ERGO Network selected to join the EU AI Act Advisory Forum
ERGO Network is proud to announce that it has been selected as a member of the European Commission’s AI Act Advisory Forum, the stakeholder body established to support the implementation and enforcement of the EU AI Act.
ERGO Network will be represented in the Forum by Ana Rozanova, Communications and Campaigns Manager and AI focal point of ERGO Network.
This appointment is both a great honour and a great responsibility. ERGO Network is the only Roma civil society organisation selected to take part in the Advisory Forum, bringing the perspectives, experiences and concerns of Roma communities into one of the most important European conversations on artificial intelligence governance.
The AI Act is the first comprehensive legal framework on artificial intelligence in the world. But, like any major piece of legislation, its impact will depend not only on what is written in the law but also on how it is interpreted, implemented, and enforced in practice.
That is where the AI Act Advisory Forum comes in.
Established under Article 67 of the AI Act, the Advisory Forum is a general advisory body to the European Commission and the European Artificial Intelligence Board. Its role is to provide technical expertise and advice on the practical implementation of the AI Act, including standardisation, implementation challenges, and questions arising from real-world use.
The Forum brings together 174 members selected from more than 700 applications across civil society, academia, industry, SMEs and start-ups. Members serve two-year terms and are expected to contribute actively through plenary meetings, thematic subgroups, opinions, recommendations and written contributions.
For ERGO Network, participation in the Forum is an important opportunity to ensure that the implementation of the AI Act is informed by the realities of communities who are often most exposed to discrimination, exclusion and unequal treatment – including in digital and automated systems.
Artificial intelligence is already shaping access to services, public administration, employment, education, communication, law enforcement and social protection. For Roma communities, who continue to face structural antigypsyism across Europe, these systems can either reinforce existing inequalities or help build fairer, more accountable institutions.
This is why Roma voices must be part of AI governance.
Rules on artificial intelligence cannot be shaped only by those who build, sell or deploy AI systems. They must also be shaped by the people and communities who may be affected by them: especially those who already experience discrimination in offline systems. Without this perspective, there is a real risk that AI regulation will miss some of the most serious harms, or treat them as technical issues rather than questions of rights, accountability and justice.
ERGO Network’s contribution to the Advisory Forum will be rooted in its long-standing rights-based work on Roma equality, fighting antigypsyism, promoting social inclusion and meaningful participation. As the EU moves from adopting the AI Act to implementing it in practice, we will advocate for an approach that protects fundamental rights, strengthens transparency and accountability, and ensures that AI systems do not deepen existing inequalities.
“We are honoured that ERGO Network has been selected to join the AI Act Advisory Forum,” said Ana Rozanova, Communications and Campaigns Manager and AI focal point of ERGO Network. “As the only Roma organisation in the Forum, we feel a strong responsibility to bring Roma perspectives of our members across Europe into the implementation of the AI Act. AI governance must not happen without the communities most at risk of discrimination. This is not only about technology, but also about rights, dignity and the kind of society Europe wants to build.”
ERGO Network looks forward to contributing to the Advisory Forum’s work and to collaborating with other civil society organisations, experts, institutions and stakeholders to support trustworthy, human-centred and rights-based AI in Europe.
