Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-27-Speech-3-066"
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"en.20050427.8.3-066"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, debates and speeches on the Roma, commonly known as gypsies in Polish, are something I have grown accustomed to since my election to the European Parliament. Who are the Roma, and what do we mean by this term? Are they an ethnic group, as stated in the motion for a resolution, or a stateless nation? If we agree that they are an ethnic group, consisting of citizens of all the EU Member States, then the solution to these problems is relatively straightforward. After all, each Member State has to ensure that its citizens enjoy the same rights and are treated equally, without being subjected to discrimination or xenophobia. We should bear in mind, however, that as well as rights, citizens also have certain duties, towards both the country they live in and the other people who live there. If we understand the Roma to be a stateless nation, then things start to look a great deal worse, if not hopeless. We must ask ourselves who is to defend this nation, as the answer to this question would be a starting point from which we could find a solution to the problems. The debate on this issue has recently become more heated because two new countries, Romania and Bulgaria, are in the process of joining the European Union. Romania is generally considered to be the Roma’s main homeland, although they originally come from the distant land of India. For over 600 years, the Roma have either not wanted to or not been able to assimilate into society in the countries in which they live. Feelings of mutual animosity have become more pronounced during this time, rather than less so. Even though many different measures have been taken to narrow the gap in development, education and standard of living that exists between the Roma and the rest of the population, this gap is in fact widening."@en1
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