2025 EU award for ROMA INTEGRATION in the Western Balkans and Türkiye

2025 EU award for ROMA INTEGRATION in the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The 2025 EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Türkiye celebrated its sixth edition this year, showcasing people and organisations who are making a real difference in the lives of Roma communities. This year’s focus was on education, a powerful tool. But it is not just about attending school, it’s about having the chance to grow, socialise and take part fully in society. Yet, for many young Roma, education is where exclusion begins.

Organised by the European Union and Roma Active Albania, the awards took place 10th of April during the Roma Week 2025. The awards highlighted the incredible work and dedication of people and organisations who are active changemakers. The message from this year’s winners was strong and clear: anyone, from any background, can create real and lasting change.

The 6th edition of the 2025 Awards recognised 15 winners, selected from over 100 applications and nominations across the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

Winners:

Albania

Roma Women Rights Centre (first prize) was recognised for its powerful role in fighting school segregation. The centre supports Roma children in mainstream education and empowers over 600 adults, particularly women, through learning and vocational training.

Latif Kazanxhiu (second prize) was honoured for his lifelong dedication to Roma education. He opened a Romani-language school in his home and advanced digital and educational skills for youth today. It helps bridge generational gaps in learning and opportunity.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Romska djevojka – Romani Ćej (first prize) was recognised for its grassroots efforts to boost school attendance and reduce dropout rates among Roma girls in Prnjavor. The program focused on mentorship, community trust-building, and creative learning to empower the next generation.

Mujo Fafulić (second prize) has dedicated over 20 years to improving education access for Roma children in Kakanj, increasing enrollment from 54 to 146 students. Through preschool preparation and family outreach, he has supported hundreds of children and parents while continuing to advocate for systemic education improvements as a local councillor

Kosovo

Roma Versitas Kosovo (first prize) has empowered Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian youth through mentoring, scholarships, and training. They continue to expand their impact with initiatives like Win4VET and support for early childhood education.

Orhan Butic (second prize) has supported early education for Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian children in Kosovo, focusing on reintegration, learning, and bridging gaps between families and schools. His plans are to expand support for Roma girls and strengthen institutional collaboration.

Balkan Sunflowers Kosova (second prize) supports over 600 Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian children daily through community-based education, and in 2024, helped boost preschool and high school transitions, with plans to expand digital literacy and institutional collaboration.

Montenegro

Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (first prize) is advancing inclusive education for Roma and Egyptian communities through early learning, scholarships, mobile kindergartens, and Roma mediators, with plans to expand digital access and school support.

Sebastijan Baftijari (second prize) empowers Roma and Egyptian youth through peer mentoring, school clubs, and his NGO RE Green, blending education with environmental and digital literacy to foster youth-led community change.

North Macedonia

Doan Sulejmanoski (first prize), a principal and advocate, empowers Roma youth through mentorship, civic education, and leadership training. He aims to connect students with opportunities in law, media, and public life.

Senada Sali (second prize), a Roma lawyer, leads the fight against school segregation in North Macedonia. She uses community advocacy and training efforts to ensure inclusive, dignified education for Roma children.

Serbia

Centre for Youth Integration (first prize) supports Roma children in street situations with education and job skills. They are reducing dropout rates and planning to expand through mobile outreach and stronger institutional ties.

Music Art Project (second prize) uses music to unite Roma and non-Roma children, building confidence and inclusion through performance, while expanding its diversity-focused curriculum and reach across Serbia.

Turkey

Şişli Municipality (first prize) supports Roma inclusion through education and community services. They offer tutoring, workshops, and vocational training, with plans to expand early learning and study centres.

Tugay Aslım (second prize), a Roma educator and researcher. He supports Roma children through mentorship and sports, He plans to establish a Roma Coordination Centre and a platform linking youth to scholarships and employment.

The award is funded by the European Union and implemented by Roma Active Albania.

Romani Week 2024 Announcement

Romani Week 2024: Shaping the Future for Roma, Sinti, and Travellers in Europe

As Europe grapples with a complex socio-political landscape characterised by both anti-racism movements and the resurgence of far-right ideologies, the need for inclusive discussions about marginalized communities becomes increasingly vital. In this context, the Roma, Sinti, and Travellers face numerous challenges related to equality, inclusion, and participation. The rise of xenophobic and nationalist sentiments at both national and EU levels poses a threat to their well-being and integration into society.

