Overview of collaborative research network

Our network lies at the crux of stakeholders’, policymakers’ and academics’ interests, and aims to investigate the issues and policies underlying current discussions on Romanis inclusion. Own members’ work on minority groups with the focus on legal, political, economic, social and linguistic aspects of exclusion make clear that Romani issues add substantively to European minority rights agenda and to deepening integration of European publics. Our network starts with the observation that the Romani communities are Europe’s paradigmatic minorities, lying at the ‘other side’ of the major cleavages defining everyday lives of European citizens: In most EU member states Romanis are ethnic, social, political and economic minority at the same time. This unique marginal position of the group will allow CRN Romanis in Europe to measure states’ and international organisations’ capacities to address issues of minority integration and protection.

The network is focused on three topics allowing all members of the network to contribute to research on various aspects of Romani integration. The coordinators will facilitate communication among the network participants, collating the research outcomes for presentation through the CRN website, provide for policy-relevant digests thereof and will engage user communities and multiplicators. Our network starts with the policy-relevant observation that measures aiming at Romani communities’ empowerment have been implemented across much of the EU. These however, brought little of their envisaged effects, e.g. in terms of overcoming isolation and increasing social opportunities for this community. It is from here that our research has a threefold agenda.

• First, we provide a diachronic and cross-regional comparison of European Romani groups with regard to their social and linguistic integration in societies of their states of residence.
• Second, we are looking at legislation and policies ensuring minority rights’ protection for Romani at the European, national and regional levels.
• Third, we assess policies aimed at Romani integration as those attempting Romani integration into the dominant societies and evaluate their results.

Taken together these three strands of our work will evaluate the impact European Union policies on Romani communities in the Western and Eastern Europe over the past two decades, provide a comparative analysis of issues hampering Romani inclusion and investigate policy implications of European and national approaches to society integration in Europe. Romanis in Europe will work to

• Raise awareness of research currently undertaken across Europe on Romani issues,
• Create links between the research communities in the old and new EU member-states,
• Provide a standing platform for academic community to inform policy-makers and think-tanks on research initiatives,
• Encourage working partnerships to advance research on European integration, social inclusion and minority groups in Europe,
• Open forums for the discipline-specific discussions and research into the problematic.