Viktoria Mohacsi, Roma politician who served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2009, was among a group of Roma rights activists and scholars who met Friday at CEU to discuss the status of Roma citizens in Eastern and Western Europe and the Roma’s political footing within an enlarged EU.
Her visit was organized as part of a panel discussion of Romani Politics in Contemporary Europe: Poverty, Ethnic Mobilization, and the Neoliberal Order, a new volume on how the rise of neo-liberalism, the collapse of socialism in Central and Eastern Europe, and EU accession has affected Roma communities across Europe.
An outspoken Roma rights activist, Mohacsi shared her frustrations over bureaucratic stagnation in Brussels, and her failed effort to pass an EU-wide education desegregation policy that would grant equal rights to Romani school children. That legislation was blocked by a group of extreme-right MEPs now serving in Brussels, she said.
Friday’s panelists also included Nidhi Trehan, the book’s co-editor, who said the project helps “bridge the gap between academia, policy and activism,” by raising key questions and critiques on how European governments and NGOs have managed Roma affairs. The book highlights important debates between East and West over the Roma issue, she said, adding: “With EU accession, the question is what is now happening at the EU level.”
Panelists also included book contributors Angela Kocze, a PhD student in CEU’s Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Iulius Rostas, former director of the OSI’s Roma Initiative, and Andrew Ryder, National Policy Officer of the Irish Traveler Movement in Britain. They were joined by Professor Prem Kumar Rajaram and Professor Don Kalb, both in CEU’s Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, which organized the event.
Mohacsi was one of two Roma MEPs before losing her seat in the 2009 European Parliamentary elections. Last year she was the recipient of the International Woman of Courage Award which honors women who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in women's rights and advancement. The award was presented to Mohacsi in 2009 by US Ambassador to Hungary, April H. Foley, at CEU.
Despite her failure to pass desegregation legislation in Brussels, Mohacsi has continued to push for educational equality for Roma children. “It’s hopeless,” she said, “But, of course, I won’t stop.”