The EU and the Roma: Legal, Policy and Political Challenges Event

Time:: 10:30 - 16:00
Date:: 13 October 2016
Venue:: Room 4005, Building 34, Highfield Campus

For more information regarding this event, please email Dr Ingi Iusmen at i.iusmen@soton.ac.uk .

Event details

The Department of Politics and IR (PAIR) together with the School of Law are organising an interdisiciplinary workshop on the plight of the Roma in Europe/European Union. More specifically, the workshop will explore the role of the key legal, financial and policy instruments employed by the European institutions to promote the inclusion of Roma communities at the national level. The key challenges faced by the Roma community in sectors such as education, housing, free movement will be examined. The workshop will include presentations by both practitioners/NGOs (eg Open Society Foundation-Brussels, European Roma Rights Centre) and consultants, as well as by academic, legal and policy experts. There are going to be two sessions of presentations (11.00-13.00, 14.00-16.00), so do join us for what looks like an exciting day of debates and discussions about topical issues. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. The registration for the event will be from 10.30-11.00.

Programme:

10.30-11.00 Registration

11.00-11.10: Welcome and Introduction: Ingi Iusmen and Emily Reid

11.10-13.00: LEGAL AND POLICY CHALLENGES: DESEGREGATION AND ACCESS TO HOUSING

• Lucie Fremlova (University of Brighton)-Desegregation in schooling and promoting access to quality education for Roma: ‘filling in’ for the Education Ministry

• Orsolya Szendrey (European Roma Rights Centre) - Desegregation: The No1 political and legal challenge for Roma Inclusion in Europe. Pitfalls of (non) implementation of the EU’s non-segregation norms

• Dr Mark Jordan (University of Southampton) - An outline of the Right to Housing under the RESC (Revised European Social Charter)

13.00-14.00 Lunch

14.00-15.50: LEGAL AND POLICY RESPONSES AT EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL LEVELS

• Dr Tawhida Ahmed (University of London) - The Enduring Crisis of Roma rights and European Union Responses

• Violeta Naydenova (Open Society Foundation)-Does EU’s Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies need a reform?

• Dr Emily Reid and Dr Ingi Iusmen (University of Southampton) - A means to an end or an end in itself? EU Roma policy and human rights protection