Meeting of the Informal Contact Group of Intergovernmental Organizations and Istitutions on Roma, Sinti and Travellers

Brussels, 11 June 2007

Deputy Director of the Roma Education Fund, Rumyan Russinov, participated on a meeting of the Informal Contact Group of Intergovernmental Organizations and Institutions on Roma, Sinti and Travellers held in Brussels on 11 June 2007.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Detlev Rein, Head of Division MII4 (National Minorities) of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Brussels, 11 June 2007

Deputy Director of the Roma Education Fund, Rumyan Russinov, participated on a meeting of the Informal Contact Group of Intergovernmental Organizations and Institutions on Roma, Sinti and Travellers held in Brussels on 11 June 2007.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Detlev Rein, Head of Division MII4 (National Minorities) of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The topics discussed included:
 
1. The impact of current policies and the implementation of recommendations in the Member States.
2. The problem of the Roma refugees.
3. The phenomenon of evictions.
4. School Segregation.
 
On the issue of school segregation, Rumyan Russinov presented the views and work of the REF. He discussed different types of segregated education of Roma in Central and Eastern Europe and the ongoing efforts by NGOs and governments to tackle these problems. He underlined the crucial role of Roma parents in the school desegregation process and the importance of motivational work by grassroots organisations among the parents. 
 
All institutions present at the meeting confirmed that concerted efforts by all actors in the educational process are needed in order to address the segregation problem.