In 2015, the European Parliament declared 2 August as the annual European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day to commemorate the 500,000 European Roma murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe, representing at least a quarter of their total population at that time. The date of 2 August was chosen for the memorial because on the night of 2 – 3 August 1944, 2,897 Roma, mostly women, children and elderly people, were killed in the Gypsy family camp at Auschwitz concentration camp. On 2 August, Commissioner Dalli visited the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Ahead of the 2022 Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, stated:
“On the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, we commemorate the hundreds of thousands of Roma victims of the Holocaust who suffered and were murdered under the Nazi regime.
We may never forget the Roma persecution during the Holocaust. We also cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges and discrimination Roma minority is still facing.
We work closely with our Member States to fight anti-gypsyism. This year we will present a first assessment of the national Roma strategies. In our Union, we strive for openness, tolerance and respect for human dignity for all people.
Only with this spirit can we fight racism and discrimination.”
In 2020, the European Commission adopted the EU Roma Strategic Framework, which aims to give all Roma the opportunity to realise their full potential. To this end, the framework sets out a comprehensive three-pillar approach: equality with all other members of society, social and economic inclusion, and participation in political, social, economic and cultural life.
This autumn, the Commission will deliver a first Report on the assessment of the National Strategies on Roma. This report will assess the National Strategic Frameworks submitted by the Member States. It will also look into how Member States address the fight against anti-gypsyism and what measures they have put in place to promote awareness of Roma cultures, language and history, including the memory of the Roma Holocaust and reconciliation processes.
Watch here a video created by Pavee Point to mark Roma Genocide Memorial Day 2022