Category Archives: Slovenia

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Kindergarten and Roma

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Kindergarten and Roma

An article about the fact that there are almost no Roma in Kkindergarten in a Slovenian region that has several Roma settlements. According to the article:

Although there are many Roma people living in the municipality of Šentjernej, and around 70 Roma children attend primary school, this is not reflected in kindergarten enrolment. According to the principal, not a single Roma child currently attends the kindergarten.

“Despite our efforts, we have not managed to collect enough applications for a shorter program funded by the state and intended for children who do not attend kindergarten before entering school.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Romanes in Slovenia

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Romanes in Slovenia

One of the long-standing representatives of the Romani community is Slobodan Nežirović from Šaleška dolina. He pays special attention to the preservation of the Romani language, culture, and tradition, and the inclusion of Roma in education, employment, and public life. He is also the author and editor of several publications in the field of the Romani language, poetry, fairy tales, and folk traditions.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Šutar Act

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Šutar Act

Zvonko Golobič, president of the Association for the Development of the Roma Community from Črnomelj, Slovenia, said that after 100 days of the so-called Šutar Act, representatives of the Roma settlements of southeastern Slovenia assessed that the situation of the Roma community had drastically deteriorated.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Slovenia and Roma

The change of government in Slovenia is having an effect on Roma.

According to the article, after the enactment of the Act on Emergency Measures to Ensure Public Safety (Šutar’s Act), a shift has already occurred at the local level, says the mayor of Novo Mesto, Gregor Macedoni: “Changes have been detected in the greater inclusion of children in the education system, i.e. increased school attendance.” However, the activities at the state level to date are assessed as insufficient, because progress in solving long-term challenges will require closer cooperation between all institutions, the mayor emphasizes: “We expect the new government to approach solving the problem comprehensively, and above all with a clearly established principle of equal rules for all.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Verdict

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Slovenia: Verdict

A while back, following a brawl, Aleš Šutar from Novo Mesto died after being punched once by a Rom Samire Šiljić who pleaded guilty to the attack. He was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, which led to outcries that this was totally inapropriate. The judge justified the sentence with the guilty plea and with th efact that a single blow in the face is not murder.

In response to today’s conviction, the President of the Roma Association of Slovenia, Jožek Horvat Muc, assessed that it is right that all such cases, such as the attack on Aleš Šutar from Novo Mesto, also receive a court epilogue.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Discrimination in Slovenia

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Discrimination in Slovenia

Advocate of the Principle of Equality Miha Lobnik submitted his regular annual report for 2025 to the President of the National Assembly Zoran Stevanović. The report shows that discrimination in Slovenia remains present in many areas of life, in work, access to services, healthcare, and education. Prejudices against Roma, LGBTIQ+ people, foreigners, and even religious minorities are growing.

Albania News Eastern Europe Slovenia

A Slovenian in Albania

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A Slovenian in Albania

The Slovenian journalist and presenter Rosvita Pesek famous in her country, is currently on vacation in Albania. She describes the latter as a country of differences – on one side, majestic buildings, on the other, unfinished buildings, on one side, greenery, on the other, garbage.

Right from the very beginning, Rosvita Pesek described Albania as “a country of a little less than three million people, of Albanians and Roma”.

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News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Award

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Slovenia: Award

This year, the Andragogic Center of Slovenia awarded the Roma Academic Club an award for exceptional achievements in the field of lifelong learning in the Pomurje region.

The Roma Academic Club, which is based in the municipality of Puconci, has been operating since 2008. It was founded by a group of students from the Roma community with the desire to connect individuals who share a common goal, education.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma in Slovenia

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Roma in Slovenia

Slovenia is estimating that there are 7,620 Roma residents in 25 municipalities with 80 Roma settlements. Among the municipalities in Dolenjska and Posavje, according to the above estimates, the largest number of Roma is in the municipality of Novo mesto, where approximately 1,180 live in Roma settlements.

