Category Archives: Montenegro

Roma activists in Montenegro are pushing for a reduction of the census hurdle from 0.7% to 0.35% in order to be represented in parliament. Roma activists say  that not one member of parliament proposed an amendment on the reduction of the census by affirmative action for the Roma which shows their interest in the community and the inclusion of Roma in Montenegro.

• Romski savjet: Kada će se amandman o smanjenje cenzusa za participaciju Roma naći u Skupštini. In: CDM. 13.12.2022. https://www.cdm.me/politika/romski-savjet-kada-ce-se-amandman-o-smanjenje-cenzusa-za-participaciju-roma-naci-u-skupstini/

The Institute of Roma-Egyptian RE mediators has proven to be one of the most successful models in the Western Balkans region, which enables this community to have easier and faster access to basic rights at the local level, and now it is up to the state authorities of Montenegro to do their part, i.e. to systematize the position of mediator in local services – it was concluded at the two-day international conference organized by Help on the occasion of the completion of the project “Social inclusion of the RE population through associates in social inclusion – RE Mediators”.

“We received assurances from the representatives of the state institutions of Montenegro on this occasion that work is being done to introduce the position of RE mediator in services at the local level,” said the representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Budimirka Đukanović.

• Crna Gora uvodi prve RE medijatore u službama na lokalnom novou. In: CDM. 04.11.2022. https://www.cdm.me/drustvo/crna-gora-uvodi-prve-re-medijatore-u-sluzbama-na-lokalnom-novou/

The greatest responsibility for the fact that the Roma community still does not have its own representative in the parliament lies with the politicians, because their voting on any socio-political issue depends on their agreements and party interests, according to the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and freedom of Montenegro.

Back in 2013, the Institution of the Protector expressed the position that the Roma community should be provided with a lower census in order to be adequately represented in the Parliament of Montenegro, but even today, 30 years after the introduction of multi-party system, the Roma are the only national minority that does not have its own representative in the parliament.

Well, one can and should argue that members of parliament should NOT be allocated along ethnic lines but rather that parties should get minorities involved.

• Političari odgovorni što Romi još nemaju predstavnika u parlamentu. In: Mna. 30.10.2022. https://mina.news/vijesti-iz-crne-gore/politicari-odgovorni-sto-romi-jos-nemaju-predstavnika-u-parlamentu/

Elvis Beriša, the founder and executive director of the NGO “Phiren amenca” comments last week’s scandal when the Montenegrin cultural network promoted the project Montenegro without divisions – with a photo of young people in national costumes, where Roma were presented in utility company workers uniforms:

“I believe that we haven’t had a more obvious example of discrimination and anti-Gypsyism in Montenegro for a long time. The CKM campaign and the portrayal of the Roma community in it is the definition of antigypsyism. Presenting an entire national community as workers of a utility company surpasses all recorded cases of stereotypes and prejudices that we could see in the public space. It is simply incomprehensible that the organizers could not consult with the Roma community about the best way to present it in the campaign. If, as they say, they could not find the national costume of the Roma, they could present them in ordinary everyday clothes. Anything would be better except for what they ended up doing.

• More je problema u kojima pliva romska populacija, rekao bih uspješno, jer se još nije udavila, ali nikako da stigne do kopna. In: Monitor. 29.07.2022. https://www.monitor.co.me/elvis-berisa-izvrsni-direktor-nvo-koracajte-sa-nama-phiren-amenca-nismo-komunalci-nego-zrtve-diskriminacije/

The Roma community congratulated the recently nominated prime minister Abazović and asked him to help Roma and also to employ Roma in his prime minster office.

• Romski savjet pisao Abazoviću: Analizirati mogućnost zaposlenja pripadnika RE zajednice, možda i u kabinetu premijera. In: Vijesti. 08.05.2022. https://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/drustvo/603238/romski-savjet-pisao-abazovicu-analizirati-mogucnost-zaposlenja-pripadnika-re-zajednice-mozda-i-u-kabinetu-premijera

A forum on the integration of Rroma just completed in Podgorica, Montenegro. It was organised by the Action Team “Roma Integration 2020”, a project aimed at furthering the integration of Rroma in Europe.
We hope that this will not be another paper tiger but a real one which will advance the cause.

– Podgorica: Završen ciklus foruma o pitanjima Roma. In: Blic. 01.12.2016. http://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/podgorica-zavrsen-ciklus-foruma-o-pitanjima-roma/w3f8v4y
– https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/roma-integration-2020-brief-20160609.pdf