DOSTA-CONGRESS PRIZE FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Award Ceremony, Tuesday 20 November, 12 noon Lobby of the Hemicycle

Speech by President Halvdan Skard, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Madame Deputy Secretary General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When I look at the map of Europe, this panoply of different colours for each country, I think of a quilt – a quilt which represents unity in diversity, a quilt which was torn apart for centuries by ethnic hatred and strife, but which is intact today and can only be held together through mutual acceptance of difference.

Roma people are just as much a piece in this quilt as any other. “All different, all equal” is the slogan of a Council of Europe campaign which encapsulates this vision. This is why, as we are building a Europe of Inclusion, a Europe where everybody should feel empowered and involved, we cannot turn a blind eye to the discrimination and prejudices still existing against certain population groups, including Roma.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities has long taken an interest in the problems faced by the Roma population across Europe. As far back as 1981 our assembly – then a Standing Conference - adopted a text on the role and responsibility of local and regional authorities with regard to the cultural and social problems of nomad populations.  Another important text of the Congress dealing with this issue, Resolution 16 (1995), highlights the contribution of Roma to a tolerant Europe.

We in the Congress are in full agreement with the two positive messages of the Dosta! campaign – a socio-political message saying that Roma have rights and aspirations as full citizens which must be recognised, and a cultural message: Roma culture is part of Europe’s cultural heritage and has contributed to the enrichment of European societies..

This is why we were delighted to create, together with the Dosta! campaign organisers, this prize for municipalities which have shown that they do much more than simply pay lip service to the promotion of political and cultural participation of their Roma community.  They put these ideas into practice.

We need to fight on a daily basis against the sometimes deeply ingrained beliefs and preconceptions those around us may have.  Discrimination and racism, sometimes resulting in violence, remain a serious problem for Roma populations across Europe. As public officials – be it at national, regional or local level – we must be the first to set an example by putting aside discriminatory attitudes.

I had the honour to be co-President of the jury, and I can tell you that the candidatures were all of extremely high quality. I would therefore particularly like to extend my congratulations to the three winning entries for the creative and innovative work they are doing to ensure diversity in the life of their communities.

I would also like to thank the City of Shkodra for presenting its initiative as an example of good practice – hors compétition.

My co-President, the Council of Europe Co-ordinator for Roma Issues, Henry Scicluna, will shortly be awarding the prizes: one for the first and two for the second place, so it only remains for me to say that we hope that the positive example shown by these three winners - and indeed by all the candidates – will encourage other municipalities to follow the same path towards dialogue and respect for the rights of Roma.

Thank you.