Roma camp in Tirana on 7 October 2015 | Photo: Ivana Dervishi/BIRN

The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks has three Balkan governments for evicting Roma families from camps while not offering them any alternative accommodation.

He has criticized seven of the 47 members of the organization for forcible evictions of Roma and Egyptian communities over the last few years, urging them to respect their commitments to human rights.

Muiznieks sent letters to three Balkan countries, Albania, Bulgaria and Serbia, along with France, Hungary, Italy and Sweden.

The letter sent to Albania’s Minister for Urban Development, Eglantina Gjermeni, complains about the eviction of about 48 Roma families from a site near the lake in Tirana city park on October 2015.

BIRN learned at that time that the Tirana authorities knew most of the Roma families had nowhere else to go but still transported them to other municipalities, claiming that they had residence registration in other towns, which should take care of them.

Some of the evicted families lingered homelessly around their former camp for weeks. BIRN witnessed another occasion when police stopped them from erecting new shacks.

“I have received and been concerned at reports of forced evictions of Roma and Egyptians in Albania, especially after the enactment in 2014 of the Law on Legalisation, Urbanisation and Integration of Illegal Constructions,” the letter published in the CoE Website reads.

“I urge you to take all necessary measures to put an end to the evictions of Roma and Egyptians without provision of adequate alternative accommodation,” it adds.

The letter to Gjermeni went apparently unanswered.

The letter sent to Serbia went to Zorana Mihajlovic, the Deputy Prime Minister. While praising Serbia’s new legislation on housing, which contains provisions about forced evictions, Muižnieks urged Serbia to ensure that “no further evictions of Roma are carried out without provisions of adequate alternative accommodation”.

The Belgrade government answered by saying that it had set in place new procedures for such evictions, including adequate relocation, legal protection and free legal aid.

The letter sent to Bulgaria went to the Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov.

In it, the commissioner said he had “received numerous reports of evictions of Roma families in different localities in Bulgaria, including Garmen and Varna, which are of serious concerns to me.

“In particular, I am informed that over 400 persons have been left homeless as result of forced evictions and the demolition of houses which took place in Varna in August 2015,” the letter reads.

“I should like to request you to provide me with information on measures the Bulgarian authorities intend to take to prevent future forced evictions and to provide those evicted with adequate alternatives and effective remedies,” the letter to Bulgaria adds. The Bulgarian authorities do not appear to have answered the letter.

Muiznieks says such evictions “are often carried out without prior consultation with the families concerned and at very short notice, while adequate alternative accommodation is often not provided.

“This situation increases the vulnerability of Roma families, prevents their social inclusion and impedes any prospect of regular schooling for their children. Member states have to abide by their human rights obligations, by stopping such measures and investing more in finding durable housing solutions for Roma families.”