The Challenge

Despite efforts on paper, the struggle for effective inclusion of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers persists due to a disconnect between policies on Roma inclusion and mainstream initiatives. The political will to combat antigypsyism and social exclusion often falls short, with National Roma Strategic Frameworks remaining under implementation. As the political climate in Europe evolves, the urgency to address these challenges becomes even more apparent.

What is Romani Week?

Romani Week, an annual event held in Brussels serves as a platform to raise awareness about the realities faced by Roma, Sinti, and Travellers in Europe. It brings together civil society organizations, European institutions, and international entities during the Roma International Day. This year, the event is more pertinent than ever, coinciding with the upcoming European elections.

Objectives of Romani Week 2024

Romani Week 2024 aims to dissect the position of the Roma agenda within the broader European political discourse and priorities. The focus is to foster dialogue about the pressing issues affecting the Roma, Sinti, and Travellers communities and ensure their prominence in mainstream political discussions and EU policy priorities.

The primary objectives include:

Platform for Discourse: Provide a platform for representatives and stakeholders of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers to engage in conversations about the contemporary political, economic, and human rights landscape in Europe.
Political Accountability: Encourage stronger accountability and political will from governments, both within the EU and Enlargement countries, to deliver on the promises of equality, inclusion, and participation for Roma, Sinti, and Travellers.
Concrete Topics: Address specific issues such as increased antigypsyism, structural discrimination, the implementation and monitoring of National Roma Strategic Frameworks, and discussions about Roma history, truth, and reconciliation processes.

Overview of the events

Please note that you have to register for each event separately using the special form. If you would like to see the draft agenda, check the regularly updated website of the Romani Week 2024 here.

Future of Roma, Sinti and Travellers in Europe

The event will discuss the ongoing political, economic and human rights changes Europe faces today and ways to ensure that Roma, Sinti and Travellers become a more prominent priority within the mainstream political discourse and policy priorities at the EU level to ensure a stronger accountability and political will by governments, both in the EU and Enlargement countries, to deliver on the equality, inclusion and participation of Roma, Sinti and Travellers.

The event will also discuss the future of Roma, Sinti and Travellers after the European elections, the change in EU leadership and the possible increase of far rights groups in the EU’s political spectrum.

Registration HERE

Most Roma Friendy Mayor Award

The ceremony will award positive examples of Roma integration by local authorities In the Western Balkans and Turkey.

Registration HERE

80 Years of the Roma Holocaust. Lessons to prevent future acts of genocide

More information on this event is coming soon

Registration HERE

Transitional justice to tackle antigypsyism, reclaim our past and rebuild our future

The Jekhipe project launch event focuses on establishing transitional justice processes, including expert commissions, at the EU and national levels to address antigypsyism. The project aims to provide policy recommendations, raise awareness about institutional antigypsyism, promote Roma identity and culture in education, and empower Roma communities and NGOs in the fight against antigypsyism.

Registration HERE

The Roma Civil Monitoring: the role of CSOs in the future of Roma equality, inclusion and participation

The event will discuss the effective participation of Roma civil society in national policy-making.

Registration HERE

Intersectional Perspectives of Romani Children’s Rights

The event addresses the pervasive systemic discrimination faced by Roma children from early childhood, spanning issues like inadequate healthcare, limited access to education, and discrimination in sports. It aims to discuss employing an effective intersectoral approach to challenge and change these practices.

Registration HERE

the website of Romani week 2024 to learn more

Romani Week 2024 promises to be a crucible of ideas and actions, fostering a united front against discrimination and exclusion. By bringing together key stakeholders and decision-makers, the event strives to propel the Roma, Sinti, and Travellers into the forefront of political discourse and policy priorities. As we face the European elections, Romani Week 2024 marks a crucial milestone in pursuing a more inclusive and equitable future for all. Join us in this dialogue to shape a better tomorrow for the Roma, Sinti, and Travellers in Europe.

Roma Week 2023: Join us this week!

Policymakers, experts, activists and organisations concerned with persistent antigypsyism in Europe are planning to collaborate for Roma Week in the European Parliament and other EU institutions after the International Roma Day (8 April) and ahead of the Roma Resistance Day (16 May). The Roma Week 2023 is aligned with the objectives of the European Year of skills 2023.

In the framework of the Roma Week 2023, there will be a series of events focusing on how history affects the current situation of Roma in Europe and what are the prospects for the future.

