Roma Day - progress has been made

BELGRADE - Serbia has made progress in improving the position of the Roma people, but there is still a need for further activities aimed at their full inclusion, the OSCE Mission to Serbia stated on Wednesday.

The steps that Serbia has taken have led to the improvement of the living conditions for all national minorities, Roma women in particular, and at the same time ensured greater equality in the public and political life, said head of the OSCE Mission Peter Burkhard.

However, in everyday life, the Roma people are still facing impediments in various fields, he said on the occasion of the International Roma Day.

Since the adoption of the national strategy for improvement of the status of Roma in 2009, the political and legal framework have been improved, and now the time has come to strengthen the system necessary for their implementation, Bukhard said.

He underlined that it is immensely important for the government and its institutions and representatives of the Roma and NGOs in cooperation with the international community to continue to work on finding realistic and sustainable solutions, the OSCE Mission to Serbia released in a statement.

PAUNOVIC: ROMA DAY - PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE

Certain progress has been made concerning the status of the Roma national minority, Director of the Serbian government's Office for Human and Minority Rights Suzana Paunovic said on Wednesday on International Roma Day.

Brussels also takes note that progress has been made, but points to certain problems that we have to work on, Paunovic told Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS).

She mentioned the ongoing drafting of a new strategy until 2025 as the key in the coming period.

Last year saw many...