Clear objectives against the discrimination of women
The European Parliament held a debate on the new EU Roadmap for gender equality. In her speech Lívia Járóka MEP, vice-chair of the EP's Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee and shadow-rapporteur of the new Roadmap urged the economic empowerment of women as well as combating multiple discrimination. more

EU funds to eliminate flooded Roma ghettos
The Group of European Socialists and Democrats held a conference titled "Roma: A European reality" with the participation of László Andor, Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs. Lívia Járóka MEP asked the commissioner about the EU funds available for the alleviating the damages caused by recent floods in Hungary as well as the implementation of the integrated guidelines of the EU 2020 initiative. more

EU support for the social inclusion of Roma
The European Union’s 5 million pilot project for the social inclusion of Roma has been officially launched today. Lívia Járóka MEP (European People’s Party) expressed her hope that the project would prove to be a good practice on which the European-level effort for enhancing the situation of Roma can be based. more

"The integration of Roma would also raise GDP"
The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU have launched the Second European Roma Summit in Córdoba. In her speech at the beginning of the two-day event, Lívia Járóka MEP (European People's Party) urged the development of a legally binging EU-level strategy, which reckons European Roma primarily not as an ethnic minority but as an economic target audience and is also able to alleviate the poverty concentrated in disadvantaged micro-regions by complex and holistic development programs. more

Intervention of Lívia Járóka at the 29th Meeting of the Council of Europe Committe of experts on Roma and Travellers
Thank you very much for the Committee of Experts on Roma and Travellers for inviting me to share my thoughts about enhancing political participation among Roma. Our communities in Europe and especially in new Member States are underrepresented in all fields of public life and civil as well as political participation is astoundingly low. Let me mention just one figure to exemplify: by right of mathematical ratio, there should be about 20 MEPs of Roma origin in the European Parliament.In the 2009-2013 legislative term however, I myself represent the 10-12 million European Roma, whereas Luxemburg with a population of less than half a million delegates six deputies. This means, that Roma are 150 times (!) weaker represented in the EP than the population of Luxemburg and in some national governments this proportion is even worse! more