ROMA RIGHTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Early day motion 954, tabled 7 March 2002 by Paul Stinchcombe (Labour). Signed by 45 members.

That this House notes that the Roma (gypsies) area significant, settled and visible minority in most countries in Central and Eastern Europe, subjected to racism in all spheres of public life, including access to criminal justice, with high levels of unemployment and inadequate access to education, healthcare and welfare benefits; notes also, however, that within Central and Eastern Europe there is a growing number of educated Roma activists and Roma voluntary sector organisations working in the fields of human rights law, civil liberties and human development; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to support and work with those organisations, to press the governments of nations in Central and Eastern Europe to enact and implement legislation to combat discrimination against the Roma and to guarantee them equality of opportunity and to press the European Union to set the successful enactment and implementation of such legislation as preconditions of the accession of those nations to the EU.

Signatures by party: Labour 29, Liberal Democrat 11, Plaid Cymru 2, Conservative 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, Scottish National Party 1.