Roma Week 2025: Progress on Roma rights can not be left to chance
From 7–10 April 2025, Roma Week returned to Brussels with a clear focus: to push for real change in the lives of Roma people across Europe. Organised by ERGO Network together with Members of the European Parliament, civil society, and other key partners, this year’s edition brought together Roma leaders, experts, EU officials, and activists to speak up about what needs to happen next—especially when it comes to fighting antigypsyism, tackling inequality, and making sure Roma voices are heard where decisions are made.
Held to coincide with International Roma Day, the week’s events aimed to remind EU leaders that commitments alone aren’t enough. It’s time to invest in inclusion, confront antigypsyism, and create real space for Roma people in policymaking, especially women and youth. With sessions hosted inside the European Parliament and across Brussels, participants looked at everything from digital inclusion and Roma history in schools to intersectional discrimination and the need for justice.
What happened during Roma Week 2025?
This year’s Roma Week covered various pressing issues—from inclusion in education and employment to the rise of antigypsyism across Europe. The week opened with a reception with Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, and was hosted by the MEP Krzysztof Smiszek.
At the heart of many discussions was one key message: fighting antigypsyism isn’t just about tackling hate—it’s about securing equal access to housing, jobs, education, and public services. In a panel hosted by the European Commission, experts emphasised the need to build stronger safeguards into EU funding, especially with new legislative frameworks like the Racial Equality Directive under review.
According to Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, “We, the non-Roma people, have to stop and fight discrimination, prejudice against Roma. We also need to support the Roma politically so that they have a voice in political parties, processes, and parliaments. To be the decision-makers.”
The high-level event on Roma history and culture in school curricula, part of the Jekhipe Project, was hosted by Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice-President, European Parliament and brought together the speakers from the European Commission, Council of Europe, national Ministries and international Roma and pro-Roma organisations. The event promoted the sustainable inclusion of Roma heritage in national education systems by examining lessons learned, showcasing best practices, and discussing policy commitments. The Roma leaders called out the lack of trust in public institutions, pointing to how structural discrimination is still allowed to persist across many Member States.
The Roma Civil Monitoring event highlighted how the findings of the national reports reveal a troubling picture: antigypsyism remains widespread, and national Roma inclusion strategies are failing to deliver. Civil society warned that these strategies risk becoming little more than paper promises without proper oversight and funding tied to anti-discrimination measures.
Roma youth organisations also urged EU leaders to include more young Roma in political decision-making. Mihai Oancea, President of ternYpe, emphasised the potential Roma youth hold. “Roma youth are not just survivors of online hate speech. We are creators, innovators, and leaders. We have the capacity to shape the digital world, just as we have done in every other space we have entered.”
However, this new step is not easy to take without considering and correcting past injustices. The event on achieving transitional justice for Roma brought experts and MEPs together to explore ways to move forward while acknowledging the past.
A powerful event also brought together EU institutions and representatives of Ukrainian Roma and non-Roma authorities. Starting with messages from our member organisation in Ukraine, Chiricli, and other civil society and activist voices, the event continued with giving the floor to the Mayor of Odesa and finally with a touching personal account of a Roma soldier fighting for the safety of Ukraine.
Another vulnerable moment was the film screening, organised by our member from Poland Fundacja Jaw Dikh, London Metropolitan University and ERGO Network. The film THAT BOY: A Conversation About Hate and Healing documented a conversation between two Polish migrants now living in the UK. Toby, a Polish Roma, fled to Britain in the 1990s as an asylum seeker escaping anti-Roma violence from neo-Nazi skinheads. Mirek, a former neo-Nazi, moved to the UK after the EU enlargement and has since undergone a radical transformation, now sharing testimonies about his past as a born-again Christian.
The story of Toby and Mirek offered a powerful lesson on the long-lasting effects of hate and the potential for transformation, reconciliation, and justice. It was followed by a discussion essential for understanding how Europe’s past informs its present and future challenges in combating far-right extremism and antigypsyism.
The following day gave more space to discuss Intersectional Discrimination and Racism Against Racialised Minorities and Roma women’s voices, focusing on political participation and empowerment. Activists, national government, European institution representatives, and MEPs debated how to increase understanding of racialised minorities and women’s experience in politics and analysed the factors that have already enabled some to overcome barriers and enter politics.
Roma Week 2025 finished on a festive note with the EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, organised by the European Union and our member Roma Active Albania. The award highlighted the incredible work and dedication of people and organisations that are active changemakers, and you can learn more about it here.
Throughout the week, civil society demanded stronger participation in EU-level structures, including monitoring and implementing the EU Roma Strategic Framework. Speakers stressed that Roma people must be at the centre of decisions that affect their lives—not just consulted after the fact.
The message we send with the Roma Week 2025 is this: progress on Roma rights can not be left to chance. Across the sessions, Roma voices called for urgent political will, stronger safeguards in the EU’s funding and legislation, and fair representation in all spheres of life. The gap between promises and reality is still wide, but the knowledge, solutions, and voices to close it are already here.
Now, it’s up to policymakers to follow through—not just with words, but with actions.