European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day

In 2015, the European Parliament declared August 2nd as the annual European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day to honor the memory of the 500,000 European Roma murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe, who represented at least a quarter of the total Roma population at that time. The European Commission and EU member states have committed to work against anti-Gypsyism within the framework of the EU Roma Strategic Framework, adopted in 2020, and the Council Recommendation on Roma. The framework provides for a comprehensive three-pillar approach: equality with all other members of society, social and economic inclusion, and participation in political, social, economic, and cultural life. On January 9, 2023, the first evaluation report of the member states’ national strategic frameworks for Roma was approved.