As delivered by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Mr. Vice-President of the European Parliament,
Ministers,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is good to see all of you here today.

Bachtalo Romano Dive!

April 8 marks also the anniversary of the birth of the late UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. So it feels especially fitting, as we focus on education today, to recall his words:  “Education is much more than a lesson in schools or a theme for a day; it is a process to equip people with the tools they need to live lives of security and dignity.”

This is a reminder of exactly why we are here today.

To give education - and basically Roma history and culture, their rightful place in Europe’s story — past, present, and future.

Especially now, in a time of democratic backsliding, when new narratives are trying to rewrite our history.

***

Teaching the history and rich culture of Roma and Traveller communities is essential to building just, democratic societies.

And yet, we fall short.

Last year, the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe released its first general report covering then 16 European countries .

Just half of these countries included Roma and Traveller history in their national curricula.

Almost 60% of history teachers said Roma and

Traveller history was inadequately covered. In some countries, that number reached 90%.

These numbers matter. Because what we teach — and what we leave out — tells young people whose stories count. Whose lives matter.

***

Across too many parts of Europe, segregation in schools remains a daily experience for Roma and Traveller communities.

In some places, Roma children make up 100% of certain classrooms — not by choice, but by design.

That is not integration; that’s segregation.

These are signs of structural inequality in education — inequality that democracy alone has not yet solved.

***

That is why the Council of Europe has been a key voice in advancing Roma rights — through the judgments of our Court, the standards we set, and the dedicated work of our expert bodies like ECRI and the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ACFC). 

At the heart of this is the Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (ADI-ROM). Its 2024–2027 Terms of Reference outline clear priorities: combating discrimination, fostering inclusion, and ensuring meaningful participation. These efforts are backed by targeted co-operation with member states.

A new Strategy for Roma and Traveller Inclusion is also in preparation — reaffirming our commitment to building fairer, more inclusive societies.

***

This brings me to our key Recommendation from 2020 — Recommendation CM/Rec(2020)2 — which calls on our member states to integrate Roma and Traveller history into existing school subjects.

To support this work, our committee of experts (ADI-ROM) has developed a Capacity Building Programme and tools, with input from the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC).

The Council of Europe helped launch ERIAC so that Roma voices could lead the way in telling their own story. The “Barvalipe University Masterclasses” are a great example.

I also want to mention the RomaMemory programme, a joint initiative with the European Commission, which raises awareness of Roma history, culture, and the Roma Holocaust.

Here, I want to express my gratitude to the Commission for its continued collaboration, partnership, and trust.

***

Let me conclude with a call to action that was made exactly 54 years ago.

“Opre Roma!”

Stand up, Roma!

This was the rallying cry at the First World Romani Congress, held in Chelsfield near London on 8 April 1971.

This month, we mark the “Opre Roma!” month — a time to celebrate the rich contributions of Roma history, language and culture to Europe’s long and fascinating history.

It is a time to stand up for Roma history and culture in our schools, our societies — in short: Everywhere we take a stand for equality, for dignity, and for the promise of democracy.

And let us never forget that “our universal human rights begin in small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.”

“Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he or she lives in; the school or college he or she attends; the factory, farm or office, where he or she works,” as Eleanor Roosevelt wisely reminded us of - many years ago.

“Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination,” and “unless these rights have a meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.”

So I guess the simple, yet so challenging conclusion is that without  you and me, and our fellow citizens “upholding these rights  close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

Thank you.