§ 19. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with EU applicant countries progress towards ensuring equal rights for the Roma communities in those countries. [137415]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe regularly raise the importance of equal rights for Roma and other minority groups with these countries, mainly through our Embassies, as does the Commission in its monitoring reports, Association Committees and pre-accession programmes. Details of FCO project work on Roma communities are included in the FCO human rights annual report. We also participate with EU applicant countries in discussions in the OSCE and Council of Europe on Roma rights.