It was part of a debate on the proposal of Spain’s Directorate General of Equal Treatment and Racial and Ethnic Diversity regarding ethnic data.
Roma organisations at the event voiced their concerns regarding the collection and treatment of data on racial or ethnic origin, especially its possible misuse, based on historical and more recent events in EU countries. These organisations also discussed their perceptions of the opportunities for Roma communities that the collection of such data may provide.
There were calls for the debate to be continued also on a more technical level, on the possible modalities and especially in relation to the personal data protection guarantees that the collection and use of such data would entail.
FRA offered to continue contributing to the process with its experience regarding the collection of comparable data based on racial/ethnic origin in EU Member States.
