Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Plenipotentiary, and Transparency

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Slovakia, Plenipotentiary, and Transparency

The Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Roma Communities will be obliged to submit a periodic report to the government on his activities for the previous calendar year. This follows from the change in the Plenipotentiary’s statute, which was approved by the government on Wednesday.

This is a worthwhile change …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Digital Archives

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Digital Archives

Works from the National Film Archive of the Slovak Film Institute have undergone the process of digitization and are progressively available in DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format, and therefore can also be screened in digital cinemas.

The almost thirty-two-minute film Upre Roma [Upward Roma] (1955) by Dimitrij Plichta is not only an example of contemporary Slovak documentary work, but also the first film in the history of Slovak cinema that attempts to portray the Roma ethnic group with empathy.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia and Education

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Serbia and Education

At the beginning of another school year, the Municipality of Beočin provided school supplies for 205 Roma students attending two primary schools.

The distribution of school supplies in recent days was carried out by the coordinator for Roma issues of the Municipal Administration of Beočin Ismet Ademovski and the pedagogical assistant at the Primary School “Jovan Grčić Milenko” Feruz Drmaku.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia: Cultural Centre

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Serbia: Cultural Centre

The Roma Cultural Center “Života Milosavljević” was officially opened in Kragujevac, formed as part of the project “Roma Club – a place of cultural, social and educational emancipation and integration of Roma at the local level”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the City in cooperation with local partners.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Maribor and Cohabitation

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Maribor and Cohabitation

There are apparently 3’500 Roma around Maribor, Slovenia. This radio article looks into the cohabitation of Roma and non-Roma. It aims to report on the shortcomings in integration and on what steps are still needed for greater inclusion, education and employment of Roma.

How about reduction is racism?

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria and Stereotypes

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Bulgaria and Stereotypes

This time a story of a wedding that lasted 15 days in the Kumulka Mahala in Burgas. Apparently the child of a notorious thief.

Bad.

  • “Градски легенди” от сърцето на “Кумлука” – една история за 15-дневната сватба на Пандурито, крадеца-ветеран и…. In Flagman. 08.09.2025. https://www.flagman.bg/article/360106#google_vignette
News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Roma, and Politics

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Slovakia, Roma, and Politics

Miroslav Heredoš, of the OZ Voľná ​​zóna organisation, and a candidate of the far right, in addition to being an anti-vaccination etc. calleed on the Slovak government and the government plenipotentiary for Roma issues, Alexander Dašek, to immediately start visiting the settlements and listening to the problems of the Roma and solving them; because if they do not do this, the Roma will vote for Igor Matovič in droves again in the next elections.

Well, what is the issue there?

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Desegregation

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Bulgaria: Desegregation

For the third consecutive year, Montana Municipality will work on a project for educational desegregation and integration of students from the Kosharnik district, announced Mayor Zlatko Zhivkov.

Free transportation to five of the schools in the city has been provided for 218 children from the Roma district. This is a basic condition for them to attend class. Also, most of them – 198 students will be provided with teaching aids and materials. An educational mediator will establish the school-family relationship and monitor for manifestations of discrimination.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Pilis, Hungary

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Pilis, Hungary

Pilis, a town of 12,000 inhabitants an hour from Budapest, resembles many other towns in the Hungarian countryside. A shopping centre with ABCs, the grocery stores where you can find everything. A Kossuth Road, a key figure in the 1848-1849 uprising against the Habsburgs, crossed by the national highway. A street and even a small park named after Petofi, the iconic 19th-century poet. A monument to the Treaty of Trianon, which dismembered Hungary after the First World War and permeated the national narrative.

But since September 1st, Pilis has stood out by implementing radical measures to prevent settlements deemed undesirable. The far-right municipality, which came to power last fall, is closing the town to criminals, drug users or dealers, people without employment or social security for more than a year, applicants who do not speak or understand Hungarian, and business owners with tax arrears or those under bailiff proceedings.

