Aim
The main purpose of Roma Week 2025 is to strengthen Roma inclusion and leadership within the European Union’s political framework and to address the unique challenges facing Roma, Sinti, and Traveller communities in a changing Europe. As the EU enters a period of renewed political leadership with no current MEPs of Romani origin, the event seeks to refocus attention on Roma rights, advocating for their inclusion as a priority within the EU’s mainstream policies and discourse. Roma Week serves as a platform to consolidate and amplify the voices of Roma communities, ensuring that their perspectives are integral to discussions on equality, human rights, and social justice across Europe.
What is Roma Week?
Roma Week is a yearly event organised in Brussels by civil society organisations, European institutions, and other international and intergovernmental organisations in the context of Roma International Day. It aims to raise awareness of the situation of Roma, Sinti, and Travellers in Europe. All relevant stakeholders, including Roma representatives and European youth, attend the event.
Key objectives
- Sustaining focus on Roma inclusion amid changing EU leadership. With the new leadership of the European Commission and Parliament, Roma Week aims to navigate political transitions, ensuring that Roma, Sinti, and Travellers are not overlooked in policy agendas. By gathering EU officials, MEPs, and advocates, the event will strategize on maintaining visibility and cross-party support for Roma inclusion in an era marked by shifting priorities and the rise of far-right influences.
- Strengthening political representation and leadership. Roma Week focuses on bolstering Roma leadership, particularly in the political arena, where representation has historically been limited. The event seeks to build pathways for political engagement for Roma, Sinti, and Travellers, emphasising increasing the visibility and influence of Roma women and youth leaders. It also explores strategies for developing alliances and fostering future Romani political leaders.
- Addressing antigypsyism and structural discrimination. As discrimination and antigypsyism remain pervasive issues, Roma Week aims to create a united front against these systemic challenges. The event promotes the recognition of antigypsyism as a core human rights issue within the EU and advocates for policies that directly address structural discrimination. This focus includes exploring how policy frameworks, monitoring, and accountability can be enhanced to safeguard Roma rights.
- Highlighting intersectional issues and social justice. Recognizing the diversity within Roma communities, Roma Week promotes intersectional approaches to address the compounded discrimination faced by Roma women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and youth. By integrating gender, age, and social identity into discussions, the event seeks to create a more inclusive and holistic approach to Roma advocacy and social justice.
- Highlighting Intersectional Discrimination and Racism Against Racialized Minorities in Europe. Roma Week will bridge discussions between EU Antiracism Week and Roma Week by focusing on intersectional discrimination affecting Roma communities alongside other racialized minorities. This objective seeks to foster solidarity and shared strategies across minority groups that experience overlapping forms of racism and exclusion. The event emphasizes that antigypsyism is part of a broader spectrum of racial injustices and explores how Roma communities, as well as Black, migrant, and other racialized groups, face unique and compounded challenges. By creating a unified approach to address structural racism, Roma Week 2025 aims to enhance collaboration between Roma advocates and allies from diverse minority groups, building on the momentum of Antiracism Week. This link will strengthen the EU’s commitment to comprehensive anti-discrimination policies that benefit all marginalized communities, promoting inclusion, understanding, and equality across Europe.
- Promoting digital Inclusion and education. Digital exclusion remains a significant barrier for Roma communities in accessing opportunities and services. Roma Week highlights the importance of digital literacy and connectivity as essential tools for Roma empowerment. The event also emphasizes inclusive education, advocating equal educational opportunities and resources to support Roma students.
- Ensuring accountability and effective use of EU funds. Roma Week underlines the importance of accountability in EU funding allocated for Roma inclusion. Through discussions on Roma Civil Monitoring, the event promotes transparency and effective fund utilization, ensuring that EU investments genuinely contribute to Roma empowerment and equality.
- Teaching Roma history and culture in school curricula. Promote the integration of Roma history and culture into school curricula, fostering awareness, respect, and understanding of Roma contributions to European heritage.
- Transitional Justice and Restorative Justice. To examine transitional justice to acknowledge historical injustices against Roma communities, focusing on projects like Jekhipen and film documentaries that address anti-Roma violence and restorative justice approaches.
Events before the Roma week
Tuesday, 1 April
16:00 -18:00 Online debate: National Perspectives on Transitional Justice
Register here
Agenda of the Roma Week 2025
egistration for the Roma Week events is now closed.
Monday, 7 April
17:00 – 19:00 Official High-Level Opening of EU Roma Week (on invitation only)
Venue: European Parliament
Co-hosted by: MEP Krzysztof Smiszek
Tuesday, 8 April
Romani language interpretation is provided for the entire day
09:30 – 11:30 High-level event on Roma history and culture in school curricula
Organised by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and ERGO Network
Focus: high-level event with national ministries of interior and education and culture, together with the Council of Europe, European Commission and the academic community, to discuss lessons learned and promising practices in including Roma history and culture in school curricula.
Host: Nicolae Ștefănuță , Vice-President, European Parliament
Venue: European Parliament, Building Paul-Henri SPAAK, Room 4B1
Please arrive at Station Europe from 08:00 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament from 08:30. Kindly note that approximately 100 people have registered for this event, which will begin promptly at 09:30. Those who registered for the Roma Civil Monitor event, do not need to exit the Parliament.
Watch live streaming of the event here
11:00 – 13:30 Lunch break
13:30 – 15:30 Roma Civil Monitoring: Roma Equality & EU Funds: Shaping the Next Multi-Annual Framework
Organised by Roma Civil Monitoring and European Commission DG Justice and Consumers
Focus: Experience from the current programming period and discussion on how the next Multiannual Financial Framework starting in 2028 can effectively advance Roma equality and inclusion.