When there are so few Roma, why are there so many articles about them being a “threat”?

Bosnia News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Yugoslav Wars

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Yugoslav Wars

An interesting  article about Roma victims of the Bosnian war. Among the victims in Srebrenica were also Roma, but this is not recorded, because, like in other parts of the world, Roma also took on local names.

Human rights lawyer Lejla Hadžimesić talks about what went wrong, so that the process of reconciliation and dealing with the past in Bosnia and Herzegovina stopped years ago and started the journey back. She cites Milorad Dodik’s speech about secession fifteen years ago as a turning point. She sees this situation as the reason why it was (only) three decades after the war that the space for researching Roma victims opened up, which she herself is also involved in.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Protest

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Protest

The association Vstani romski otrok in Slovenia is announcing a rally on the Glavni trg in Novo mesto on Tuesday afternoon, with which they will express their disagreement with the confiscation of social benefits due to the so-called Šutar Act. They are expecting between 100 and 300 Roma, who will also present the hardships that some have found themselves in due to the foreclosures.

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovenia

Award

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Award

The GoShorts program selected six short films that open up space for questions of power and empowerment – of collectives and individuals. Among them was Kismet by Novo Mesto director Žiga Virc, who received the RheinMain Award. It is the sotory of a 11 years old Romni.

Europe News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Romani Gili Competition

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Romani Gili Competition

A competition celebratings Roma music and culture, Romani Gili 2026 is organised by the European Roma Institute for Art and Culture (ERIAC). The audience plays an important role. As much as 50 percent of the final result is represented by public support. The remaining 50 percent of the score is contributed by an expert jury appointed by ERIAC.

A young singer from Prekmurje, Nina Brasseur, is stepping onto the music stage again – this time with a great opportunity at an international competition. The 25-year-old singer, who was introduced to the general public in 2016 on the show Slovenija ima talent, is presenting herself today with her original song Sune (Dreams) and is competing to win the Romani Gili Contest 2026.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Discrimination in Slovenia

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Discrimination in Slovenia

Representatives of Roma communities warn of the need for official recognition of Roma settlements. They say that the government accepts the unequal position of the Roma as normal. Settlements in southeastern Slovenia are without water and electricity. Children’s rights are violated. Inadequate conditions limit children’s right to education.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Stand Up Comedian

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Stand Up Comedian

The Vestnik media house once again chose Vestnik’s personality of Pomurje for the past year with the help of its readers. The editorial board has determined ten candidates who, with their actions, are changing the lives of Pomurje residents in their local environment or elsewhere for the better.

Among the ten candidates, the first Roma stand-up comedian Andrej Bajič Šarkezi was the most convincing, drawing ideas for his performances from everyday life. His family also means a lot to him. “I present my point of view in a humorous way,” says Andrej Bajič Šarkezi, the first Roma stand-up comedian in Slovenia and Vestnik’s personality of Pomurje for 2025.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Amnesty and Slovenia

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Amnesty and Slovenia

In Slovenia, discrimination remains one of the key problems in ensuring human rights, Amnesty International Slovenia warns. The Roma population still faces it on a daily basis and at a systemic level all too often.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and the Šutar Act

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Slovenia and the Šutar Act

The Mayor of Novo Mesto, Gregor Macedoni called for the protection of victims of misdemeanors. He argues that the Šutar Act only allows seizure of the financial social assistance after three unsuccessful enforcements.

The Ombudsman and the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy emphasize that the state must also respect constitutional boundaries and human rights while ensuring the security of citizens.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

April 8th – Slovenia

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April 8th – Slovenia

Some of the activities and articles about April 8th in Slovenia.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Unseen

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Unseen

Miha Lobnik, Advocate of the Principle of Equality in Slovenia says about Roma that “To hide their roots, they prefer to choose Slovenian surnames”. He organised a roundtable discussion to highlight the problems in the education of Roma children.

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