Environmental Justice for Roma Communities
The 1st Roma Environmental Justice Conference aims to address the urgent issue of environmental justice for Roma communities. With a focus on key themes such as the Roma Strategic Framework, the impact of Green Deal policies, funding mechanisms, and the role of municipalities, the conference seeks to foster meaningful dialogue, challenge existing paradigms, and drive tangible actions towards achieving environmental justice. It will bring together stakeholders from Civil Society, EU institutions, National Roma Contact Points, funding bodies, municipalities, and Roma rights organizations to collectively confront the systemic barriers and inequalities faced by Roma communities in relation to their environment.
The conference taking place on October 12 will provide a platform for rigorous discussions and critical analysis, examining the effectiveness of EU and Member States' initiatives in ensuring environmental justice for Roma communities. Participants will engage in in-depth debates, exposing the gaps in Green Deal policies and advocating for inclusive approaches that address the specific environmental challenges faced by Roma communities from various angles such as the informal recycling sector, housing, access to water and energy, and the right to a healthy environment. Additionally, the conference will evaluate existing funding mechanisms within the Green Deal framework and challenge them to better support environmental justice initiatives for Roma communities. The 1st Roma Environmental Justice Conference aims to build on the environmental justice movement, inspire transformative actions, and advocate for meaningful change to dismantle systemic environmental injustices faced by Roma communities.
On 11 and 13 of October, several workshops will also be organized for CSOs, activists and academia.
Join us by making your registration here!
The agenda:
08:30 – 09:00 Registration
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09:00 – 09:30 Section 1: Opening of the Conference
Moderator: Mr. Diego Francesco Marin, Policy Officer for Raw Materials and Resource Justice, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
● Dr. Nicolae Ajtai, Dean, Babeş-Bolyai University
● Ms. Patrizia Heidegger, Director, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
● Ms. Gabriela Hrabaňová, Director, ERGO Network – online
● Mr. Dragoş Pîslaru MEP, Romania / Renew Europe, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
09:30– 10:15 Political messages from the EU and national policymakers
Moderator: Ms. Isabela Mihalache, Senior Advocacy Officer, ERGO Network
● Ms. Linda Greta Zsiga – Testimony from Pata-Rât
● Mr. Peter Pollák MEP, Slovakia / European People's Party (video message)
● Ms. Claudia Kovacs – Ministry of Investment and European Funds - Romania
● Mr. Petrica Dulgheru – Rome Entrepreneurship Development Initiative
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10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break
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10:30 – 11:15 Section 2: Environmental Justice and Common Basic Principles
Moderator: Ms. Patrizia Heidegger, Director, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
● Mr. Diego Francesco Marin, Policy Officer, European Environmental Bureau – What is Environmental Justice? Case studies on environmental racism
● Ms. Isabela Mihalache, Senior Advocacy Officer, ERGO Network – Assessment of the national Rome strategic frameworks from an environmental perspective
● Dr Karen Bell and Dr Nikola Venkor 'Environmental Injustice in waste management and the role of the "media-government complex" in Bulgaria' - online.
● Speaker to be confirmed – Presenting the Common Basic Principles on Environmental Justice for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation from the civil society organizations' workshop.
11:15 – 12:00 Parallel working groups (2 groups)
Group 1: What should the EU do to monitor the situation of Member States more efficiently? What should the EU do to provide a better framework for environmental justice?
Moderator: Andor Urmos
• A – What are the steps to take?
• B – Who are the actors that should be engaged?
Group 2.: What should local and national governments do to improve environmental justice (housing, access to services, etc.)?
Moderator: Isabela Mihalache
• A – What are the steps to take?
• B – Who are the actors that should be engaged?
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12:00 – 13:30 Lunch break
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13:45 – 14:00 Reports from the parallel working groups
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14:00-15:25 Section 3: Environmental justice and EU policies: EU Rome Strategic Framework and the European Green Deal
Moderator: Mr. Diego Francesco Marin, Policy Officer for Raw Materials and Resource Justice, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
● Mr. Olimpiu Bela Lăcătuş-Iakab, Association for Inclusion, Transformation and Social Innovation
● Ms. Enikő Vincze, Desire Foundation, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
● Dr. Jekatyerina Dunajeva, Assistant professor at Pázmány Péter Catholic University
● Mr. Andrey Ivanov, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
● Ms. Anne Scheinberg, Springloop Cooperative
● Mr. Dan Pavel Doghi, DG JUST, European Commission (online)
● Questions: 15 min
15:25–16:30 What are the EU and Member States doing to ensure environmental justice?
Moderator: Ms. Isabela Mihalache, Senior Advocacy Officer, ERGO Network
● Ms. Elena Iordanescu, Ministry of European Funds, Romania
● Mr. Simion Beldean – UBB Cluj Napoca – (Increasing the safety of water and food consumption in Roma communities in Transylvania)
● Mr. Daniel Grebeldinger, ERGO Network / Nevo Parudimos, Romania
● Mr. Andor Ürmös, Bridge EU – Environmental justice in Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania
● Mr. Georgios Tsiakalos – Human Rights Lawyer-Pro Bono Publico
16:30–16:45 Coffee Break
16:45–17:45 The role of municipalities – What are cities doing to ensure environmental justice for Roma communities?
Moderator: Mr. Daniel Grebeldinger, member ERGO Network / Nevo Parudimos, Romania
● Vasile Galbea – Pat Rat Researcher
● Mr. Virgil Bitu, UK/RO – The ignorance of policy makers towards Roma communities and the inability of Roma population to access public services.
● Ms. Valentin Dimon, Gal Urban – President of GAL CLLD Campina and GAL Slobozia
● Mr. Adriatik Hasantari – Roma Active Albania
● Mr. Asib Zekir – Redi – North Macedonia (online)
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17:45 – 18:00 Section 4: Conclusions
Moderator: Ms. Lorena Doghi, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
● Ms. Patrizia Heidegger, Director, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
18:00 End of the conference
