A3-0124/94

Resolution on the situation of gypsies in the Community

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the following motions for resolutions by:

(a)Mr Bandres Molet on the situation of gypsies in the EC (B3-0478/92),

(b)Mr Ramírez Heredia on the agreement between Germany and Romania on the forced repatriation of Romanian gypsies (B3-1503/92),

(c)Mrs Piermont on taking in Yugoslavian gypsies in Germany (B3-0995/93),

-having regard to Petitions Nos. 219/92, 683/92 and 727/93,

-having regard to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, including that of 'respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion',

-having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on 10 December 1948 in Paris, which lays down the guidelines for an international order founded on protection of the freedom and the fundamental rights of the individual,

-having regard to Articles 2, 7, 48, 51, 52-66, 119, 173 and 117 of the EC Treaty,

-having regard to the case-law of the Court of Justice on human rights, particularly with reference to the rights of minorities,

-having regard to the Council of Europe's European Convention on Human Rights of November 1950,

-having regard to the conclusions of the two committees of inquiry set up by the European Parliament in 1985 and 1989 on racism and xenophobia,

-having regard to the decisions of the CSCE, and particularly the resolutions signed by 34 Heads of Government in November 1990 in Paris, where, for the first time, the Rom people were referred to as such in an internationally valid legal text,

-having regard to the Commission communication of 19 November 1990 on Community accession to the European Convention on Human Rights,

-having regard to the Joint Declaration against racism and xenophobia of 11 June 1986 by Parliament, the Council and the representatives of the Member States meeting with the Council and Commission,

-having regard to the European Social Charter,

-having regard to the Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms adopted by the European Parliament on 12 April 1989, describing the fundamental principles of a Community of Rights based on respect for human dignity and fundamental rights,

-having regard to the Single European Act, which came into force on 1 July 1987 and expresses the determination to work together to promote democracy on the basis of the fundamental rights recognized in the constitutions and laws of the Member States, in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Social Charter, notably freedom, equality and social justice,

-having regard to the Single Act's declared awareness of the responsibility incumbent upon Europe to act with consistency and solidarity in order more effectively to protect its common interests and independence, in particular to apply the principles of democracy and compliance with the law and human rights,

-having regard to the declaration by the European Council meeting in Dublin (25-26 July 1990) and Maastricht (9-10 December 1991) on racism and xenophobia,

-having regard to the Economic and Social Committee's opinion of 23 November 1988 on the Council's motion for a resolution on combating racism and xenophobia,

-having regard to its resolution of 11 March 1993 on respect for human rights in the European Community (1993 annual report),

-having regard to its resolution of 6 September 1983 on the status of the mobile trades,

-having regard to its resolution of 17 March 1989 on illiteracy and education for children whose parents have no fixed abode,

-having regard to its resolution of 24 May 1984 on the situation of gypsies in the EEC,

-having regard to the conclusions of the International Colloquium on Gypsy Studies held in Rome from 20 to 28 September 1991,

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Colloquium on Gypsies organized by the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe in Czechoslovakia from 15 to 17 October 1992,

-having regard to Recommendation 1203 (1993) approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 2 February 1993,

-having regard to the declaration and the action plan to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance drawn up in Vienna on 9 October 1993 by the Heads of State and of Government of the Member States of the Council of Europe,

-having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs,

A.whereas the ongoing development of Community legislation should constantly reflect events and cover new areas, according to Article 235 of the EC Treaty,

B.extremely concerned by the growth of racism and xenophobia, and particularly by the acts of racist violence perpetrated against the minorities living in certain Member States of the Community,

C.aware that the protection of human rights in the Member States is the responsibility of the Member States and the bodies set up in conjunction with the Council of Europe,

D.whereas, as a result of centuries of discrimination, the Rom people are not organized in such a way as to assert their rights and defend their fundamental freedoms within the society in which they live,

E.whereas the Rom people constitute one of the largest minorities in the European Union,

