ECRE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON ROMANI EMANCIPATION European Economic Interest Grouping Founded under Articles of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2137/85 Regulation 9 of the European Economic Interest Grouping Regulations 1989 Registered in the United Kingdom Number GE 168 128 COPNOR ROAD, PORTSMOUTH PO3 5AN, UNITED KINGDOM web site: http://www.eu-romani.org email: info@eu-romani.org Nino Gemelli Chairman - Committee on Petitions European Parliament Schuman Building - L-2929 Luxembourg FAX: 0032 2 284 9732 23rd February, 2004. Petition 239/2003 Dear Mr. Gemelli, It is now about one year since we sent our petition concerning segregated educational denial in the Czech republic, Hungary and Slovakia. During this period some 150,000 children have languished in racially segregated institutions receiving no useful education. There was even a new intake into this state managed system in September 2003, at the beginning of "academic year 2003/4". It took your committee nine months to conclude that our Petition was admissible and when you informed us of this fact, three months ago, you stated that you had asked the European commission for its opinion. As you know, the European commission is responsible for ensuring accession country conformity to pre-accession conditions. The current existence of this repugnant state sponsored child abuse is a direct result of the commission's failure to act on its pre-accession responsibilities. This failure to act includes a failure to inform the European parliament, the European council and the public on the full extent, nature and state sponsorship of this human rights abuse in open contravention to European law and in particular the Madrid conditions on accession. We would respectfully request that you prevent the commission from slowing down an already unacceptably slow and non-transparent petition process. This only puts off, yet further, decisions affecting an ongoing human suffering of unacceptable proportions and of significance to a large number of future citizens of the EU, who deserve much better. For and on behalf of ECRE - European Committee on Romani Emancipation (signed) Hector McNeill Member of Management Committee European Committee on Romani Emancipation Cc: Roy Perry, Vice Chair Petitions, Par Cox, President European parliament