” “Helping the governments and Romany delegates to work together to develop national strategies for the recognition of equal rights and equal opportunities and for fighting prejudice. This is the main goal of the third joint plan, which is carried on by the Council of Europe with the EU Commission, about Roms in southern Europe, a plan that will be launched at a meeting due on March 30th and 31st at Skopje, in the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. A substantial part of the plan involves a campaign for raising people’s awareness of the Rom culture and for fighting prejudice, called "Dosta: stop prejudice, give Roms a chance". In Europe, says the Council of Europe, nomad populations are 8 to 10 million, and in some countries of Eastern and Central Europe they account for about 5% of the population. But, even if they have lived in the old continent since the XIV century, "very often they are not yet recognised by most as real European citizens". One of the goals of the joint plan that will take place in 2006 and 2007 is to encourage "the member states to adopt a global approach to the requests and appeals of these populations", especially by means of initiatives for access to schooling, training and employment. ” “
