The FEIG project is organising a superb debate at the Parliament of Navarre, with the invaluable support of the Gaz Kaló Federation, which is hosting the event
On 26 March 2025, the Parliament of Navarre hosted a conference on theImpact of Strategies for the Rroma People in Navarre, organised as part of the 2025 Inter-Regional Roma Strategic Forum (FEIG 2025). This is a pilot project funded by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, which aims to contribute to the implementation, monitoring and follow-up of the National Strategy for the Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Rroma People 2021–2030 from a regional perspective.
The conference was opened by the President of the Parliament of Navarre, Unai Hualde, who noted that “the Rromani People and Navarre share centuries of history and coexistence, and it is only in recent parliamentary terms that a specific strategy has been developed for the advancement of the Romani community, taking a cross-cutting approach to both the issues involved and the stakeholders involved”.
“Events such as this should serve to analyse the progress and results achieved through the work of the institutions and Rroma associations in our region, whilst also providing an insight into the work being carried out at national level and in other regions,” said Hualde.
Inés Jiménez, Director-General for Social Protection and Development Cooperation at the Government of Navarre, went on to state that “the Strategy for the Development of the Roma Community in Navarre, despite having been drawn up before the National Strategy, shares its structure with the latter through three main pillars: equal treatment, inclusion and the Roma community’s participation in society”.
For his part, Fabián Daniel Sánchez, a representative of FEIG, thanked Parliament for being “the first legislative chamber in the country to host a conference organised by the Forum itself”.
“As we mark the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the Rroma in Spain in 2025, we must highlight the undeniable contributions our people have made to Spanish society as a whole, but we also need to make a stand that will help us make progress towards equal opportunities,” he said.
“We have been living, working, dreaming and building this land for 600 years. Let’s make Navarre a community free from antigypsyism,” he concluded.
Finally, Pascuala Amador, from Gaz Kaló, acknowledged “antigypsyism as one of the scourges from which the Rroma People suffers most”, which is why she called for “strategies to be turned into useful tools not only for the Rroma community itself, but also for public authorities and society as a whole”.
This was followed by an introduction to the Inter-Regional Rroma Strategic Forum, focusing on aligning regional strategies with the National Strategy and the European Framework for the Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Rroma People (2021–2030). The presentation was led by Bianca Elena Galusca, from the Federation of Rroma Associations of Catalonia (FAGIC), and Iñaki Vázquez, representative of La Fragua Projects (LFP).
This was followed by a round-table discussion on the main findings of the evaluation of the Rroma Strategy in Navarre, which, moderated by Víctor Sánchez (UPNA), facilitated an exchange of views between the Regional Government’s Department of Social Rights, Social Economy and Employment, civil society organisations in Navarre and parliamentary groups.
In addition, a participatory debate was held by the Assembly of the Inter-Regional Rroma Strategic Forum (FEIG).
Finally, the event was brought to a close by Fabián Daniel Sánchez, representing the National Association for the Presence of the Rroma (ANPG).
Note from La Fragua Projects: The participation of civil society representatives was also particularly noteworthy, and they highlighted the need to take decisive and coordinated action alongside migrant, refugee, Rroma and racialised communities in order to tackle far more effectively the structural disadvantages they face – disadvantages that can only be reversed through public policy.
Source: Parliament of Navarre and La Fragua Projects
Photos: Miguel Oses (Parliament of Navarre)