European leaders have marked European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day by commemorating the murder of 4,300 Roma and Sinti people at Auschwitz-Birkenau on the night of 2 August 1944.
The anniversary falls 82 years after the killings, which the Commission said were part of the wider Holocaust in which more than 500,000 Roma died.
At least a quarter of the Roma population living in Europe at the time was killed during the Holocaust.
The statement was issued by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib.
Antigypsyism cited as ongoing challenge
Antigypsyism — racism and discrimination directed at Roma — remains a challenge across Europe and contributes to inequality, social exclusion, systemic discrimination and violence, the Commission said.
The Commission linked its response to its Roma Strategic Framework 2020–2030, which it said focuses on Roma inclusion, and to its recently adopted Anti-Racism Strategy 2026–2030, which it said explicitly targets antigypsyism as a distinct form of racism requiring dedicated action.
The Commission stated it marks 2 August each year as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, adding that remembrance is increasingly important as survivor voices become fewer.
