PER REGIONAL CENTER FOR CENTRAL, EAST AND SOUTHEAST EUROPE
2007 ACTIVITIES
1.   The European Union and its neighborhood policy, from the prospective of interethnic relations. (Regional conferences follow up round tables).
1.1.   The first activity under this program was the conference â??History, Identity and Interethnic Respect in the Context of European Neighborhood Policyâ??.
The conference was organized in Bucharest, on March 19, 2007 and had on the agenda the main issues:
-Â Â Â How can the same history generate different identities?
-Â Â Â How can an â?oobjective historyâ?? generate more â?osubjective historiesâ???
-Â Â Â Which are the elements of common history that can separate or unify different ethno-cultural communities?
-Â Â Â How can we approach a European identity from the historic and identity prospective in Romania and the Republic of Moldova?
The conference was attended by high level representatives of the civil society, political parties, academics and representatives of international organizations.
PER believes that such a dialogue contributes to charting mutually accepted policies    aiming to develop a better understanding of the neighborhood policy and produces immediate and tangible results that benefit all countries and communities. Moldova aims to join the family of European nations in a Europe of the 21st century, more and more open in showing respect toward the cultural identity of all nations.
1.2.   The next activity under this program was the round table on â??Mediaâ??s Role in Covering Interethnic Relations in the Black Sea Regionâ??. The meeting was held in Bucharest on May 21, 2007 and brought together journalists from Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia and Romania and focused on: the presence of interethnic issues in the media of Black Sea Region countries; the role that media playes when covering interethnic issues in the Black Sea Region; Identifying good practices or even negative examples of reporting on ethnic issues; practical stepsthat can be taken to develop regional cooperation amoung journalists covering interethnic issues.
The moderator concluded by saying, that â?? possibly contrary to appearances â?? the region is not a mess: Asia and Africa are full of countries that would be delighted to be in the situation the Black Sea Region is in. â?oWe are a success story â?? he said â?? even if we seem to be working hard to refuse to recognize that.â??
Closing the seminar, PER Chairperson said that she had â?oreally appreciated the refreshing honesty and   openness of the entire group.â?? She also pledged continuing PER support to initiatives engendered by the seminar.
1.3 The last event that will be organized under this program in 2007 is the round table â?oNew Approaches to the Minorities Issue in the European Unionâ??, to be held in Brussels on December 4, with the support of the European Parliament.
The agenda will include the following topics:
-Â Â Â Minorities in and Enlarged EU: the Challenge of `Traditional` and `New` Minorities;
-Â Â Â Towards an Internal EU Minority Protection Policy:
-Â Â Â Minority Policy and the EU Institutional Architecture;
-Â Â Â Minority Policy in the Multi-Level EU System of Governance.
2.   Regional stability and the interethnic relations in Southeast Europe. (Regional conference)
The conference was organized in Belgrade, on October 1, 2007. The draft agenda includes the following issues:
-   The current state of minority councils in Serbia. Are the councils capable of acting on their competencies and are they financed sufficiently? What are the hopes and expectations of minorities with regard to the councils? What is the relationship between the councils and Serbiaâ??s government and parliament? What are relations among Serbiaâ??s minority councils? Do the councils favor joint action or do they prefer to act separately? What do the councils need in terms of additional help (finances, authority, expertise, institutional help, etc.)?
-Â Â Â Majority-minority relations and minority politics: experience of Serbiaâ??s neighbors.
-Â Â Â Key issues that need to be resolved to assure effective functioning of the councils and election of new councils.
-Â Â Â Review of drafts of legislation for re-election of councils of national minorities: procedures and mechanisms.
A group of Serbiaâ??s minority leaders and senior parliamentarians, and experts who worked in drafting the law, attended the meeting.
3.   The Roma in the XXI century. Strategies for integrating the Roma communities. The impact of new discrimination and racism forms. (International conference, local debates)
3.1. The first activity under this program was organized In Sinaia, Romania, on June 9-11, 2007, with the support of OSCE-ODIHR and brought together Roma academics and scholars in order to:
-Â Â Â Discuss basic concepts of Roma integration policies and define common guiding principles for these policies.
-Â Â Â Analyze if these policies reflect the Romaâ??s own expectations and aspirations and how do they serve Romani interest(s).
-Â Â Â Define what measurable results should these integration policies produce for Roma
-Â Â Â Define the role that different Roma leaders – academics, scholars, activists, elected or appointed state politicians – have in drafting, implementing and monitoring Roma integration policies.
-Â Â Â Set future priorities
3.2. The following activity will be organized in October 2007, in cooperation with Rromani CRISS and OSCE-ODIHR and consists in a field trip in Romanian localities where conflictual situations occured in the past (in the 90â?? and in the recent past â?? Apalina and Floresti). The field trip will be concluded with a round table in Bucharest, where high level officials from the Ministries of Interior and Administration, Justice and National Agency for Roma as well as representatives of the civil society and experts, will evaluate the stage of solving the above mentioned conflicts.
4.   Consolidating the interethnic tolerance in and through media. Trainings and documentation visits.
This is a program developed by PER Regional Center starting with 1996.
In July 2007, a documenting visit was organized in Suceava County, region better known as Bucovina. 10 journalists from national daylies, TV stations and from local media attended the visit. The journalists had the opportunity to visit communities of: Ukrainians, Polish, Lipovans, Armenians, Roma, to talk with minoritiesâ?? representatives and with local authorities.
