The government on Thursday adopted the bill on the Roma, which is designed to comprehensively regulate the status of the Roma in Slovenia based on positive discrimination and is required by Article 65 of the Constitution.
One of the cornerstones of the bill is the formation of the Council of the Roma Community, which would represent the interests of the Roma towards the state.
According to Stanko Baluh, the head of the Office for National Minorities, the Roma Association would hold the majority in the new council.
The bill stipulates that national and local authorities have to create conditions for addressing zoning issues regarding Roma settlements.
In specific cases, the state may intervene in any municipality with a special zoning law, Baluh said.
The obligations under the bill would be fulfilled based on a special set of measures that the government will adopt in consultation with local communities.
Baluh hopes that the parliament will adopt the bill before the end of this year, as the necessary funding has been earmarked for 2007 and 2008.
The bill comes amidst ongoing controversy over the resettlement of a Roma family from Ambrus in central Slovenia in late October.
The government has come under fire because it relocated the Strojan family following an escalation of tensions with the locals.
It has now been struggling to find a new home for the Strojans, as leaks of proposed locations immediately sparked protests by the locals.
Asked by journalists whether the "Strojan case" would have happened if the bill were adopted earlier, Baluh said this was unclear, but the resolution of the issue would definitely be easier.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|