Strengthening the remembrance of Roma victims

Objective:

3. Strengthening the remembrance of the Holocaust, acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to strengthen democracy in the EU.

Projects under this topic should focus on the non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust as well as other genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity of the 20th century’s Europe.

Projects under this topic should NOT address the Holocaust against Jewish people which are covered by Topic 2.

CERV-2026-CITIZENS-REM-GENCRIME-1 - Priority 1: Strengthening the remembrance of Roma victims

The genocide of Roma and Sinti under Nazi rule, known as Porajmos or Samudaripen, is a defining yet insufficiently recognized legacy for the European Union. An estimated 500,000 Roma, including Sinti and Travellers, were murdered, and countless others were persecuted, deported, forcibly sterilized, and subjected to inhuman treatment. The Nazi regime implemented racial policies aimed at the systematic destruction of Roma communities across Europe, culminating in mass killings such as the liquidation of the Roma camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 1944, now commemorated as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Roma Holocaust must be understood within a longer continuum of antigypsyism in Europe. Roma were enslaved for nearly five centuries in the territories of present-day Romania, deprived of legal personhood and basic rights. In the 20th century, persecution continued under fascist and communist regimes and, in several countries, through forced sedentarisation, assimilation policies, and coercive practices including forced sterilizations. These historical injustices have had lasting socio-economic consequences.

Despite this, Roma persecution remains underrepresented in school curricula, museums, and public memorials. Dedicated research centres, permanent monuments, and teaching materials on Roma history and the Roma Holocaust are limited. This structural invisibility contributes to persistent antigypsyism, distortion, and denial.

As survivor numbers decline, preserving testimonies, memorial sites, and archival materials becomes increasingly urgent. Commemorative initiatives such as 2 August – European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day – and 16 May – Romani Resistance Day require stronger institutional support and integration into European remembrance culture.

Current political developments also demonstrate the vulnerability of Roma Holocaust memory. Historical distortion, trivialization, and denial — often intertwined with broader antigypsyist narratives — undermine democratic values. Memory competition and selective recognition of victimhood risk reinforcing exclusion. Citizens must be empowered to counter distortion, denial, and the minimization of the Roma genocide. In line with the EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality Inclusion and Participation 2020-2030, special priority will be given to projects that strengthen Roma Holocaust remembrance while addressing the deeper roots of antigypsyism.

Projects under this priority could focus on:

• Documenting the implementation of the Roma genocide and its historical context, including slavery, post-war persecution and totalitarian persecutions.

• Countering denial, distortion, trivialization, and the marginalization of Roma victimhood.

• Developing networks of Roma and non-Roma youth ambassadors to promote remembrance and counter antigypsyism.

• Supporting grassroots commemorative initiatives, including activities marking 2 August – European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, 16 May – Romani Resistance Day, etc.

• Developing and disseminating teaching materials that integrate Roma history and the Roma Holocaust into national curricula.

• Digitalizing testimonies, archival documents, and historical research to preserve memory for future generations.

• Promoting research on Roma restitution, forced displacement, and long-term consequences of historical injustice.

• Collecting, documenting and disseminating stories of Roma resistance, heroes, rescuers, intellectuals, artists and community leaders, highlighting Roma agency, resilience and contribution to European history.

• Applying transitional justice approaches, including truth-seeking, recognition of harm, restitution research, and guarantees of non-repetition through education and memorialization.

• Developing inclusive, participatory ways to remember, educate about, and teach about these crimes in order to prevent the resurgence of hatred, including antigypsyism. This may include artistic memory projects, memory activism, and other approaches that foster an enabling learning environment.

For further information about the call and its conditions, please see the Call document.