The journalists appreciated that we have something to learn from each minority, from minoritiesâ?? specific traditions and history and that we should help the minority communities to preserve their cultural identity, because itâ??s valuable for the Romanian society as a whole.
5.   The management of interethnic relations in education. Trainings for Roma and non-Roma teachers, school inspectors and directors.
In 2007, the training was held on March 22-26, in Sovata, Romania in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC)
PER Regional Center, together with other NGOs, had also a significant contribution in offering consultancy and lobbying at MEC for forbiding the segregation in schools. The result of this effort was Ministerâ??s Order for forbiding the segregation in schools. The order is valid and will be applied starting with this school year and includes the implementation methodology as well.
6.   The role of research and teaching history on interethnic relations. (workshops, editing materials, training).
This program was initiated by PER in 1997, it was not finalized in that period due to the political context. PER Regional Center starting to work again on the issue of introducing minoritiesâ?? history into the history textbooks starting with 2006.
In 2007 the Center organized three wokshops:
-   On February 26, in Buchrest, in partnership with the Information Office of the Council of Europe. The purpose of the meeting was to establish the steps to be made for fulfilling the goal of this program.
-   On March 30, in Bucharest, in cooperation with the Department for Interethnic Relations. The workshop brought together scholars and minoritiesâ?? historians, in order to establishe the principles of elaborating an auxiliary teaching material on minorities history, to be teached in schools, before the curricula will be changed and will include national minoritesâ?? history in the history curricula.
-   On August 29-September 1, in cooperation with the Department for Interethnic Relations.  The debate was ment to debate: the new opportunities for teaching national minoritiesâ?? history , after the adoption of the Ministerâ??s of Education Order No. 1529/18.07.2007 regarding the development of the diversity concept through the national curricula; revising the proposals of the working group regarding the auxiliary teaching material; proposals for integrating the auxiliary teaching material into the future history curricula.
One of the most important steps made by the Center in 2007 was the adoption of the above mentioned Ministerâ??s Order. The draft proposal for this order was elaborated by the Center and the adoption was strongly supported by PER Regional Center.
7.   Diversity â?? O Chance for the Future. National campaign for Promoting Awareness and Accepting Diversity.
The campaign is developed in 2007 and has as partners:
-Â Â Â Ministry of Education and Research;
-Â Â Â National Council for Combating Discrimination;
-Â Â Â Department for Interethnic Relations, Romanian Government
-Â Â Â National Agency for Roma, Romanan Government
-Â Â Â Information Office of the Council of Europe
-Â Â Â National Agency for Equal Chances, Romanian Government.
-Â Â Â Radio Romania
-Â Â Â Balkan Media Investigation Agency
-Â Â Â Press Monitoring Agency
-Â Â Â Freedom House.
The program consists in:
-Â Â Â National contest for promoting awareness and accepting diversity (for secondary and high schools);
-Â Â Â National contest of esseys for students.
-Â Â Â Media and Internet canpaign
8.   Police role in ensuring interethnic relationsâ?? stability.
On May 3, 2007 PER Regional Center in cooperation with the Committee for Human Rights, Cults and National Minoritiesâ?? Issues, Romanian Parliament, held a meeting at the Romanian Parliament on â??Police Role in Ensuring Interethnic Relationsâ?? Stabilityâ??.
The main goal of the meeting was to analyze the methods of police interventation in case of conflict situations that occure in multiethnic communities on local level and to identify the prevention strategies and methods, which should replace force intervention and tranform the police in a promotor of interthnic relationsâ?? stability.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Roma communities from localitilities with conflictual potential, by high level police representatives, including the leadership of the Institute for Crime Prevention, representatives of the National Agency for Roma, Romanian Government and of the OSCE-ODIHR Contact Point for Roma and Sinti.
The participants agreed that police intervention methods should be changed and that policemen need to be trained in order to be able to use new methods of intervention.
After this event, PER Regional Center organized a second meeting, at its quaters on â??Policemen Training for Diversity Awareness and Respect in Multiethnic Communitiesâ??. Representatives of the Ministry of Administration and Interior, National Council for Combating Discrimination, National Agency for Roma and Roma Party were present at the Center.
The participants drafted some recommendations for police training. PER Regional Center will initiated the activities necessary for puting into practice the recommendations and will be supported by the Ministry of Admnistration and Interior.
9.   Interethnic relations in the civil society structures. The NGOs fair
The Tirgu Mures office of the Center, organized in May 2007 the fifth edition of the NGOs from Mures County fair with the title â?? Together for the Communityâ??. This fair offered the NGOs the opportunity to interact in an informal framework, not only between them, but with authorities and journalists as well.
10.   Stateâ??s support mechanisms for ethno-cultural communities abroad. Transnational minorities.
The round table organized by the Center was held on April 30 at the Centerâ??s quarters and was attended by representatives of the Department for Romanians Abroad, the Institute for Romanian Language, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Citizenship Section, Ministry of Justice and researchers from the Institute for Education Sciences.
The subjects on the agenda were:
-Â Â Â Promoting the interests and rights of Romanian abroad, in EU member states, a new challenges for Romanian foreign policy.
-Â Â Â Institutional system: defining the competences and responsabilities of institutions dealing with Romanians from abroad issues.
The participants analized the draft law for Romanians abroad that is still waiting to be debated by the Parliament.
