Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Stereotypes

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Stereotypes

Nick Ferenc is an actor and musician who breaks stereotypes about Roma in the Czech public space. He studied alternative and puppet theatre at DAMU, dubbed the character Tibor in the English version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and is heading to the new series Oddíol B, directed by Petr Kolečko. “We Roma are not portrayed as characters, but as Roma,” he says in the podcast Režim neršit.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

No Media House

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No Media House

The Roma media house will not be built in the near future. The project, which was part of the action plans for the Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of Roma by 2030 for the years 2025-2027, no longer appears in the draft of the updated document. Changes to action plans were approved by government on Wednesday.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Inclusion Strategy

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Slovakia and Inclusion Strategy

A newly established Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Inclusion of Marginalized Roma Communities (MRK) is to contribute to the implementation of more effective public policies and coordination of activities of the Government Office (GO) of the Slovak Republic, the plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma communities and other state bodies in the field of Roma inclusion. The proposal for the establishment of the body and its statute was approved by the government on Wednesday.

Let’s see what it does …

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma Ball

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Roma Ball

Bujanovac will host the Roma Ball on January 15 – an event that celebrates music, tradition and the spirit of togetherness. The ceremony will be held in the large Agimi Imperial hall, and the organizers expect a spectacular evening filled with top-notch dancing and elegance.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Romani Girls

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Romani Girls

The final conference of the “Delimo” mentoring program was held in Belgrade. It is an initiative implemented by the Roma Women’s Center Bibija and the Roma Students’ Initiative, with the support of UNICEF, with the aim of strengthening the leadership and activism of Roma girls through mentoring and intergenerational exchange of knowledge and experiences.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Lutsk and Roma

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Lutsk and Roma

Lutsk, Ukraine, takes steps towards equal access to education for Roma children and youth. Educational programs, after-school activities, and support for vulnerable families are the focus of the city’s policy on the integration of national communities.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Councillor

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Roma Councillor

Črnomelj Roma councillor Božo Rozman, who was elected in the 2022 local elections, has submitted an irrevocable resignation from the position of councillor, which was also announced to the members of the Črnomelj municipal council. As a result, his mandate in the working body for monitoring the situation of the Roma community also ended.

In his resignation statement, he stated that he was leaving the position for personal reasons. Unofficially, he allegedly did not have enough understanding in the Roma community and could not withstand the pressure.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

School Supplies

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School Supplies

The Roma Cultural Center Pančevo in the Vojvodina, Serbia, delivered school supplies to children who are studying “Roma language with elements of Roma national culture” at the “Braća Novakov” Elementary School in Paragami near Bačka Palanka.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Voices

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Roma Voices

An article on the Roma music group Romano Glauso from the Roma settlement of Pušča near Murska Sobota, which according to the article, not only enriches the musical landscape, but also actively builds intercultural dialogue with a modern interpretation of tradition and contributes to greater understanding and coexistence in society.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Settlements

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Roma Settlements

Another article about the problems around Roma settlements in Slovenia. This time it is about the municipalities of Grosuplje and Semič, and mainly in the settlements Smrekec and Sovinek. Noise, shooting, illegal fires, and similar issues.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Commemoration

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Commemoration

A memorial event was held in Podpoľanie at the Jewish cemetery in Zvolen on Tuesday, December 9, as part of the Ma bisteren! project dedicated to commemorating the Roma genocide during the Holocaust on the occasion of International Human Rights Day. It commemorates the fate of Roma murdered during World War II.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Warsaw Praga District

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Warsaw Praga District

The Local Action Plan for the Roma Community in the Praga-Południe District 2025–2030 finished a first preliminary project in 2025. The project’s main goal was to increase the level of social and civic integration of the Roma community living in the Praga-Południe district. As a result of the project, a local action plan was developed, outlining specific directions of support and actions that address the community’s real needs. The project’s nature was participatory, meaning that all stakeholders were actively involved in its development: representatives of the Roma community, their neighbours, residents of the district, representatives of the local administration, NGOs, uniformed services, and other public institutions.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Joanna Talewicz

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Joanna Talewicz

Dr. Joanna Talewicz, president of the “W Stronę Dialogu” [towards Dialogue] Foundation, has been fighting for years to stop the Roma community from being perceived through the prism of folklore and romantic yet harmful notions. In a conversation with Andrzej Grupa, she discusses why the label of “expert on Roma issues” began to bother her, how the foundation’s new campaign, “Rozprowadzemy stereotypy o Rom(k)ach,” exposes prejudice, and how building community and alliances is the safest “insurance policy” for uncertain times in Poland.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Podcast

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Czech Podcast

In the December review episode of SODAcast, podcast authors Zdeněk Ryšavý and Patrik Banga look back at the key events of the end of the year. In addition to the newly published Report on the Status of the Roma Minority and the debates surrounding anti-Gypsyism, they also address one of the most controversial moments of the current political situation – the nomination of Filip Turek as Minister of the Environment in the emerging government of ANO, SPD and Motorists.

 

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Reactions to the Femicide

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Reactions to the Femicide

In reaction to the femicide, Vjelko Kajtazi, president of the Kali Sara Roma association said that every time an incident occurs, Roma suddenly have no name and surname.  He was attending a meeting with the vice president Davor Božinović and representatives of the Međimurje local government. The topic of the meeting was the integration of members of the Roma national minority.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Femicide and Racism in Croatia

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Femicide and Racism in Croatia

in Sitnice, in Northern Croatia close to Slovenia, a man shot two women, killing one, and leaving the other severely wounded in hospital. The two young women were shot in their home in a Roma settlement.

The mayor of Mursko Središće stated that the Sitnice Roma settlement is one of the safest in the country.

A large number of Croats, especially from Međimurje, reacted with hate speech in comments on social networks, without any sympathy for the young woman who lost her life, mocking the Roma and calling for their murder or extermination and the abolition of social assistance.

This is a classic example of femicide, which is a growing problem worldwide, including in Croatia.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Housing in Bulgaria

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Housing in Bulgaria

79% of Roma live in overcrowded housing compared to 34% of the entire Bulgarian population, experts announced at a national roundtable on the topic “From data to action: Conclusions on the situation of Roma in Bulgaria from the study of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights” in Sofia. Organizers are the Centre for the Study of Democracy and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

The first and most visible problem for our society regarding Roma citizens is forced eviction from their homes, said Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva during a the National Roundtable.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Work or …

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Slovakia: Work or …

The Slovak Ministry of Labour is pushing ahead with the Work instead of Benefits initiative that foresee a stop of benefits if people refuse a job offer. So far, they have sent 13’000 job offers and 77 people are now at risk of losing their benefits as they refused an offer.

They are also creating new positions for Roma assistants have also been created at labour offices. Their task is to help with communication and reduce barriers between clients and offices.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma Settlements

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Slovenia and Roma Settlements

Residents of Vrh pri Šentjerneju and Dobravice warn of increasingly unbearable living conditions near the Roma settlement on Trdinova cesta. Roma councillor says it’s not that bad. Residents complain of noise up till after midnight; shooting, even with semi-automatic weapons; and of speeding cars even at night. They say the police doesn’t do anything.

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