ECMI Publications Database

This paper explores how the successor states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) have addressed their respective Romani populations. To ground the comparison across the successor states, the  paper begins by presenting official figures and estimates on the size of Romani and related populations in the successor states, also providing an overview of policy toward Roma in SFRY. Similarities and differences among the Yugoslav successor states in their treatment of Roma are treated in terms of eight key parameters, in the following order: constitutional recognition, anti-discrimination legislation, primary education, legislation on minorities, provisions for political representation, Romani-specific central-level strategies and action plans, arrangements for advice on and coordination of policy toward Roma, and targeted mechanisms for Roma at local level. The paper closes with a rough sketch of the situation of Roma in the successor states and how it has developed in recent years, attending to what recent developments tell us about the effects of relevant policies.