Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-28-Speech-3-412"
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"en.20050928.29.3-412"2
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".
Mr President, this declaration covers answers to three questions posed by honourable Members relating to the human rights situation of the Roma in Kosovo.
This chapter contains a section on minorities and minority protection in candidate and potential candidate countries, including the Western Balkan countries.
This year's progress report on Kosovo will be no exception and thus provides an assessment of the situation of minorities, including Roma. This issue will also be regularly monitored and addressed in future progress reports and in the Commission's political dialogue with Kosovo.
Of course we will very carefully study what Ambassador Kia Eide will present in his standard report on Kosovo, which is due in a few weeks. This will concern the implementation of the decentralisation measures and the critical issue of minority protection. That report will be indispensable when it comes to determining the likely start of the status talks on Kosovo in the course of this autumn.
Generally, it would be fair to say that the return process for all minorities has thus far failed in Kosovo, with only 13 000 returnees since 1999. Furthermore it would be a fair assessment to say that the Roma community is in a very disadvantaged position in Kosovo.
The Commission is concerned that the forced returns of members of the Roma community may be happening in a framework that does not ensure their safe and sustained reintegration into Kosovo society after they return.
Meanwhile the Commission supports the Roma community where it can, notably through our assistance programmes to improve the overall sustainability of their living conditions. At the same time, we do not target forced returnees specifically.
The second question concerns the issue of whether the principle of non-refoulement is being fully respected in the event of the forcible repatriation of Roma refugees to Kosovo. It is not within the Commission's remit to establish whether the principle of non-refoulement is fully respected or not.
The ultimate administrative responsibility falls to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, as well as to the European Union Member States that have decided to forcibly return members of the Roma community to Kosovo.
Meanwhile in March 2005 the UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, assessed that returns should be considered unsafe for Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Roma, as well as Kosovo Albanians where they are in a minority situation. Returns for Ashkali, Egyptians as well as Gorani and Bosniak people are considered safer.
As far as the Commission is aware, the agreement between UNMIK and the German government on forced returns concerns the Ashkali and Egyptian minorities only, and not the Roma and other minority groups.
Thirdly, the question on Roma in Kosovo in general. All progress reports contain a chapter on the political situation and the criteria as laid down by the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993."@en1
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