Host: Marco Traquinio, Member of the European Parliament, Italy – The S&D Group
Venue: European Parliament, Treves 1 Building, Room 9V40
Please arrive at Station Europe at 12:30 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament at 13:00. If you attended the High-Level event, you need to exit the Parliament as the RCM meeting is located on a different side of the European Parliament with no internal connection.
Watch live streaming of the event here
16:00-17:00 Zooming in on the Situation of Roma in Ukraine. Reconstruction and Roma’s Role in the Process
Organised by ERGO Network, The Helsinki Deaconess Foundation, International Charitable Organisation Roma Women Fund “Chirikli”
Venue: European Parliament, Treves 1 Building, Room 9V40
Host: Marco Tarquinio, Member of the European Parliament, Italy – The S&D Group
You can arrive at Station Europe from 15:00 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament from 15:30.
Watch live streaming of the event here
18:30 Official Roma Week Dinner at Kamilou restaurant (for registered only)
Organised by the European Commission and ERGO Network
Venue: Kamilou Restaurant, Brussels
Focus: Networking event celebrating Roma culture, achievements, and contributions to EU societies – performance of Umtata Tybora and concert of Gypsy Wolves (Gent, BE)
Please arrive at the venue from 18:30.
Wednesday, 9 April
08:00– 9:30 Roma Youth Voices Breakfast: Building Inclusive Europe through digitalization with Roma Youth (closed event)
Organised by ternYpe International Roma Youth Network & MEP Hristo Petrov, Renew Europe
Focus: This breakfast event aims to bridge perspectives between Roma youth and members of the European Parliament, fostering dialogue on critical issues related to Roma inclusion. It will address the specific needs of Roma youth and broader initiatives impacting them within mainstream inclusion efforts. This gathering provides a platform for young Roma voices to contribute to shaping policies and strategies for a more inclusive Europe.
10:30 – 12:30 Roma Youth and Digitalisation
Organised by ternYpe International Roma Youth Network & ERGO Network
Focus: The session will focus on the critical importance of digital inclusion for Roma communities. We will discuss the barriers hindering access to technology and the digital skills gap and explore innovative solutions to empower young Roma individuals and communities. This includes also exchanging good practices for promoting digital inclusion.
Host: Hristo Petrov, Member of the European Parliament, Bulgaria – The Renew Group
Venue: European Parliament, Building Spinelli 5E1
Please arrive at Station Europe “Spinelli Entrance” from 09:30 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament from 10:00.
12:00 – 13:15 | Registration & Lunch Break at the Hotel Rennaisance
13:30 – 15:30 Transitional Justice
Organised by ERGO Network, European Roma Rights Centre, Antigypsyism Reporting and Information Center MIA
Focus: Exploring transitional justice as a pathway to acknowledge and address historical injustices faced by Roma communities, with perspectives on the Jekhipen Project.
Venue: Renaissance Brussels Hotel, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Ixelles
Watch live streaming of the event here
16:00 – 17:30 Film screening and panel discussion
“THAT BOY: a conversation about hate and healing”
Organised by Fundacja Jaw Dikh, Poland (ERGO Network member), London Metropolitan University and ERGO Network.
Focus: This event examines anti-Roma violence and far-right radicalisation through the stories of two Polish migrants in the UK: Toby, a Roma asylum seeker, and Mirek, a former neo-Nazi turned activist. The film sparks dialogue on hate, reconciliation, and restorative justice. A panel of Roma scholars, activists, and extremism experts will discuss antigypsyism, the legacy of far-right violence, and contemporary challenges amid rising extremism and migration-driven diversity.
Venue: Renaissance Brussels Hotel, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Ixelles
Thursday, 10 April
09:00 – 11:00 Intersectional Discrimination and Racism Against Racialised Minorities in Europe
Organised by ERGO Network
Host: MEP Evin Incir, S&D, Sweden
Focus: Addressing work and community challenges for Roma and other racialized minorities, with a focus on intersectional discrimination and barriers to inclusion, infringements, statelessness, police violence, segregation (infringements), access to justice, and basic services.
Venue: European Parliament, Building Spinelli Room 3H1
Please arrive at Station Europe from 08:00 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament from 08:30.
Watch live streaming of the event here
11:00 – 13:00 Roma Women’s Leadership & the Fight Against Multiple and Intersectional Discrimination
Organised by ERGO Network
Focus: The event will highlight the impact of multiple and intersectional discrimination on Roma women and explore strategies to strengthen their representation in decision-making spaces.
Venue: European Parliament, Building Paul-Henri SPAAK, Room PHS 1C51
Please arrive at Station Europe from 10:00 CET to ensure you can be picked up for entry into the European Parliament from 10:30. If you are already in the Parliament for the previous meeting, you should not exit the Parliament.
Watch live streaming of the event here
Lunch break
16:30 – 20:30 DG ENEST: Inclusive Education Award
Organised by: Roma Active Albania
Focus: Highlighting initiatives from the Western Balkans and Turkey for inclusive education practices and recognizing achievements in promoting educational access for Roma students.ans and Turkey for inclusive education practices and recognizing achievements in promoting educational access for Roma students.
Venue: Concert Noble, Rue d’Arlon, 1000 Brussels
Registration here
Attendees and speakers:
- Policymakers and officials from European and national levels
- Researchers, historians, and experts in different areas of life
- Civil Society
- Roma youth
