NRC’s staff, Asmet Elezovski and Sebihana Skenderovska, representing European Roma and Travellers Forum participated in OSCE’s Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Sustainable Policies for Roma and Sinti held from 10 -11 July 2008 in Vienna.

In the frameworks of the SHDM side event on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of Roma in Italy was held, in the same time protests were held and Roma activists had meeting with representatives of Fundamental Rights Agency. We are concern of Italy policies toward Roma, which includesfingerprinting or ethnic profiling as methods to gather data about Roma, instead of policies to facilitate access of Roma to public services.

NRC as human rights based organisation promoting Roma inclusion is strongly condemns racial violence against Roma in Italy. OSCE is supporting Roma population in the region, but now when Roma are directly endangered in Italy OSCE should strongly react upon these violations. Roma need stability, security and urgent actions to stop racial attacks and persecution.

We urge to the European and OSCE’s authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough and effective investigation and condemnation about the racists violence toward Roma. We urge mature and honest debate to be held in the highest European institutions in order to stop the violence, eviction and deportation of Roma. There is responsibility to take action and to stop violence in the Europe, Italy as European Union Member State is breaching the values as enshrined in Article 6 of the treaty establishing the European Union, by conducting arbitrary detentions and forced expulsion of Roma, fingerprinting and racist attacks.

We call on the European Commission, as guardian of the treaties to do the utmost to ensure that the rights of Roma population are being protected against abuse on grounds of ethnic origin. Italian authorities should urgently adequate protection for Roma from violent racists attacks and racial discrimination.