general assembly – ERGO Network

ERGO Network General Assembly 2025

ERGO Network General Assembly 2025

We held our annual General Assembly on 28-30 May 2025 in Prague, Czechia. This year’s Assembly, hosted by Slovo21 and RomanoNet, was particularly important for us as our members and staff gathered to explore ERGO Network’s new branding and experience Roma culture during the Khamoro Festival organised by Slovo21.

The assembly brought together our members from 25 European countries. During the fully packed days, we engaged in discussions, shared the news, projects, and ups and downs. This General Assembly was a little different from the rest, because we also brought in some external meetings. In addition to Khamoro, we also met with the Czech Governmental Council for Roma Affairs, a branding agency, and new participants coming for the Jekhipe conference. All of this is below.

From Visual Identity to Cultural Activism

The first day of the General Assembly was dedicated to sharing members’ news and exploring ERGO Network’s new branding and visual identity. We were lucky to have Mirna Silajdzic, the founder of Love Your Mother consultancy, who was behind the rebranding process of ERGO Network, but also the branding of Roma Week and our new ROVA project. Mirna could share her firsthand expertise and motivated our members to think of visual identity as a tool to communicate their work in the best possible way.

The day continued with the Jekhipe project “Using Culture to Fight Antigypsyism” in cooperation with Slovo 21. The official event began by focusing on the Czech context, where various activists from across the country shared their work and experiences. Later, the discussion shifted to the European context, where our members, Saska Jovanovic from Italy, Bianca Galusca from Spain, and Nina Trollvige from Sweden, spoke about the specifics of their work in their respective countries. And this is not all! To conclude our day with even more Roma culture, we attended the Khamoro festival at La Fabrika and enjoyed beautiful music performances by bands from Czechia, Greece, and Spain.

Elections and New Members

The next day, the assembly continued with a statutory session, during which our members voted on the Strategy of the ERGO Network until 2030, as well as the Annual and Financial reports for 2024. Our Network grew bigger and stronger as we also elected the new associate members: Ara Art (Czechia) and 1Hungary (Hungary). We also welcomed the European Media People organisation to become our new Friend of ERGO.

And our associate members from last year – Romni APS (Italy), Suomen Romaniyhdistys (Finland), and Trajosko Drom (Sweden) – were promoted to the full member status and finally could also participate in the voting.

Festival KHAMORO Parade

The definite highlight of our assembly was the Festival KHAMORO parade, which started at Wenceslas Square in the Old Town Square of Prague. It was unforgettable to see the Roma music and dancing from all across Europe filling the city of Prague, and we were so proud to get to be a part of it and share our identity with the world. You can see some more photos from the parade here

Our journey continued to the Liechtenstein Palace, where we met with Lucie Fukova, the Czech Commissioner for Roma Affairs; Mr. Enrico Lakatoš, a diplomacy student and member of the Roma Affairs’ Council; and Michal Miko from RomanoNet. Czechia. The Czech Governmental Council for Roma Affairs shared their insights into their impressive work done over the years. They shared both their achievements and their aspirations for the future in the Czech context, and we could draw inspiration from the progress that has been made in Czechia.

Conclusion

The 2025 General Assembly concluded with reflections on the shared experiences. Gabriela Hrabaňová, ERGO Network Director, closed the day expressing her gratitude to all participants and extended an invitation to the next General Assembly. We left the ERGO Network General Assembly 2025 in Prague with new inspirations, new friendships (and strengthened old ones), tools on how to fight against antigypsyism, and, most of all, with gratitude for the strong network that we have.

ERGO Network General Assembly 2024: Shaping the Future in Barcelona

ERGO Network held its annual General Assembly from June 18 to 21, 2024, in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s assembly, hosted by the Federació d’Associacions Gitanes de Catalunya (FAGIC), was particularly momentous as members gathered to chart the network’s strategic direction up to 2030.

The assembly brought together representatives from 25 European countries. Over two packed days, the participants engaged in discussions, strategic planning, and exchanges aimed at fortifying the network’s future.

Strategic Planning for 2030

A significant portion of the assembly was dedicated to the initial phase of crafting ERGO Network’s strategy for the next six years. Cristina Rigman, an independent strategy consultant, moderated three sessions focused on defining the network’s long-term vision, understanding its role, and enhancing member engagement.

Cristina’s sessions facilitated reflections on the network’s successes and challenges, the core values guiding our mission, and the collective aspirations for 2030. These dialogues were essential in aligning views and setting a foundation for the network’s strategic roadmap.

Capacity Building and Membership Strategy

In addition to strategic planning, the assembly featured a capacity-building session titled “I Work, You Work, WE NETWORK,” which aimed to strengthen connections among member representatives and clarify opportunities for engagement within the network.

Membership strategy also took centre stage, with Martina Horváthová presenting the objectives and principles guiding ERGO Network’s membership framework. The session highlighted the importance of a robust membership strategy to ensure the network’s growth and sustainability.

The discussion underscored the need for solidarity and mutual support among members. Representatives from Zero Discrimination (Türkiye) and Chiricli (Ukraine) shared their visions for continued cooperation, while La Voix des Rroms (France) offered their support in direct work with evicted Roma communities.

Elections and New Members

The General Assembly also elected a new board member. Dragan Joković, from Otaharin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was elected, bringing his extensive experience and dedication to the board.

New associate members were welcomed, including Romni APS (Italy), Suomen Romaniyhdistys (Finland), and Trajosko Drom (Sweden) and this inclusion is expected to strengthen the network’s reach and impact across Europe. Videos from new members can be found online here.

