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Recent developments concerning Roma communities include significant events and ongoing challenges related to rights, remembrance, and societal inclusion across Europe.

Roma Week 2025 was held in Brussels from April 7–10, 2025, focusing on pushing for real change in the lives of Roma people throughout Europe. Organized by the ERGO Network, Members of the European Parliament, and other partners, the event centered on fighting antigypsyism, reducing inequality, and making Roma voices central in policy-making decisions. Roma Week featured sessions on digital inclusion, the teaching of Roma history in schools, addressing intersectional discrimination, and honoring exceptional changemakers with the EU Award for Roma Integration in the Western Balkans and Türkiye. Organizers and participants stressed that progress on Roma rights should not be left to chance, calling for urgent political will, stronger safeguards in EU funding and legislation, and greater Roma representation in all spheres of life[2][4].

In response to the lack of Romani representation among newly elected members of the European Parliament, this year’s Roma Week also served as a call to maintain Roma inclusion as a priority within the EU’s mainstream agenda. Key objectives included advocating for the integration of Roma history and culture in school curricula to foster awareness and counter stereotypes[4].

Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (August 2) and the International Roma Genocide Remembrance Day continue to hold high significance. These observances honor the memory of the victims of the Roma genocide (Samudaripen) during World War II, with nearly 3,000 Romani people murdered in a single night on August 2, 1944. Efforts by institutions like the Auschwitz Institute seek to promote the full recognition of the Roma genocide as part of the European historical record, emphasizing that acknowledging this history is essential in preventing denialism, fostering inclusion, and ensuring justice-oriented education and memorialization[1][3][5].

On August 2, 2025, events and campaigns in Romania and across Europe reiterated the importance of real investments in Roma education, vocational training, and fair participation in policymaking. Roma leaders called out mainstream parties for making empty promises and highlighted the community’s potential as part of the solution to broader social and economic issues, as well as the ongoing threat of disinformation and hate[5].

Academic responses have also continued to be robust. The 13th annual Roma conference at Harvard University in April 2025, featuring scholars and activists, addressed themes of anti-Roma discrimination, historical trauma, and broader issues of racial and socio-economic injustice. Experts highlighted alarming disparities: as of 2022, 80% of Roma faced poverty (compared to the 17% European average), and significant portions of the community endured poor housing, hunger, and educational exclusion. The conference emphasized the need for justice-oriented solutions and wider solidarity with other marginalized groups[6][7].

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