The European Library is a free service that offers access to the resources of the 48 national libraries of Europe. Resources can be both digital (books, posters, maps, sound recordings, videos, etc.) and bibliographical. Quality and reliability are guaranteed by the 48 collaborating national libraries of Europe. The partners in The European Library are all members of the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL), a foundation aiming at increasing and reinforcing the role of national libraries in Europe.

Spoštovani,

najprej bi vas želela vse lepo pozdraviti v imenu Sveta Evrope in se zahvaliti organizatorjem za prijazno vabilo na to mednarodno konferenco.

Ozaveščevalni kampanji Sveta Evrope Dosta! Osvobodimo se predsodkov, spoznajmo Rome in Spregovori proti diskriminaciji sta spodbudili ustvarjanje mladinskega dokumentarnega filma na temo »različnost bogati«, snemanje katerega se je začelo z letom 2010. Video projekt sovpada z evropskim letom boja proti revščini in socialni izključenosti 2010.

Gre za mladinsko videoprodukcijo v obliki realnih posnetkov diskriminatornih dejanj iz zgodovine, pričevanj in osebnih izpovedi posameznikov, ki se iz različnih razlogov srečujejo z diskriminacijo ter zanimivih zgodb in intervjujev tako laične kot strokovne javnosti. V dokumentarnem filmu sodelujejo pripadniki različnih narodnih, verskih, etničnih in kulturnih manjšin, med drugim tudi nekatere znane medijske in politične osebnosti ter stroka. Sodelovanje sta med drugimi potrdila predsednik Republike Slovenije dr. Danilo Türk in župan Mestne občine Ljubljana Zoran Janković.

Athens, 12.01.2010 – The increased and alarming human rights violations against Romani women and ways of ensuring full enjoyment of their rights topped the agenda of a two-day conference of Roma women, which ended today in Athens.

In a final declaration of the conference, the participants unanimously called on European governments to uphold their obligations and ensure that Romani women enjoy their fundamental rights, to put an end to a climate of impunity around atrocious abuses of their rights, to take unequivocal measures to punish perpetrators and compensate Romani women victims.

Romani women also urged the governments of European countries, where forced sterilisation is an ongoing practice, to take active measures to compensate the victims, sanction perpetrators and initiate state medical reform in the area of patients’ rights.

The conference’s conclusions stressed the need to prevent de facto segregation in housing and education, while promoting the principles of equality and integration.

Violence, poverty, inequality and widespread discrimination have made Roma communities the “punchbags” of Europe and victims of an “undeclared Apartheid” system.

These were among the conclusions reached by a panel of experts which assembled for the Council of Europe’s ‘Viewpoint’ human rights talk show, to be broadcast in early January 2010.

 13/11/2009 - Wiener Zeitung / Österreich  

 "Racism Against Romany Becoming 'Worse and Worse'"

Vienna - At an international conference in the Vienna Hofburg, harsh criticism was voiced about the treatment of Romany within the EU states. Representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the EU Agency for Basic Right (FRA) made many demands of the governments of member states to stop the discrimination, segregation and racism against the Romany.

"We have a real problem with racism - and it is getting worse and worse," warned Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner. It was tolerated that the Romany became "the doormats of our society" and that racist remarks by politicians are simply accepted as such. "The heads of government must finally take this problem seriously. Romany are being discriminated, although they are also EU citizens."

Worsening anti-gypsy discrimination will come under the microscope next month in a television debate organised by the Council of Europe.

VIENNA (AP) - Roma face widespread discrimination when they migrate throughout Europe in search of a better life and governments are failing to address the problem, human rights experts said Monday, 9 Nov 2009.

Often referred to as Gypsies, Roma are an ethnic group that has traditionally lived mostly in southern and eastern Europe. Besides a lack of access to housing, social services and education, they often do not have the identity papers needed to get decent jobs and are seen as criminals.

"We have allowed the Roma population to be scapegoats in our own societies -- an underclass," said Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe. "The leaders of governments must begin to take this problem seriously because this is hypocrisy when it comes to human rights."

Hammarberg and other experts spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in the Austrian capital about Roma migration and freedom of movement.