Position of Roma minority in Serbia "improved"

The position of Roma in Serbia has improved thanks to the Decade of Roma Inclusion, it was said at the opening of a three-day congress in Belgrade. The World Roma Organization - Rromanipen started on Friday at the Serbian parliament building. Position of Roma minority in Serbia "improved" "The position of the Roma people in Serbia has significantly improved during the Decade of Roma Inclusion, but I am confident that many members of the Roma population have reasons to be dissatisfied," said Slavica Denic, the state secretary in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government. The members of the Roma population can be dissatisfied bearing in mind that there are still unhygienic settlements in Serbia, that few children go to kindergartens and that quite few Roma people are employed, Denic stated. However, Serbia can be proud of the improvement in the field of education. Since 2003 the country got more than 1,000 Roma graduates, she underlined. Denic qualified the congress as important, since it brought together representatives of 25 countries with the aim to exchange experience and find solutions jointly. President of the World Roma Organization Jovan Damjanovic said that the Decade of Roma Inclusion "has yielded results" in Serbia. "We have to get to grips with problems and bring about an intellectual Roma revolution," Damjanovic said. He underlined that there are 12 to 15 million Roma people in Europe, but that they do not have any status. Organizers announced that the congress will be dedicated to the legal status of the organization and the economic empowerment of the Roma people, and added that a declaration of the first congress of the World Roma Organization is expected to be adopted. Slavica Denic (Tanjug) Tanjug

Position of Roma minority in Serbia "improved"

"The position of the Roma people in Serbia has significantly improved during the Decade of Roma Inclusion, but I am confident that many members of the Roma population have reasons to be dissatisfied," said Slavica Denić, the state secretary in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

The members of the Roma population can be dissatisfied bearing in mind that there are still unhygienic settlements in Serbia, that few children go to kindergartens and that quite few Roma people are employed, Denić stated.

However, Serbia can be proud of the improvement in the field of education. Since 2003 the country got more than 1,000 Roma graduates, she underlined.

Denić qualified the congress as important, since it brought together representatives of 25 countries with the aim to exchange experience and find solutions jointly.

President of the World Roma Organization Jovan Damjanović said that the Decade of Roma Inclusion "has yielded results" in Serbia.

"We have to get to grips with problems and bring about an intellectual Roma revolution," Damjanović said.

He underlined that there are 12 to 15 million Roma people in Europe, but that they do not have any status.

Organizers announced that the congress will be dedicated to the legal status of the organization and the economic empowerment of the Roma people, and added that a declaration of the first congress of the World Roma Organization is expected to be adopted.