We also approved the change of status for our members Sastipen (Romania) and Roma Women Platform ROMNI (Moldova) to full members. Three new Friends of ERGO were also approved: Monika Mihaličková (Czechia), Biser Alekov (Belgium), and Stanislav Daniel (Slovakia).

Field Visit and Cultural Exchange

A highlight of the assembly was a field visit to Lacho Baji Cali, a local grassroots organisation in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona. Led by the Roma leader Ms Mercedes Gómez, the visit offered a firsthand look at the organisation’s efforts in supporting Roma community members through education and cultural initiatives. This visit provided insights into successful local activism and community engagement.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The 2024 General Assembly concluded with reflections on the shared experiences and a call to action for the coming years. Gabriela Hrabaňová, ERGO Network Director, expressed her gratitude to all participants and extended an invitation to the next General Assembly, planned in Prague in spring 2025.

The ERGO Network General Assembly 2024 in Barcelona was a testament to the collective effort and strategic vision. As we fine-tune the strategy and look towards 2030, the foundations laid during these sessions promise to strengthen the solidarity among Roma communities across Europe.

ERGO Network’s Annual Members’ Meeting / General Assembly 2022

ERGO Network’s Annual Members’ Meeting / General Assembly 2022

After two years of meeting online, from 13-15 June 2022 ERGO Network’s members finally came together live in Brussels to share updates from the past year, set future priorities, and learn from each other. As ERGO Network is moving from a foundation (Stichting) registered in the Netherlands to a member-governed organisation (AISBL) based in Belgium, this Annual Members’ Meeting was also the first General Assembly of the “new ERGO”.

The first day started with welcoming the members to Brussels by ERGO Network Co-Chair Stanislav Daniel and ERGO Network Director Jamen Gabriela Hrabaňová. It was followed by an exchange of expectations for the meeting between the members, who highlighted fears such as conflicts, lack of (or too much) discussion and even contracting Covid-19 during the meeting. But the identified opportunities and hopes – such as to be heard, to come back home motivated, excitement about the “new” ERGO and its board together with many others – outweighed these fears.

This ice-breaker session was followed by a presentation of the “new ERGO” working structure: a general overview of the Statutes of the new ERGO Network aisbl, the membership (a discussion during which the active members of the “old” ERGO Network officially also became members of the new ERGO Network aisbl), the establishment of the General Assembly and approval of the agenda. The new statutes are also introducing the new type of membership – besides the full members, we also welcomed associated members and friends of ERGO.“We also discussed the roles of the new ERGO Board, the General Assembly, the Secretariat, voting procedures, and elections.

In the afternoon, the members split into groups to discuss ERGO Network policy work updates:

• EU Roma Strategic Framework up to 2030, Roma Civil Monitoring and the work of the Anti-Racism Coalition with Isabela Mihalache
• Capacity building of Roma civil society by the director Gabriela Hrabaňová
• Combatting Roma poverty and social exclusion with Amana Ferro and Carmen Tănasie
• Raising awareness of antigypsyism online and offline with Mustafa Jakupov
• Romani Women Power of Change in the Western Balkans and Turkey with Adriatik Hasantari

This session was followed by a plenary discussion on updates on the situation in Ukraine and support from ERGO Network members. The exchange was kicked-off by our Ukrainian member organization Roma Women Fund Chiricli and followed by inputs from members from Romania, Hungary, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The discussions continued late into the evening during our dinner outside, where the members also had a chance to join an informal conversation about an initiative exploring any potential misuse of EU funds for Roma integration.

The second day started with a deeper look at the statutory items of the new ERGO: the statutory role of the General Assembly and voting procedures, and the Internal Governance Handbook. Then the candidates for the Board were presented and the most awaited part of the meeting – the elections – took place. To find out who became the new Board of ERGO Network stay tuned for the update in the coming days!

Our treasurer Martin Mata presented an overview of the financial situation from 2017 to 2022. He stated that ERGO Network was in very good financial health, with sufficient reserves, and recommended continuing on the same path. The session on finances was complete with the presentation of ERGO’s main funding sources and finally the discussion and vote on the membership fee.

After all the excitement of the elections, an in-depth discussion on strengthening the membership followed. In the format of the World Café, we asked our members: What does membership mean for you? What works in ERGO’s membership? What does not work? What are the opportunities to make the membership stronger?

Some of the key takeaways from this session were: to be more aware of members’ capacities, to channel communication, to increase the transparency within the network, and to continue sharing knowledge and expertise among members.

This day and the General Assembly 2022 closed with a policy round table on Building intersectional synergies to guarantee Roma equality, inclusion, and participation, which facilitated a discussion on the existing challenges of antigypsyism as a specific form of racism and its various manifestations inside and outside the European Union.

The speakers in this event came from the Social Platform, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Eurodiaconia, the European Commission’s DG Justice and Consumers, as well as from ERGO Network’s French member La Voix des Rroms. The presentations were followed by a debate with the audience.

The round table looked at intersections with mainstream anti-racist policy frameworks, and where synergies or opportunities for joint advocacy and cooperation arise that can help strengthen the work of addressing Roma issues further in a holistic way. It provided an opportunity to examine the importance of large-scale awareness-raising and of promoting a deep understanding of antigypsyism as a specific form of racism, not only at the national but also at the European level.

The round table received the financial support of the European Union and the International Visegrád Fund.

We thank our members for coming to Brussels for this meeting!