A workshop will be held in Belgrade between 27-29 November 2013 on Roma migration from the Western Balkans to the EU member states. The event will explore the Roma migration patterns and the national and international migration policies.

The workshop will be attended by ten participants selected from Roma activists, as well as experts and researchers in the area of migration. Representatives of decision-makers in this field and of inter-governmental organisations will also be present at the discussions.

The organiser of this workshop, European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), considers the conditions of the EU visa liberalisation procedures for Roma in the Western Balkan a very sensitive issue. In this regard, the EC Commission stated that this migration is a “very worrying phenomenon [...] which could jeopardize the entire process of visa liberalisation in the Western Balkans.” Visa liberalisation represents an important instrument by which the EC can pressure the Western Balkans. Parties expect one another to introduce adequate measures to optimize and standardize Roma migration flows.

ERRC invites all those interested in presenting their work to submit workshop abstracts and articles to the Roma Rights Journal of Feb. 2014, which will focus on Roma migration from the Western Balkans to the EU member states and their return to Western Balkans. The deadline for abstracts is 23 October 2013 and for articles 15 November 2013. The materials shall be sent to the following e-mail addresses: marek.szilvasi@errc.org and kieran.oreilly@errc.org.

Source: http://www.errc.org/article/call-for-participants-workshop-on-roma-migration--western-balkans-and-the-eu-visa-liberalisation-dialogue/4203