Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-27-Speech-3-055"
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"en.20050427.8.3-055"2
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".
Mr President, we are about to witness a historic moment: for the first time in Europe, the European Parliament is in a position to pass such a resolution, and we shall cast our votes tomorrow. The European Union, the European Parliament and every other body that controls, passes and amends regulations often criticises human rights outside the EU’s borders. On the other hand, it is a historic moment, because this is the first document that criticises human rights within the EU, with regard to Romas. This type of political mood, developing in Parliament for the first time in its history, is significant because discrimination against the Roma within the EU no longer needs to be a taboo subject.
Today, the disability index is 60% on average in the twenty-five Member States. This means that on average, 60% of children who are declared mentally disabled are Roma. We have not only forfeited the child’s chance of further education, but also put him or her in a situation that he or she will never be able to get out of, and thus we practically seal the child’s fate at age seven. Housing problems, dislodgement, compulsory sterilisation, segregated labour rooms, and numerous other means of discriminatory cases that even the resolution lists in various paragraphs, are not at all surprising within the EU and I deliberately do not mention specific countries here.
Promoting political participation is another important role of the Union, the deficiency of which is dealt with significantly in some paragraphs. Today, Roma population in the EU is approximately 7-8 million with only two representatives here in Parliament based on our ethnic origin. I am very proud of my country, as both of us come from Hungary. However, there are no other Roma political representatives from any other country in the Commission, or in any other EU institution.
This participation gap must be closed, not only in the EU, which is mainly our task, but also on the level of national governments, so that in addition to EU directives and guidelines that define the strategic policies of individual countries in this matter, the national governments should also feel that this responsibility is shared by every part of society in all of Europe. It is not up to the Roma to solve this issue, since it is not they who consider that their children are disabled; it is not Roma women who want to have their ovaries cut out.
According to public opinion polls, it is in Europe where Romas feel most European. This statement is not at all surprising, as Roma people are no longer able to believe their own government in any country, especially in Central Eastern Europe. Term after term, different political parties keep replacing each other, but none of the governing political parties have been able to provide a solution to this problem and eliminate discrimination, for instance. The only hope of the Romas lies in the European Union and European Parliament, where we all sit, trying to pass a resolution with tomorrow’s vote. I trust that our decision regarding the situation of the Roma will set a real standard for human rights."@en1
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