Legal briefing: Statelessness and the prohibition on
discrimination against Romani communities
April 2023
CONTENTS
CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................2
1. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL OBLIGATIONS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF NONDISCRIMINATION AND THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF STATELESSNESS ..................3
1.1.
Discrimination in nationality rules ................................................................................3
1.2.
Discrimination in the enjoyment of fundamental rights ..........................................4
1.3.
Affirmative measures to combat discrimination ..................................................... 6
2. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL CASELAW ............................................................................... 7
3. STATELESSNESS OF ROMANI POPULATIONS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS ............................ 10
4. GOOD PRACTICES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES RELATING TO ROMA AND OTHER MINORITY
GROUPS.......................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1.
Countries of the former Yugoslavia: successful collaboration efforts to
prevent and reduce statelessness ............................................................................ 13
4.2.
Countries of the former Soviet Union: successful campaigns to reduce
statelessness ................................................................................................................. 15
4.3.
Other countries .............................................................................................................. 16
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................... 18