Today, the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission are holding a Digital High-Level-Conference to present the new "Strategic EU Roma Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation" until 2030, as presented by the Commission on 7 September. Among the key priorities of the new strategy is the fight against antigypsyism as a specific form of racism against Roma, a goal shared by the German Presidency as set out in its programme. Today’s event brings together around 300 participants, representing relevant national authorities from the EU Member States, international organisations, EU and national-level NGO networks and European Institutions.

Horst Seehofer, Minister of the Interior, Building and Community of Germany:  "Racism has many faces. For the German Federal Government it is important to fight antigypsyism effectively. I fully support the approach of the European Commission to make the fight against antigypsyism a key priority for the coming years."

Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli: "Promoting inclusion and fostering equality are at the core of the European project. Last week the Commission put forward a comprehensive new strategic framework to reflect this and improve the social and political participation of Roma, taking on board the lessons we learnt from the first framework. Through genuine commitment and collaborative work, we can succeed at Roma inclusion and participation for their benefit and that of society at large."

The German federal government's efforts to combat all forms of racism are strengthened by the newly established Cabinet Committee ("Kabinettausschuss zur Bekämpfung von Rechtsextremismus und Rassismus"). In this context, the fight against antigypsyism, along with other forms of racism such as antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility, is of the utmost importance.

The EU’s Roma Strategic Framework 2030 builds upon the current EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies that ends this year. The main objective of the previous strategy was to tackle the socio-economic exclusion of Roma by promoting equal access to education, employment, health and housing. The new strategy focuses on fighting and preventing antigypsyism and discrimination, reducing poverty and exclusion, as well as promoting participation, through empowerment, cooperation and trust.