The Roma Week 2023 is hosted by the European Parliament and European Commission and organized in partnership with Roma and pro-Roma civil society. This year it takes place under patronage of the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

You can check the full agenda of the #RomaWeek2023 on the dedicated website brought to you by ERGO Network here.

Below we present the events, (co-)organised by the ERGO Network:

History, Memory and Justice for Roma people in Europe: Final Conference

The event will showcase the results of the CHACHIPEN project – Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building.

It will discuss remembering and recognition of the Roma Holocaust in Europe and antigypsyism within transitions from fascist regimes. It will look at the case studies of Spain under Franco and Romania under Antonescu and to which extent antigypsyism has been addressed as well as Sinti issues and the fight against antigypsyism.

Read more about the event and check the AGENDA here.

New Solutions to Old Problems: Maximising the Use of Funding for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation

The event aims to facilitate discussions on the challenges in ensuring adequate and effective regional, national, and local funds for Roma, as well as on the importance of monitoring data on funding and its effective implementation towards achieving equality, inclusion, and participation of Roma.

We will also look at the challenges and opportunities to scale up the use of EU funds for Roma during the 2021-2027 programming period and to promote the enhancement of Roma entrepreneurship, health, education and access to employment at the local level.

Read more about the event and check the AGENDA here.

Roma Civil Monitoring – Strengthening capacity and involvement of Roma and pro-Roma civil society in policy monitoring and review

Roma Civil Monitoring’s selected findings on Roma participation and access to housing

Following consultation with the partners implementing the RCM and agreement with the EC, the event will focus on two topics:

Participation of Roma civil society in the development of the new NRSF and its potential impact on systematically improving Roma civil society’s participation in policymaking.
Improving the access of Roma to housing with a particular focus on desegregation is one of the areas where the RCM’s ex-ante assessment of new NRSFs identified several weaknesses, including a failure to eliminate residential segregation in isolated rural settlements or urban ghettos. Without tackling such problems, successful Roma inclusion is not realistic. Yet, despite the gravity of this problem, only a few Member States have tackled these issues in their NRSFs.

Read more about the event and check the AGENDA here.

Roundtable Discussion on the Situation of Ukrainian Roma Refugees

In the framework of EU Roma Week, ERGO Network is delighted to invite you to a roundtable discussion on the situation of Ukrainian Roma refugees. The roundtable is part of ERGO Network’s efforts to raise awareness about the challenges faced by Ukrainian Roma refugees and to explore possible solutions to these issues.

The situation of Ukrainian Roma refugees is a matter of great concern, as they often face antigypsyism, discrimination, social exclusion, and limited access to basic services such as healthcare, education, social protection and housing. This roundtable discussion will bring together experts, and representatives from various institutions and organisations to exchange knowledge and experiences, discuss practices, and identify opportunities for collaboration.

Special attention will be given to the participation of Permanent Representatives of EU Member States in the round table for ensuring effective collaboration and informed decision-making towards addressing the challenges and needs of this vulnerable population.

During this roundtable, we will explore topics such as the legal and political framework for the protection of Roma refugees from Ukraine, the challenges of their access to basic services such as healthcare, education, social protection and housing and the role of civil society in supporting Roma refugees into host communities and the potential participation of Roma in the Recovery Plan for Ukraine.

Read more about the event and check the AGENDA here.

International Roma Day: 8 April 2023

International Roma Day

International Roma Day is celebrated annually on April 8th – a turning point for Roma communities around the world, when activists moved their struggle to the international arena with the first World Romani Congress held near London. The First Congress promoted the Roma symbols used as tools for unification and political mobilization, such as the umbrella term ‘Roma’, the Roma flag, the slogan Opre Roma! (Roma Arise!), our anthem (Djelem Djelem), and the International Day (8 April).

On this day, we recognize and celebrate the rich culture and contributions of the Roma people, and raise awareness of the ongoing discrimination and marginalization we face. While on the EU level progress has been made in recent years towards achieving greater equality and inclusion for Roma communities, there is still much work to be done until this progress reaches Roma communities.

In a few weeks, policymakers, experts, activists and organisations concerned with persistent antigypsyism will be gathering in Brussels for the 2023 Roma Week, hosted by the European Parliament and the European Commission and organised in partnership with Roma and pro-Roma civil society.

