On 19 August 2025, a new standing forum for discussion and policy making on issues affecting the Sinti and Roma communities in Lower Saxony was formally launched. The event, organised by the Lower Saxony Association of Sinti and the Roma Center / Roma Antidiscrimination Network and hosted by the Hannover City Council, took place in Hannover’s historic town hall.
The Runder Tisch (Round Table) is the result of years of work on the part of our project partner, the Lower Saxony Association of German Sinti, under the leadership of Mario Franz, which resulted in intensive discussions with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Culture starting in 2024. It points to a new era in relations not only between Romani communities and the regional government and other public stakeholders, but also within the Romani population itself: Sinti from families resident in Germany for over 400 years and Roma whose families have arrived as refugees and migrants since the 1990s are represented at the Round Table, and work together to represent shared interests while acknowledging differences of history, culture and social circumstances. Also at the table will be representatives of government and public agencies in the cultural and educational spheres. Any of the parties can summon a meeting to discuss matters of common concern, practical solutions to specific problems and – perhaps most important – the financial framework required to support the social, cultural and civic flourishing of Romani communities.
The event was attended and addressed not only by Mario and the Chairman of the Roma Center, Kenan Emini, but also by the leaders of other local and national Sinti organisations and the national associations of German Sinti and Roma, by the mayor of Hannover and local and national parliamentarians, and by the curators of museums and memorial sites. Eve Rosenhaft, who has been co-opted as a member of the Round Table, spoke about the importance of researching, teaching and exhibiting Romani history. She made a plea for capacity building in the communities and the creation of sustainable co-managed institutions for archiving and studying the Romani cultural heritage.