The President of the European Commission condemned anti-Romani sentiment, calling it a persistent problem that perpetuates inequality, social isolation, systemic discrimination, and violence against Roma across Europe. She stated that such a situation is unacceptable and emphasized commitment to fighting racism, discrimination, and hatred in all its forms.
These statements were made by Ursula von der Leyen following the celebration of European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on August 2nd. In her statement, also signed by European Commission Vice-President Roxane Mintatu and Commissioner for Equality Hajja Labbib, von der Leyen noted that on August 2, 1944, one of the darkest chapters in European history occurred.
The President of the European Commission reported that 4,300 children, women, and men from Romani and Sinti peoples were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on the night of August 2, 1944. She specified that the total number of Roma killed during the Holocaust reached half a million, which constituted a quarter of the entire Roma population of Europe at that time.
Von der Leyen particularly stressed that the decades of suffering of Roma during World War II were ignored, their voices were unheard, and their families were left with an unhealing void. She added that today they commemorate these people and reaffirm a collective responsibility to ensure this chapter of the Holocaust is never forgotten or underestimated.
However, beyond learning from the past, von der Leyen insists on the necessity of confronting present injustices. In this regard, the President of the European Commission reminded that the executive body has developed a strategy for the Roma population aimed at promoting the inclusion of this community in all spheres of life.
She also mentioned the recently adopted 'Strategy to Combat Racism 2026-2030,' in which anti-Romani sentiment is explicitly identified as a specific and extremely serious form of racism requiring targeted action. Von der Leyen asserts that through memory, education, and decisive action, it is possible to foster a European Union where 'all people can live with dignity, equality, and freedom.'
In conclusion, she stated: 'Hatred has no place in Europe. We will never forget.' European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day was established by the European Parliament in 2015 to commemorate the genocide of over 500,000 European Roma, who constituted about a quarter of the entire Roma population at that time.
