Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, EU leaders commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau massacre. The EU pledges to combat antigypsyism, support Holocaust education, and promote Roma equality.
What did the EU Commission President and Vice President Express?
Earlier on the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, on 2 August, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, remarked: “Today, we mark the 80th anniversary of the tragic events that unfolded at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 1944. On that day, over 4,300 Sinti and Roma children, women, and men were taken from barracks under the cover of darkness and led to the gas chambers by SS guards.
More than 500,000 Roma people were systematically murdered in camps, fields, and unmarked trenches during the Holocaust. Their lives were extinguished, their culture suppressed, and their stories silenced. We must make sure their story is not forgotten and honour their legacy by fighting for justice and equality for all racialised minority groups. We remember and we recommit to a world where human dignity is upheld, where diversity is celebrated and where hatred has no place.”
In 2015, the European Parliament affirmed 2 August as the annual “European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day” to observe the 500,000 European Roma – representing at least a quarter of their total inhabitants at that time – murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe.Â
How Does the European Commission Plan to Combat Antigypsyism?
The European Commission and EU Member States have dedicated themselves to combat antigypsyism, discrimination and discrimination against Romani people, which was also the basis cause of the European Roma genocide. This is a central objective of the EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030 in following the realisation of Roma equality, inclusion and participation in both European and national groups.Â
The EU Commission remains firm in its commitment to fight hatred and fight against discrimination as reaffirmed in the Joint Communication on “No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred” assumed in December 2023 by the EU Commission and the High Representative.Â
How Will the EU Support Projects for Holocaust Remembrance?
This seeks to step up EU efforts to fight hate in all its forms, including antigypsyism, via a whole-of-society approach and by supporting action across a variety of policies. The EU Commission will resume working closely with the Member States to watch progress toward the EU headline targets outlined in the EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030. This fall, the EU Commission will publish a report on the enactment of national Roma strategic frameworks, based on input from Member States, National Roma Contact Points, surveys performed by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, and understandings from civil society.
How Will the €14 Million Funding Support Holocaust Remembrance Projects?
In 2024, as part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, the European Commission will deliver €14 million of EU funding to keep projects on European Remembrance. A priority is committed to projects that aim to support Holocaust remembrance, education and research or fight Holocaust denial and distortion. Additionally, the joint task of the European Commission and the Council of Europe RomaMemory seeks to raise awareness about the systematic persecution of Roma and the genocide of Roma during the Holocaust.
“On this solemn occasion, the European Parliament remembers the lessons learned from the first recognition of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust, and reaffirms that Romani people must enjoy the same rights and treatment as all European citizens.
EU parliament president Roberta Metsola
“Today we pay tribute to Roma and Sinti people’s contribution to the rich fabric of our European socities. Europe must stand up for the values it holds to be true: the rule of law, democracy and equality. The moment we become complacent is the moment we allow history to repeat itself.”
Metsola
“80 years later, too many Romani women and men in Europe still live in the margins of society. “In our Europe, we cherish our differences, unique traditions, cultures and diversity. That means that Roma people must enjoy the same opportunities and chances as any other European citizen,”
Metsola
