Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner: Romani migrants' rights are being violated

Nils Muiznieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, published a commentary on 16 July calling for myths about Romani migration in Europe to be debunked. In the commentary, Muiznieks asserts that media in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UK have "often put forward unfounded figures about actual or potential arrivals of Roma."  

The Commissioner says his investigations show that the number of Romani migrants in certain areas has actually remained constant over the years. What’s more, a 2013 study by the European Commission found that intra-EU migrants, Romani ones included, make net contributions to their host countries, paying more in taxes than they receive in benefits.  

Muiznieks says Romani people emigrate for the same reasons non-Roma do – they are seeking better educational opportunities for their children, better living conditions, and jobs. He notes that reports of hate crimes against Romani migrants or violent forced evictions of them are rarely reported from Spain in comparison to other European countries.

The Commissioner also notes that many Roma have emigrated northward and westward since the 1990s because of the conflicts in the Western Balkans, along with their fellow citizens, and that their human rights are being violated by the countries where they seek refuge. Currently several EU countries have now designated Western Balkan countries as "safe" and are applying fast-track procedures to asylum-seekers from there, most of which result in the refusal of protection.  

"Following the liberalisation of the visa regime between EU member states and five countries of the Western Balkans in 2009-2010, the number of citizens from these countries seeking asylum in EU member states has been on the rise," Muiznieks’s commentary states. "The fact that Roma have frequently been identified as forming the bulk of these asylum-seekers has led to attempts to prevent them from leaving their countries through ethnic profiling practices by law enforcement authorities at the borders and measures limiting their freedom of movement."

The Human Rights Commissioner calls on the European media and politicians to "stop playing on fears of massive inflows of migrants and stigmatising Roma in this context." He also says more should be done to provide Romani immigrants with support and that "Discriminatory practices aimed at preventing Roma from leaving a country should stop as they are in violation of various fundamental rights, including the right to be free from discrimination and the right to seek asylum."