Roma, of course will fall under some of those categories, whether true or not …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Social Benefits

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Slovakia and Social Benefits

Movement Slovakia criticizes amendment on benefits, calls measure an attack on Roma. According to opposition MP Peter Pollák, the measure deepens poverty, discriminates against Roma and the government uses it to save on the most vulnerable.

The amendment to the Employment Services Act, which includes the Work Instead of Benefits initiative, deprives thousands of the poorest people of material need benefits, according to opposition MP Peter Pollák (Movement Slovakia, For the People, KÚ). “Instead of giving people a ladder, the government is taking away the last thing they have – less than 90 euros per month. That is the last safety net for the poorest. Meanwhile, family expenses are rising due to government consolidation, food and energy are becoming more expensive, and the government is saving on those who have the least,” said Pollák.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Baruvas

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Baruvas

Over forty Roma high school and university students from all over the country participated in the twenty-sixth Baruvas meeting (Romanes “we grow”) in the Jizera Mountains at the end of August. The program offered workshops on hate speech, Roma history, Romani language and traditions, working with emotions, activism, a healthy lifestyle and a space for sharing and support.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Brno: Racism

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Brno: Racism

A Roma first-year student in a primary school in the Brno-North district has become the target of attacks on social networks after a Facebook user took a photo taken by the boy’s mother and shared it with the comment: That feeling when a glutton fails 3 times in first grade.

A number of offensive comments subsequently appeared under the post, attacking the child’s ethnicity and appearance. The behavior was condemned in a joint statement by representatives of the city district and the principals of local schools. “Someone misused the photo, people spread it further on social networks, where hate speech appeared under it, especially during Tuesday afternoon.

At least the police is doing something…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Letter to Minister

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Letter to Minister

Neighbours of a Roma settlement wrote to the Slovene Minister Luka Mesec. They said: “In the village community of Mihovica (Šentjernej municipality), we are following your visits to Roma settlements in Slovenia and your statements about constitutional rights. Meanwhile, we are dealing with a much more basic question every day – how to survive with approximately 100 residents of Roma settlements, whose behaviour represents a serious security threat to our community.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Multi-Purpose Community Centres

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Multi-Purpose Community Centres

The contract for a new community centre in the Boris Kidriča Settlement was signed. It is a project co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Social Fund. The aim is to promote the integration of the Roma population into the school system, as this is a basic condition for us to no longer talk about the “Roma issue” in the future, but about Roma integration. Workshops and other programs, starting in September, will be prepared for it by a special expert team. “Let’s hope that’s the case,” says the mayor, emphasizing that this is not a new Roma settlement, but an educational space.

Well, fingers crossed …

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Gypsy Fest in Lithuania

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Gypsy Fest in Lithuania

This September, Lithuanian listeners will be treated to a veritable cocktail of famous performers. According to the press release, the best Roma performers from abroad will perform on the stage of the international festival “Gypsy Fest 2025”.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Work instead of Benefits…

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Work instead of Benefits…

The “work instead of benefits” initiative is coming into practice as announced by the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Erik Tomáš (Hlas-SD) at a press conference in Poprad. According to the new law, if a person who can work rejects a suitable job offer from the labour office, he or she will lose material needs benefit or they will be reduced.

“If such a person rejects a job offer for the first time, his benefit will be withdrawn for one month, if he does it again, his benefit will be reduced for three months. This process will be repeated cyclically until the person accepts a job offer. Violation of work discipline will also be considered a reason for withdrawing the benefit. There will no longer be speculation with fake PNs,” Tomáš explained.

It is geared against Roma who are labelled as social services abusers …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Gypsy Fire

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Gypsy Fire

On Saturday, September 6, the Bystrica amphitheatre will be singing and dancing for the 19th Gypsy Fire.

The Gypsy Fire traditionally brings a spirited musical experience full of passion. On Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 5:00 p.m., great Roma musicians, dancers and singers will perform at the Paľa Bielik Amphitheatre in Banská Bystrica. The climax of the Gypsy Fire will be Rytmus.

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