In the framework of the Roma Week 2023, there will be a series of events focusing on how history affects the current situation of Roma in Europe and what are the prospects for the future. The events aim to build on the work done during previous Roma Weeks and on the broader work on Roma equality, inclusion and participation. It calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen the active engagement and meaningful participation of Roma – especially Roma women, young people, and other underrepresented groups – in the development, implementation and monitoring of public policies and projects aimed towards them at the European, national, regional and local levels, so they can be actively involved in shaping their future and contribute to changing perceptions in European societies.

Over the past several years, there has been growing recognition of the need to invest in programmes and initiatives that promote greater equality, inclusion, and participation for Roma communities. The European Union has been at the forefront of these efforts, providing funding for a wide range of projects aimed at improving the lives of Roma people throughout Europe.

Despite these efforts, however, progress has been slow, and many Roma communities continue to face significant barriers to equality, inclusion and participation. One of the key challenges is ensuring that funding is used effectively and efficiently to achieve meaningful results. To address this challenge, there is a need for greater collaboration between Roma communities, civil society organisations, and government agencies to ensure that resources are directed to where they are needed most. One of the events of the Roma Week will focus specifically on maximising the use of funding for Roma equality, inclusion and participation.

We have a long and rich history in Europe, but this history has been marked by centuries of discrimination, persecution, and violence. From the Roma Holocaust during World War II to the ongoing forced evictions and discrimination faced by Roma communities throughout Europe, the Roma have been subject to some of the worst atrocities in European history.

Despite this history, there has been a notable lack of recognition and acknowledgement of our experiences, and efforts to achieve justice and redress for past wrongs have been slow and incomplete. To address this, there is a growing movement to promote greater awareness and understanding of our history and experiences and to ensure that justice is served for past wrongs. During the Roma Week, we invite you to follow the Final Conference of the Chachipen project, focusing on the history, memory, and justice for Roma in Europe.

The Roma Week doesn’t limit itself to the EU policies, but takes a broader approach, including the situation of the Roma communities in the Western Balkans and Turkey, as well as the situation of Ukrainian Roma refugees in Europe and Roma in Ukraine. Other events will also highlight the situation of Roma women, youth and children, as some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups within Roma communities, facing multiple forms of discrimination.

The importance of Roma participation in EU, national and local policies cannot be overstated, particularly given the significant challenges faced by Roma communities in Europe today, and we see it as the key step to achieve a future free from antigypsyism for the coming generations of Roma. We continue to face significant barriers to equality, inclusion, and participation, denial of our history and our contributions to society. And the common thread for the struggles we are facing institutional and structural racism – the focus of many Roma Week events this year.

Institutional racism refers to the ways in which racially-based discriminatory attitudes are embedded within the policies, practices, and procedures of institutions, including governments, schools, healthcare systems, and other organisations. Structural racism refers to the ways in which these attitudes are woven into the very fabric of society, through systems of power and privilege that provide advantages to some groups while marginalizing others.

Both institutional and structural racism are major obstacles to the full participation of Roma communities in European society, and they can have far-reaching consequences for Roma people in terms of access to education, healthcare, housing, employment, and other basic rights and services.

To address institutional and structural racism, there is a need for greater engagement and participation of Roma communities in the development and implementation of EU policies and initiatives. This includes efforts to build trust and understanding between Roma communities and policymakers and to ensure that Roma voices are heard, and their perspectives are taken into account in the development of policies and initiatives that affect their lives.

It also requires a recognition of the ways in which racism operates within institutions and structures and a commitment to addressing these challenges through targeted initiatives and programs that promote greater equality and inclusion for Roma communities.

We hope that the Roma Week will be one step forward towards the recognition of and dialogue on these matters and another brick for building a more inclusive and equitable Europe for all.

Read more about the Roma Week 2023, check the event’s agenda, objectives and participants here.

Romani Week 2022

Looking back at the Romani Week 2022

After last year’s online edition of the Romani Week, the Romani Week 2022 brought together Members of the European Parliament, officials of EU institutions and International Organisations, national and international civil society organisations as well as young Roma activists for a series of live events in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The Romani Week built on the work done during previous Romani Weeks and debated EU policies for Romani inclusion. It also called upon the European Commission and the EU Member States to put the fight against antigypsyism at the forefront of efforts for the social and economic inclusion of the Romani people.

