Roma Rights in State of Crisis, Declare 33 Human Rights Organisations
08 June 2026
Brussels, 9 June 2026: A coalition of human rights activists and civil society organisations today warned of systemic attacks on Europe’s largest ethnic minority amidst rising fascism, securitization, and the dismantling of the rules-based order. The Roma Rights Network, a group of 33 member organisations spanning 21 European countries, today declared that the human rights situation of the Romani people has entered a state of acute crisis. This joint declaration follows the Roma Rights Network’s annual meeting in Paris, where members assessed a rapidly deteriorating landscape defined by the rise of far-right governance, the erosion of democracy, and the systematic removal of protections for racialised minorities.
The human rights experts assert that the persecution of Roma is no longer a matter of policy failure or neglect, but a deliberate political project which has caused the securitization of Romani communities to accelerate in a short period of time. Anti-Roma political rallies and vigilante groups are tolerated in Hungary. Mass ethnic profiling and militarized police raids take place on a weekly basis in Greece. Anti-Roma security laws criminalizing motherhood have been passed in Italy. Anti-Roma legislation in Slovenia allows mass surveillance and police raids on whole communities.
Across the continent, Romani people are increasingly framed not as citizens with rights, but as internal security threats. This is compounded by a coordinated effort to delegitimize civil society and strategically defund anti-racist movements, as governments prioritize military spending over social welfare.
Simultaneously, the shift from a framework of state obligations to one that falsely ties rights to "responsibilities" has undermined the very foundation of human rights. Rights and responsibilities are not conditional on one another; every person possesses inherent rights regardless of their ability to ‘integrate’ or fulfill state-defined duties, likewise every citizen bears responsibilities independent of their rights. By conflating the two, political actors have used the language of responsibility to justify stripping away specific legal mandates and dedicated funding for Roma. Coupled with the political "mainstreaming" of rights strategies – which dilutes targeted protections into generic social goals – this approach has rendered Roma invisible in policy. With the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034 threatening to eliminate ring-fenced support for Roma equality, the EU risks abandoning its most vulnerable citizens to the discretion of nationalist governments.
"We are witnessing a deliberate dismantling of the protections that once shielded the most vulnerable," said Đorđe Jovanović, President of the European Roma Rights Centre which convenes the Roma Rights Network. "The narrative that Roma must ‘earn their rights’ through 'integration' is false and is used to justify their exclusion. The securitization of our communities and the defunding of our defenders are strategic choices, not accidental policy errors, by governments that have embraced exclusion. We will not accept a Europe where citizenship is conditional on ethnicity. Our fight is for the universality of human rights, and we will continue to hold these governments to account, regardless of the political cost."
The Roma Rights Network calls on EU institutions, Member States, and international donors to:
- End Securitization: Repeal legislation that criminalizes Romani communities and halt the deployment of military-grade tactics against civilian populations.
- Protect Civil Society: Ensure sustainable funding for anti-racist activists and safeguard the operational space for human rights defenders.
- Enforce Accountability: Investigate and prosecute hate crimes and state-sponsored discrimination, including the actions of hate groups operating with impunity.
- Preserve Specificity: Maintain explicit Roma equality objectives and ring-fenced funding in the post-2030 EU budget, rejecting the dilution of rights into generic "social inclusion" targets.
The attack on Roma rights is a precursor to the erosion of rights for all. The Roma Rights Network stands united in its commitment to defend the universality of human rights and the rule of law.
The Roma Rights Network was launched by the European Roma Rights Centre in 2022. It brings together Roma and non-Roma activists committed to defending the human rights of Romani people, and others targeted by antigypsyism, across Europe. The Network currently includes 33 member organisations across 21 countries.
The annual meeting took place in Paris from 26 to 28 May 2026.
This press release is also available in French, Finnish, German, Macedonian, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish, Italian, and Ukrainian.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Jonathan Lee
Advocacy & Communications Director
European Roma Rights Centre
jonathan.lee@errc.org
+32 49 288 7679
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