Transitional Justice – Paving the Way for Truth and Reconciliation Processes in Romania

The Roundtable is organised by the Fast Forward Association in the framework of the EU-funded project CHACHIPEN – Paving the way for Truth and Reconciliation Process to address antigypsyism in Europe: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust Building, whose aim is to explore the feasibility of transitional justice tools to review the gravest human rights violations against Roma as a way to halt ongoing antigypsyism and ensure non-recurrence in the future.

In this context, the Roundtable aims to advance the recognition and the response to historically rooted and systemic antigypsyism in Romania and to serve as a build-up process for similar processes across project countries and Europe towards achieving justice, equality, non-discrimination and full participation of Roma as equal citizens across Europe.

More specifically, the event will present the results of the Chachipen national study assessing the steps Romania has taken in implementing the fight against antigypsyism in policy and practice, particularly, in the area of historic reconciliation with the past injustices suffered by Roma in Romania. In addition, the event aims to promote further exchanges and good practices between the project countries; finally, it seeks to build stronger political awareness and will to put in place truth and reconciliation processes and mechanisms at national level.

Please find the draft agenda here.

This event falls within the framework of the European Union’s funded project ‘Paving the way for Truth and Reconciliation Process to address antigypsyism in Europe: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building’. Project is abbreviated as ‘CHACHIPEN’, meaning ‘truth’ in the Romani language. CHACHIPEN aims to address historically rooted antigypsyism and its legacies by employing transitional justice approaches and tools, such as, for example, truth and reconciliation commissions.

Selected Speakers;

• • Dr Ismael Cortés, member of the Spanish Parliament/ CHACHIPEN Advisory Board Member (online)
  • Ms Soraya Post, the City of Gothenburg, Sweden and former MEP/ CHACHIPEN Advisory Board Member (online)
  • Mr Florin Manole, State Secretary, Vice-Prime Minister’s Office/ CHACHIPEN Advisory Board Member
  • Mr Iulius Rostas, independent expert
  • Ms Beata Olahova, Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues, OSCE Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues (online)
  • Ms Cerasela Banica, State Secretary, National Council for Cambating Discrimination
  • Mr Robert Rustem, Outreach Officer of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Council of Europe (online)
  • Prof. Lavinia Stan, St. Francis Xavier University in Canada (online)

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The event on 3 March 2023 (from 9.00 to 14.00 (EET) / 8.00 to 13.00 (CET) is hybrid,  online web streaming is open to the public. Follow the discussion and updates on @ERGO_Network & @ChachipenEU Twitter accounts. The conference will offer Spanish/English translation.

Please contact Isabela Mihalache (i.mihalache@ergonetwork.org) to join the event online.

Participation in person is invitation only.

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This project is funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) and  counts with a kind contribution from the German Federal Foreign Office.