ERGO Network was once again a proud co-organizer and partner of this edition of the Romani Week, under the patronage of the European Parliament, European Commission and the Council of the European Union, as well as MEP hosts: Romeo FRANZ, Peter POLLÁK, Anna Júlia DONÁTH, Terry REINTKE, Cornelia ERNST, Klára DOBREV, Sergey LAGODINSKY, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Rasmus ANDRESEN, Lucia ĎURIŠ NICHOLSONOVÁ, Monika VANA, Thomas WAITZ and Carmen AVRAM.

ERGO Network’s participation started on the first day, coinciding symbolically with the Romani Resistance Day on 16 May. During the event on “Promoting positive narratives and raising awareness about the Romani language”, ERGO Network Director Jamen Gabriela Hrabaňová underlined that the brave act of Romani prisoners resisting their oppressors in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp is an inspiration for many contemporary Roma, who have to still resist racism and discrimination in their daily lives.

“The Decade to counter antigypsyism as a new strategy for Roma inclusion in the EU and Western Balkans” was the title of the second event on the next day. co-organised by ERGO Network. It facilitated a discussion on the existing challenges of modern antigypsyism and its forms in the EU and Western Balkan & Turkey and articulated the way antigypsyism and public policies are related and put forward to achieve equality, inclusion, and participation of Roma.

The event highlighted how antigypsyism is addressed in the framework of the new Roma policies and strategies, with special attention given to the governments in the Enlargement Countries, and discussed the importance of large-scale awareness-raising and a deep understanding of antigypsyism as a specific form of racism. ERGO Network’s campaign “Decade to counter antigypsyism” following the timeframe of the EU Roma Strategic Framework up to 2030, will in this regard target the public and offer new narratives and measures to combat antigypsyism.

The third event co-organised by ERGO Network with the title “Ensuring adequate and effective regional, national and local funds for Roma equality, inclusion and participation – past, present and future challenges” took place on 18 May.

The event was organised jointly by ERGO Network, the Central European University Democracy Institute and Fundación Secretariado Gitano under the Roma Civil Monitoring Consortium together with Nevo Parudimos, RROMA, Autonómia Foundation, and the office of MEP Romeo Franz.
The event facilitated discussions on the challenges in ensuring adequate and effective regional, national, and local funds for Roma, as well as on the importance of monitoring data on funding and its effective implementation towards achieving equality, inclusion and participation of Roma. It also highlighted the importance of Roma civil society monitoring of the EU Roma Strategic Framework and National Roma Frameworks for Roma equality, inclusion and participation.

The event provided examples from the national level on the inclusion of funding allocations, or lack thereof, for priorities under National Roma Frameworks as well as synergies with wider national programmes and funding. It introduced a new guide of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, commissioned by MEP Romeo Franz, on how Roma civil society can best benefit from the new EU funding period 2021-2027, as well as the latest report produced for ERGO Network by Marko Pecak on funding of bottom-up approaches and Roma grassroots involvement and has received financial support in the framework of the project “New solutions to old problems” funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.

This event was followed by the Most Roma Friendly Mayor Award, taking place live on 18 May in the afternoon. The “Most Roma Friendly Mayor” award is a local advocacy component of the project Romani Women Power of Change in the Western Balkans and Turkey (Power of Change), funded by DG NEAR and delivered by the ERGO Network. “The Most Roma Friendly Mayor” is a regional campaign aiming to mobilize Roma communities and strengthen their ability to engage in dialogue with public authorities.

The Power of Change project is implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey and the selection panel chose one mayor per country among the nominated candidates to receive the award in Brussels. The event was hosted by MEP Romeo Franz and opened by Mr Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement.

The final event co-organised by ERGO Network was called “Towards zero segregation in education in Europe”. The event was moderated by Damaris Uzoma, Coordinator of the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI), Belén Sánchez-Rubio, Head of International Department, Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spain and our Senior Policy Officer Isabela Mihalache.

This insightful event informed about the challenges in preventing, combating and sanctioning segregation in education at national and European levels and proposed sustainable and long-term advocacy and cooperation paths towards zero segregation in education.

The other events of the Romani Week also provided recommendations on combatting antigypsyism, defined the place of Roma in the digital and green agendas, paid special attention to the challenges of Roma women and youth, as well as representation of the local communities and Romani language. Finally, meeting in person for this Romani Week following the previous online format was not only enlightening but also inspiring and motivating. It highlighted the need for cooperation between stakeholders on different levels to bring on a real change in the situation of the Roma communities across Europe.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.