Nine Years of ERIAC: Driving Impact for Roma Communities and Institutional Change

On 8 June 2026, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) marks nine years since its establishment. This anniversary serve as a moment to reflect on the Institute’s achievements and impact,  the evolving context in which it operates, and present the strategic priorities that will guide its continued contribution to cultural inclusion, democratic participation, and social change.

Founded in 2017 with the support of the Council of Europe and the Open Society Foundations, and through the collective effort of the Alliance for ERIAC, ERIAC was established in response to a longstanding structural gap within the European cultural landscape. While Roma communities have made substantial contributions to Europe’s cultural, artistic, and intellectual heritage, these contributions have historically lacked adequate institutional recognition, representation, and support.

ERIAC was created to address this imbalance. Its mission has been guided by the conviction that Roma cultural production constitutes an integral part of European heritage and that its visibility and recognition are essential components of democratic, pluralistic, and inclusive societies.

Institutional Development and Growth

Since its establishment, ERIAC has evolved from a pioneering institutional initiative into a recognized European platform connecting Roma and non-Roma cultural actors, scholars, organizations, and policymakers across national boundaries. Over the past nine years, the Institute has developed a membership network of more than 280 individuals and organizations from Europe and beyond.

Through exhibitions, festivals, conferences, educational programmes, research initiatives, and cultural partnerships, ERIAC has facilitated collaboration among artists, academics, cultural institutions, and community stakeholders while creating opportunities for the international visibility of Roma cultural production.

The Institute’s activities have reached audiences across Europe and beyond. Through strategic partnerships with leading cultural institutions and participation in major cultural events, ERIAC has expanded the presence of Roma perspectives within mainstream cultural and public discourse, contributing to increased recognition of Roma artistic excellence and contemporary cultural production.

Beyond quantitative indicators of growth, ERIAC’s development reflects the consolidation of an institutional ecosystem capable of supporting transnational collaboration, knowledge exchange, and cultural innovation.

Contributing to Narrative Change

One of ERIAC’s most significant contributions has been its role in creating new frameworks for the representation of Roma identities, histories, and experiences. While acknowledging structural discrimination and antigypsyism, ERIAC has sought to broaden dominant narratives by foregrounding Roma creativity, intellectual contributions, cultural heritage, resilience, and achievement.

Through programming, publications, exhibitions, and public engagement, the Institute has contributed to alternative representational frameworks emphasizing agency, cultural production, and knowledge creation, and has supported greater public understanding of Roma history, language, and culture while combating prejudice and stereotypes.

A defining feature of ERIAC’s institutional model has been its emphasis on community-building and network development, facilitating connections among artists, researchers, educators, and cultural practitioners. These connections have generated collaborations, research initiatives, and artistic projects, strengthening the ecosystem of Roma cultural and intellectual production.

A Year of Change

The past nine years have been a process of building, learning, growing, and continuously expanding what ERIAC can achieve. This year marks a particularly significant moment of change. Today, ERIAC operates in a far more challenging environment than when it was founded.

Across Europe, we are witnessing a rise in nationalism, populism, xenophobia, and antigypsyism. Social media and digital platforms often amplify stereotypes and narratives of exclusion, while many institutions are stepping back from their commitments to diversity and inclusion. At the same time, growing geopolitical instability is shifting political attention and funding toward security priorities, leaving fewer resources available for Roma initiatives as well as for the arts and culture sector more broadly.

In parallel, we have undertaken a process of deep reflection within ERIAC. While we are proud of what has been achieved so far, we have also asked ourselves where we can do better. One conclusion has become clear: we need to invest more in ensuring access to our work within our own communities.

Roma children still do not learn about Roma history in schools. We remain underrepresented in films, television, and public narratives. Access to information in Romani languages is still limited. For many Roma communities, culture remains out of reach, with too few galleries, theatres, cinemas, or local cultural centres nearby.

2026 is a year of strategic shift for ERIAC. At the heart of ERIAC’s new strategy are two simple ideas:

Culture matters for democracy. It is not only about preserving heritage or celebrating artistic expression; it is also a powerful driver of confidence, resilience, civic participation, and social change. Research shows that individuals who are meaningfully connected to their culture are more likely to engage in public life and to experience a stronger sense of belonging and agency.

At a time when antigypsyism is once again on the rise, strengthening Roma identity and cultural self-confidence is more important than ever. ERIAC believes that sustained investment in Roma arts, culture, knowledge, and community participation can strengthen Roma pride, empower individuals and communities, and enhance visibility and representation in public life.

This is why 2026 is such a pivotal year for us. We are reshaping ERIAC to become more Roma-centred, more impact-oriented, and more evidence-based. Our aim is not culture for culture’s sake, but culture as a pathway to stronger communities, greater participation, and long-term structural change.

Many of these changes are taking place internally, within our organisational backbone. We are strengthening our operational infrastructure and developing more sophisticated tools to measure and understand our impact. We are also advancing an ERIAC membership reform process, designed to better serve our members and to deepen their engagement in our day-to-day work.

At the same time, we are evolving how we communicate, scaling our programmes and partnerships, and deepening our presence locally—closer to the communities at the heart of our mission. Over the coming years, our programming will be structured around three main objectives:

1. Strengthen ethnic pride and sense of belonging among the Roma. Through a combination of physical and digital initiatives—and with full recognition of the plurality and diversity of Roma experiences—become a trusted source of content that fosters pride and self-confidence among Roma people.
2. Become the reference organisation on Roma history and language education for Roma communities, Member States, intergovernmental organisations, and academic institutions. This includes further developing our educational initiatives, masterclasses, trainings, and Romani language programmes.
3. Engage cultural diplomacy to upscale talent, visibility and recognition of Roma arts and culture.

Looking Forward

Nine years after its establishment, ERIAC has become an important institutional actor within the European cultural landscape and a significant platform for Roma cultural participation, representation, and knowledge production. The next phase of the Institute’s development will focus on deepening its impact through evidence-based programming, stronger community engagement, enhanced institutional partnerships, and systematic approaches to measuring outcomes and social change.

While the challenges facing Roma communities and the cultural sector remain substantial, ERIAC’s experience demonstrates the transformative potential of culture as a vehicle for participation, recognition, and democratic inclusion.

As we look towards the future, we remain committed to building knowledge, supporting creativity, strengthening communities, and creating lasting change. And we are sure that despite the difficult times, we will continue to generate impact, together.