Yugoslav Roma Face the Future - Project on Ethnic Relations

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INTRODUCTIONA one-day roundtable discussion entitled “The Status and Perspectives of<strong>Roma</strong>ni Communities in Serbia and <strong>the</strong> Federal Republic of <strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia”was convened on February 16, 2001, in Belgrade, under <strong>the</strong> auspices of<strong>the</strong> <strong>Project</strong> on Ethnic Relations (PER) in cooperation with <strong>the</strong> Office ofDemocratic Institutions and Human Rights of <strong>the</strong> Organization forSecurity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and with <strong>the</strong> BelgradebasedForum for Ethnic Relations.This was <strong>the</strong> first such meeting since October’s sweeping political transitionin Serbia to ga<strong>the</strong>r all major <strong>Roma</strong>ni leaders from Serbia to discussthis particular minority’s current political status and strategy for futureactivities, in light of <strong>the</strong> democratic changes underway in Serbia and <strong>the</strong>Federal Republic of <strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia (henceforth referred to as “<strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia” or“<strong>the</strong> FRY”).The main topic of discussion was <strong>the</strong> issue of granting “national minority”status to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> in <strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia within a proposed law that woulddefine and regulate <strong>the</strong> rights of national minorities (henceforth referredto in this report by various terms, including “<strong>the</strong> minority law”). Thisbill is presently being drafted by a group of experts under <strong>the</strong> directionof <strong>the</strong> Federal Ministry for National and Ethnic Communities.PER has been working with <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni communities in Central,Eastern and Sou<strong>the</strong>astern Europe for a decade. The main goals of thiswork have been to find and establish common ground between <strong>the</strong>respective governments and representatives of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> and to establishworking partnerships between <strong>the</strong>m. The main pillar of PER’s approachhas been <strong>the</strong> conviction that dialogue between <strong>the</strong> two sides must bebased on mutual respect.In <strong>the</strong> opening remarks, one of <strong>the</strong> organizers observed that if<strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia’s <strong>Roma</strong>ni population is to more fully participate in politicsand public life, it is essential that it be involved in developing, implementing,and evaluating policies and programs that pertain to it. Manyprograms for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> have failed, she said, because <strong>the</strong>y were developed“without <strong>Roma</strong>ni participation, and without an understanding of <strong>the</strong>specifics of this community.” Consequently, <strong>the</strong> state must make a majoreffort to recognize <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni community and its representatives asequal partners. Given <strong>the</strong> steps <strong>the</strong> FRY will be taking in <strong>the</strong> future as itendeavors to integrate with <strong>the</strong> European Union and o<strong>the</strong>r internationalinstitutions, a commitment is needed from <strong>the</strong> government to seriouslyaddress issues related to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> and o<strong>the</strong>r minorities.Ano<strong>the</strong>r participant, someone instrumental in bringing about <strong>the</strong> presentdiscussion, cautioned that some <strong>Roma</strong>ni communities are politicallydivided, as is <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni population as a whole. The reason for organizingthis event and, if necessary,many o<strong>the</strong>rs, he stressed, is to determine“what is dividing <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>and what <strong>the</strong>ir interests are.” And,he added, <strong>the</strong> agenda must addresswhat <strong>the</strong> status of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni communityshould be in respect to <strong>the</strong>draft law on minorities given <strong>the</strong>A commitment is neededfrom <strong>the</strong> government toseriously address issuesrelated to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>.new, democratic circumstances in <strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia. This participant emphasizedthat <strong>the</strong> present meeting marks <strong>the</strong> first time in <strong>Yugoslav</strong>ia that <strong>the</strong><strong>Roma</strong> <strong>the</strong>mselves have voiced <strong>the</strong> demand that <strong>the</strong>y be recognized as anational minority and that <strong>the</strong> community be accorded a legally recognizedstatus - a status seen as essential to becoming an equal party in <strong>the</strong>nation’s social and political life.The programs created under <strong>the</strong> Stability Pact for Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Europe and<strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>/Gypsies Section of <strong>the</strong> Council of Europe’s Population andMigration Division - which has established a regional program on <strong>the</strong><strong>Roma</strong> in <strong>the</strong> Balkans, in consultation with <strong>the</strong> OSCE-ODIHR - werementioned as opportunities for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni community to enhance itsefforts at political participation on <strong>the</strong> international front. The regionalprogram has three key aspects: addressing <strong>the</strong> most acute crises affecting<strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>, policy development in <strong>Roma</strong>ni affairs, and facilitating<strong>Roma</strong>ni aspirations to become more active players in politics.THE PRESENT ENVIRONMENTAll on hand agreed that in addressing <strong>the</strong> institutional and legal resolutionof <strong>the</strong> problems that face ethnic and national communities inSerbia and <strong>the</strong> FRY, it is necessary to understand Serbia’s current politicalenvironment.Since October 5, 2001, when <strong>the</strong> regime led by Slobodan Milosevic wasremoved from power, Serbia has been facing formidable challenges: <strong>the</strong>tense situation in sou<strong>the</strong>rn Serbia, which threatened to escalate; <strong>the</strong> unre-45
