Suomen Romaniyhdistys ry
Created by and for Roma, Finnish Roma association promotes Roma human rights, increases Roma people’s active participation in democratic processes and builds their leadership.
ID: 167608843380-26
Lobbying Activity
Response to Anti-racism Strategy
8 Jul 2025
The EU Roma strategic framework was the first direct contribution to implementing The EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025. Therefore, the new anti-racism strategy for post-2025 is of utmost importance for the Roma community. There is a critical need for further anti-racist strategies, programmes and actions in general but particularly in Finland, as the country consecutively ranks as one of the most racist countries in the EU, according to the report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (2023). Moreover, the Roma is the group that faces most discrimination in Finland by origin, according to the EU's Eurobarometer on Discrimination (2023). It is very important that antigypsyism, which is not yet recognised nor acknowledged sufficiently at any level of Finnish society, was included in The EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025, and will be again in the upcoming anti-racism strategy post-2025. Thanks to the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025, the concept was taken into the EU Roma strategic framework 2020-2030, and from there to the Finlands National Roma Policy 2023-2030. Finnish authorities already have a relatively good understanding of equality, yet not all of them recognise the different forms of racism or structural racism. In the regional and local levels the understanding is still lacking. Thus, it would be important to address racism as a structural problem that does not only impact the life of a single person but a whole group of people across all minorities. The EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025 is the direct reason why the last two Finnish governments have compiled their own action plans for combating racism. Different European level documents and anti-racism strategies are crucial as they validate and recognise the need for the work done by the Roma CSOs, even in times when the Finnish government itself does not fully see the value and need for our work. ¬
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