Statement by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 8 April 2008

I congratulate our fellow Europeans on the occasion of the International Roma Day. We should use this opportunity to celebrate the contribution of the Roma people to the cultural diversity and richness of Europe.

For some time, the Council of Europe has been campaigning against prejudice towards the Roma community in the South East Europe, and we want to extend the “Dosta!” campaign to all Council of Europe member states.

“Dosta” means “Enough” in Romani, but today is also an opportunity to say “More!”, meaning more rights, more equality, more integration and more respect for our fellow Europeans who belong to Roma community.

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Recommendation (2008)5 on Roma and/or Travellers in Europe, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 20 February 2008, gives clear guidelines for the drafting of national strategies for Roma, focusing on the active participation of Roma and Travellers communities in the drafting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of measures affecting them. Prepared with the contribution and support of the Roma and Travellers Forum and addressed to the Governments of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, this recommendation is considered as a first step towards a genuine pan-European policy on Roma.

For more information: http://www.coe.int/romatravellers