organized and moderated by the Office for Good Governance/Office of the Prime Minister together with the civil society organizations: Advancing Together and Voice of Rome, Ashkali and Egyptians as well as the Central Council of the German Sinti and Roma, which pledged to fight against anti-gypsyism, through the new EU Strategy.
During the conference, introductory speeches began with Mr. Romani Rose, Chairman of the Central Council for Sinti and Rome in Germany, German Ambassador to Kosovo Mr. Jörn Rohde and Mr. Isak Skenderi, Executive Director of the NGO “Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians”. Whereas, the Panelists on the new EU Strategy and the fight against anti-gypsy in Kosovo were: Mr. Habit Hajredini, Office for Good Governance/Office of the Prime Minister, who also opened the conference, Mr. Besnik Tahiri, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Stephan Müller, Central Council of the German Sinti and Roma, z. Romeo Franz, Member of the European Parliament, Mrs. Marta Garcia Fidalgo, European Commission, DG NEAR, Mrs. Shpresa Agushi, Executive Director, NGO “Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian Women’s Network in Kosovo” and Mr. Muhamet Arifi, Executive Director, NGO “Balkan Sun Flowers” TBC.