European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network calls on EU to fund Romani "watchdog" groups

In an open letter to EU officials, the ERGO Network has welcomed the European Commission's annual communication on Roma Integration and is calling for a "targeted funding strand" for Roma NGOs engaged in "watchdog" work. ERGO thanked the officials for acknowledging the need to combat anti-Gypsyism.

In order achieve that goal, ERGO says investment must be made into building capacity in Romani civil society so groups can play an "active and independent role" in advocating for Romani interests and holding government accountable at all levels. This "watchdog" work would monitor the implementation of the EU Roma framework and sound the alarm when implementation is not properly undertaken.

The Network is calling for the equipping of Romani civil society to engage in evidence-based research "in order to genuinely take part in coordination and consultation". Their call for a "targeted funding strand" includes the idea of creating "progressive funding schemes" for testing "innovative, experimental approaches" towards the achievement of equal citizenship for Roma in Europe.

ERGO is a foundation based in the Netherlands with an office in Brussels that works to improve the situation of Roma in Europe. The network is comprised of 26 Romani civil society organizations from all over Europe, with core members from Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia.