Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-14-Speech-3-439"
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"en.20070214.27.3-439"2
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"First of all, I would like to clarify the following: the background to my remarks is not the desire to question the right to free movement by Europeans, and hence of the Roma, nor do we or I wish to request any extra rights for these people, for this minority group. My original aim was that the European Union should examine how it might document – something that my fellow Member Mr Moraes has also mentioned – the number of forced migrants, those people who are forced to leave their homes because they are subject to ongoing discrimination.
The Commissioner mentioned that it is not enough for a country to take action against discrimination, but the EU Member State in question must also ensure that there is integration. I think we have not yet reached this stage, nor even the stage where we might be able to monitor discrimination in each and every Member State, or to take appropriate steps against it.
In April 2005, Parliament adopted a resolution of which the first sentence states that there is discrimination against the Roma within the Member States of the European Union. We do not know how many leave their homes because they are subject to ongoing discrimination and hope that their lives may be less troubled in a Western European country.
Next week, we will have the second opportunity, when the Hungarian court will hear the case involving children who have been placed in special schools without any justification. Although they are of sound mind, they are compelled to attend educational institutions established for those with developmental handicaps. I have personally taken on the cases of 12 such children because Hungarian special schools are generally full of Roma children, who make up at least 70% of the special student population in Hungary, and unfortunately there are not very many Member States where these figures show any striking difference.
A few months ago, several hundred Hungarian Roma sought asylum from the Swedish state, which naturally – as far as I know – rejected their request. I do not know how many of those families have children who suffer discrimination in a similar situation. This much is certain, if something like this were to happen to my children, I would seek asylum in another country.
The struggle to eliminate discrimination and to guarantee human rights within the frontiers of our Member States is our common responsibility. We have the ability to take steps against discrimination, and we must do so. Since 2000 we have spent EUR 750 million within the territory of the EU on the integration of the Roma, yet the proportion who are unemployed and the proportion of children declared to be developmentally handicapped have increased. The time has come now for the European Commission, taking seriously the work it has done to date, to develop a strategy which – as my colleague Mrs Járóka has also mentioned – will be able to put an end to discrimination and to call to account those countries that are lagging behind in terms of legislation."@en1
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