solved status of Kosovo; relations between Serbia and Montenegroand <strong>the</strong>ir impact on <strong>the</strong> federation; and last but not least, <strong>the</strong>democratization process inside Serbia, including destroyed, if notdevastated, institutions.A host of problems has been surfacing, some in uncontrollable ways, in<strong>the</strong> months since <strong>the</strong> downfall of <strong>the</strong> Milosevic regime. As put by a participant,“[It] often appears that things often seem worse than <strong>the</strong>y wereunder <strong>the</strong> dictatorship due to <strong>the</strong> nature of a country in transition.”Consequently, added this participant, minorities, including <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>,must work all <strong>the</strong> more to identify a “target group” to address <strong>the</strong>ir concernsto, whe<strong>the</strong>r within <strong>the</strong> federal government, <strong>the</strong> republican government,or some nongovernmental institution.According to ano<strong>the</strong>r speaker, a local expert on minority affairs, <strong>the</strong> generalclimate in Serbia might be characterized as “schizophrenic. On <strong>the</strong>one hand you have optimism and expectations for <strong>the</strong> future of democracy,on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r you have proof of intolerance, including <strong>the</strong> appearanceof Nazi symbols and messages in public places.”As this speaker pointed out, <strong>the</strong> ruling coalition in Serbia is composed ofeighteen parties of varying ideological backgrounds – from “moderatenationalists” on <strong>the</strong> one side to <strong>the</strong> liberals and social democrats on <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r. These forces have contrasting ideas on how to structure <strong>the</strong> country,what <strong>the</strong> priorities are, and what rights should be granted to minoritiesunder law.The future position of Montenegro will certainly influence <strong>the</strong> destiny of<strong>the</strong> country as a whole, said this participant, and this consequently representsyet ano<strong>the</strong>r factor that must be considered in addressing <strong>the</strong> problemof minority protection. For <strong>the</strong> time being, he remarked,Montenegro de facto pursues its own independent policy in this andmany o<strong>the</strong>r fields.TOWARD EQUAL PARTICIPATION IN PUBLICAND POLITICAL LIFEAs regards <strong>the</strong> drafting of <strong>the</strong> minorities bill, participants agreed, it is vitalto address <strong>the</strong> issue of which level of government has <strong>the</strong> jurisdiction topass and enforce such a law. The collision between <strong>the</strong> two main levelsof government in <strong>the</strong> FRY – <strong>the</strong> federal state and <strong>the</strong> “o<strong>the</strong>r” state, comprising<strong>the</strong> republics – will continue to represent <strong>the</strong> main obstacle to <strong>the</strong>legal regulation of minority status. The timing for putting <strong>the</strong> statusof national minorities on <strong>the</strong> agenda is equally bad and good, accordingto a local expert on minority affairs. “The Serbian government isin <strong>the</strong> process of defining itself and searching for <strong>the</strong> major elementsof its strategy,” he remarked, “and <strong>the</strong> time is absolutely right to startwith pubic pressure, lobbying, and talks with representatives of <strong>the</strong>new government.” He added, “The timing is always bad, but youhave to find a solution.” This participant stressed that while <strong>the</strong> solutionhad to be sought through negotiated compromise between allsides, <strong>the</strong> first order of business is to have representatives of individualgroups work out differences among <strong>the</strong>mselves so as to present <strong>the</strong>best possible proposal to <strong>the</strong> government.Nearly all participants agreed that <strong>the</strong> main issue at hand is that of howto go about ensuring that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni community in Serbia and <strong>the</strong> FRYis granted legal status as a national minority. The consensus was that <strong>the</strong><strong>Roma</strong>, toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r minorities, should be mentioned specificallyin <strong>the</strong> new law.According to <strong>the</strong> participant who had last commented, it is not sufficientfor a minority group to voice its demand on this front as if saying simply,“We want to be a national minority.” He said that such a demandmust be accompanied by concrete institutional steps explaining what itsrealization would mean in different areas, including education, media,culture, and politics. Ano<strong>the</strong>r related and vital issue, he concluded, is <strong>the</strong>problem of political participation of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> and <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>the</strong>irown institutions, including NGOs, that can facilitate <strong>the</strong>ir articulation ofpolitical demands.Speaking of <strong>the</strong> need to better organize <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong>ni community, one<strong>Roma</strong>ni participant emphasized that without political involvement,<strong>Roma</strong> cannot possibly achieve a sense of “national or social affirmation.”At <strong>the</strong> same time, he said, economic independence and emancipation isnecessary if <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> are to build up a political elite capable of backing<strong>the</strong>ir struggle. Particular attention should be paid to efforts to establish<strong>Roma</strong>ni publishing houses, educational opportunities and programs,media, and NGOs. The <strong>Roma</strong> should focus on <strong>the</strong>ir cultural integrationin society, he said, a process in which <strong>the</strong> state should have a special role.However, as a <strong>Roma</strong>ni participant active in a local NGO next remarked,until now <strong>the</strong> state, while having expressed ample concern for <strong>the</strong> positionof <strong>the</strong> <strong>Roma</strong> and o<strong>the</strong>r ethnic minorities, has in practice “producedonly problems.”67
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