Strengthening Inclusion of Roma in European Museums and Cultural Institutions | Policy Recommendations

Across Europe, museums are redefining themselves as spaces of civic participation and ethical responsibility, placing inclusion at the core of cultural democracy. Within this shift, the marginalization of Roma communities remains a major challenge. Although Roma are Europe’s largest ethnic minority, they are largely absent from cultural institutions due to longstanding systemic barriers—not a lack of cultural production.

Roma artists and cultural workers have nonetheless developed rich practices, often outside institutional frameworks. European museums and cultural organizations now have a unique opportunity to address this imbalance by engaging with Roma culture in sustained, structural ways. Roma-led initiatives such as ERIAC, RomaMoMA, Romani Pen, Ake Dikhea, and RomArchive offer proven models for ethical collaboration.

The policy document Strengthening Inclusion of Roma in European Museums and Cultural Institutions, authored by Timea Junghaus, ERIAC Executive Director, curator and art historian, builds on these existing strengths. It proposes a framework that supports institutions and organizations in moving beyond symbolic representation toward meaningful partnership and shared authorship. It urges institutions to recognize that Roma cultural inclusion is not a thematic or temporary concern but a long-term investment in a more just, knowledgeable, and sustainable European cultural sphere.

The document was conceived as a follow-up to the workshop and discussion of the ERIAC Arts and Culture thematic section on April 23, 2025.

Read Strengthening Inclusion of Roma in European Museums and Cultural Institutions