Statement by President von der Leyen, Vice-President Jourová and Commissioner Dalli on European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day

Statement on European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day

Ahead of the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, on 2 August, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, stated:

“Today, we mark the 80th anniversary of the tragic events that unfolded at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 1944. On that day, over 4,300 Sinti and Roma children, women, and men were taken from barracks under the cover of darkness and led to the gas chambers by SS guards.

More than 500,000 Roma people were systematically murdered in camps, fields, and unmarked trenches during the Holocaust. Their lives were extinguished, their culture suppressed, and their stories silenced. It is our duty to make sure their story is not forgotten and to honour their legacy by fighting for justice and equality for all racialised minority groups.

We remember and we recommit to a world where human dignity is upheld, where diversity is celebrated and where hatred has no place.”

Background

In 2015, the European Parliament declared 2 August as the annual “European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day” to honour the 500,000 European Roma – representing at least a quarter of their total population at that time – murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe.

The European Commission and EU Member States have committed to combat antigypsyism, the discrimination and prejudice against Romani people, that was also the root cause of the European Roma genocide. This is a core objective of the EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030 in pursuing the realisation of Roma equality, inclusion and participation at both European and national level. The Commission remains steadfast in its commitment to combat hatred and fight against discrimination as reaffirmed in the Joint Communication on “No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred” adopted in December 2023 by the European Commission and the High Representative. This aims to step up EU efforts to fight hatred in all its forms, including antigypsyism, through a whole-of-society approach and by reinforcing action across a variety of policies. The Commission will continue to work closely with the Member States to monitor progress toward the EU headline targets set out in the EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030. This fall, the Commission will publish a report on the implementation of national Roma strategic frameworks, based on input from Member States, National Roma Contact Points, surveys conducted by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, and insights from civil society.

In 2024, as part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, the European Commission will provide €14 million of EU funding to support projects on European Remembrance. A priority is dedicated to projects that aim to strengthen Holocaust remembrance, education and research or combat Holocaust denial and distortion. Additionally, the joint project of the European Commission and the Council of Europe RomaMemory aims to raise awareness about the systematic persecution of Roma and the genocide on Roma during the Holocaust.

For More Information

Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme

Roma equality, inclusion and participation in the EU

EU Roma Strategic Framework

European Remembrance

European Commission and Council of Europe joint project RomaMemory

Council Recommendation on Roma

Assessment report of the Member States' National Roma Strategic Frameworks

Joint Communication on “No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred”.