Green works for Germany — and Roma — in European Parliament

Romeo Franz worked for several years for civil rights within Germany before representing the country in the European Parliament. He keeps a close eye on Balkan affairs and remains an advocate for Sinti and Roma rights.

As the chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, the German Green Romeo Franz keeps a close eye on politics in the Balkans, and he said Russia's invasion of Ukraine had not distracted from that. Quite the opposite, he said: President Vladimir Putin has an interest in further conflict and unrest in Europe. 

"After the attack on Ukraine, it is clear that Putin wants to create a security order in Europe according to his tastes," said Franz, a Sinto from Kaiserslautern who was elected in 2018. "He is a major supporter of the secession politics of the Serbs under Milorad Dodik." 

Serbian leader Dodik has repeated his threat to declare Republika Srpska independent from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russia's government has expressed support.

'Important and right'

Franz came to international politics after years of working for civil rights within Germany. He said working at the European and international levels had broadened his perspective. He said a discussion while speaking with Black students in Washington, DC, had led him to think about how diverse groups can be united by similar experiences of racism. "We need an alliance of the discriminated against," Franz said. "That doesn't mean forgetting the specific forms of racism and disadvantaging — on the contrary, it means, with each other's help, making visible the systemic patterns with the ready knowledge of diverse groups."

Franz surprised many people with his decision to enter politics a few years ago. He said he had considered it long ago, but life had given him other tasks: In 2012, he founded the Hildegard-Lagrenne foundation, which uses education to combat antiziganism, or discrimination against Sinti and Roma. He traveled to schools to help deconstruct common racist slurs.

In addition to his work in international politics and civil rights in Germany, Franz is also an accomplished violinist: His "Mare Manuschenge" ("For Our People") is played at Berlin's Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe Murdered Under National Socialism. That was a great honor, he said, and a great responsibility. He wanted to do right by the musical traditions of Sinti and Roma.

Preserving Sinti and Roma art and culture is also an important part of Franz's political work, and he hopes to see future generations engage themselves in such efforts, as well. "I want our young people to know that political work has a direct influence on our daily life and on which values we define together as important and right," he said. "Through politics, we can not only demand equal participation — but also take responsibility for it."

Franz would like to see an "alliance of the discriminated against"

Fighting racist stereotypes

Franz still laughs at the shocked looks his fellow members of the European Parliament gave him when he first showed up to work in a mobile home. Some deputies even asked him if he was trying to reproduce a stereotype. "There is no reason for me to disown my culture," he said. "That would be a capitulation to the thoughts of others, and there is no question of that for me."

Battling racist stereotypes and violence is at the forefront of Franz's work in helping put together a strategy for the inclusion and participation of Sinti and Roma in the European Union. He wants a legal basis for the equal participation of Roma communities. "There will be no process as long as the EU lets this remain voluntary," he said. "We want something tangible because only something put into law has weight in real life, too."

Franz said the European Commission had been slow to take such action. On one side, it can be complicated to involve communities in such a process, he said; on the other, conservative politicians often refrain from such topics.

Mehmet Daimagüler was recently named Germany's first federal antiziganism commissioner. Franz said this new position was important to helping the government achieve a comprehensive and effective strategy to increase inclusion and participation. "It is a sad truth that antiziganism is still a part of everyday culture in spite of the heavy heritage of the genocide of Sinti and Roma," Franz said. "Mehmet Daimagüler has the necessary expertise and political experience to bring this issue more visibility."

This article was originally written in German