F.having regard to the particular needs which this rapid population increase implies for certain delicate social sectors, such as schooling and the exercise of several basic freedoms, such as the right of establishment and the right to vote,

G.having regard to the specific cultural and traditional characteristics of the Rom people, which call for appropriately assessed ad hoc action,

H.having regard to the particular needs of the Rom people, in view of their specific cultural characteristics, in the context of the economic and social reality of Europe in the 21st century,

I.whereas gypsies continue to be victims of wars in Europe and are persecuted by all belligerents, for example in the former Yugoslavia,

J.having regard to the repatriation agreement signed on 24 September 1992 between the Federal Republic of Germany and Romania, on the basis of which Romanian gypsies were forcibly repatriated, which was accompanied by the granting of a DEM 1 000 million loan to Romania;

1.Calls on the governments of the Member States to introduce legal, administrative and social measures to improve the social situation of gypsies and travelling people in Europe;

2.Calls for all citizens of non-member countries legally residing in a Member State, including gypsies, to have the same right to travel throughout the European Union as citizens of the Union;

3.Recommends that the Governments of the Member States add an additional protocol on minorities to the European Convention of Human Rights, in which the definition of minorities explicitly includes gypsies in the form of a reference to landless minorities;

4.Calls on the Commission and the Council of Europe to draw up a general report on the situation of gypsies in the Member States, with particular regard to coercive measures taken by states, human rights violations, etc;

5.Recommends that the Commission and Council adopt initiatives in the fields of culture, education, information and equal rights, in the form of proposals to the governments or the appropriate local and regional authorities of the Member States;

6.Urges that budget items be maintained, and wherever possible increased, in the Community budget for funding such social, cultural and educational action for the gypsy community;

7.Recommends that the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States should do everything in their power to assist in the economic, social and political integration of gypsies, with the objective of eliminating the deprivation and poverty in which the great majority of Europe's gypsy population still lives at the present time;

8.Recognizes that gypsies are subject to persecution in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe and therefore recommends that EU Member States should take great care when examining applications for asylum by gypsies from these countries;

9.Condemns the conclusion of repatriation agreements between the Member States of the European Union and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe which result in refugees being traded like goods;

10.Stresses the need for fresh measures in the educational field, if racism and xenophobia are to be combated effectively, and urges the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States to promote a range of measures to help remove the major obstacles to the school education of the children of gypsies and travelling people;

11.Calls on the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States to recognize the language and other aspects of gypsy culture as forming an integral part of Europe's cultural heritage;

12.Recommends that the Commission and the Council carry out an in-depth study of the education and training problems facing gypsies and nomads, particularly the schooling of gypsy children who do not have an adequate knowledge of the language of the country or of the region in which they reside; also recommends setting up a specific training programme designed to enable teaching in the gypsy language to be included in curricula, and, as part of its work in the field of inter-cultural education, to prepare information sheets on the subject for teachers;

13.Reminds the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States of the decisive role of the media and of local and regional authorities in eliminating racial prejudice and supports full cooperation with the Economic and Social Committee, the Council of Europe and the CSCE to ensure that problems linked to racism and xenophobia are tackled effectively;

14.Urges the Commission and the Member States to implement programmes which provide adequate information for the general public on genuine gypsy culture, especially by promoting information programmes carried out by gypsies themselves;

15.Reminds the Community's gypsy citizens of their right to submit petitions to the European Parliament if they believe themselves to have been the victims of racist behaviour;

16.Calls on the German Government to compensate any gypsies and their families who were victims of Nazi persecution;

17.Calls on the Member States not to expel any gypsies who have fled Romania and the former Yugoslavia and to facilitate the entry of their family members;

18.Urges the Commission and the Council to set up a European research and information centre, through which the most representative gypsy organizations could deal with the Community authorities on all political, social, or cultural matters involving gypsies;

19.Encourages gypsy organizations to amalgamate at European level, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to give financial assistance to such an amalgamation;

20.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.