Fourteen years ago, leaders from across the Western Balkans came together and made an important pledge through the Zagreb Declaration: to remove all obstacles to civil registration with particular focus on the most vulnerable in society. Eight years later, the Poznan Declaration reiterated that commitment, this time under the EU Enlargement process, with a clear focus on Romani communities who are disproportionately impacted by statelessness.
Such political commitments are the result of tireless advocacy by affected communities and their allies and have helped to drive forward progress. But we are not there yet. Too many Romani people still live without civil documents, without proof of citizenship, and without a sense of belonging.
Civil society at the heart of the movement for change
For decades, civil society has been the engine driving change. Every day, our members across the region provide legal assistance, build capacity and trust, improve access to services, challenge discrimination, and push for reform. Since 2017, our #RomaBelong initiative has shined a light on how antigypsyism fuels the risk of statelessness, documenting the issues, amplifying community voices, and advocating for change. This collaboration has brought greater visibility and changed the lives of many hundreds of affected individuals.
This past year, with support from the EU–Council of Europe Roma Integration Phase III programme, we’ve worked with our members and partners in Albania (Tirana Legal Aid Society & Roma Active Albania), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Vaša prava BiH), Kosovo (Roma Versitas Kosovo), Montenegro (Phiren Amenca), North Macedonia (Macedonian Young Lawyers Association), and Serbia (Praxis). Together, we’ve taken stock of where we are, what’s working, and what still needs to change. As well as providing vital legal assistance and strengthening institutional capacity through training and workshops, together we have drafted six national policy papers and a regional report setting out the status quo and what needs to happen next.
What we’ve achieved and what still stands in the way
We should celebrate the progress that has been made over the last decade to address statelessness across the Western Balkans. Supportive advocates from within government and regional institutions have played an important role, but progress is largely the result of coordinated, strategic, and often deeply personal work led by ENS members and other community-based organisations. This would not have been possible without the support of partners including the European Roma Rights Centre, Regional Cooperation Council, Open Society Foundations, Council of Europe, European Commission, UNHCR, OSCE, and others. Together, we have evidenced and shaped reform, ensuring that solutions are grounded in lived expertise, using our pan-regional advocacy channels to influence regional and national debates and processes.
We have shown what is possible through a multi-stakeholder, civil-society-led approach that centres affected communities. Most countries in the region now have legal safeguards to prevent statelessness and more inclusive procedures for civil registration. Thousands of people have finally secured birth certificates, ID cards, and citizenship, opening doors to education, healthcare, and a sense of belonging.
But we are not there yet. Our project uncovered key challenges that still need urgent attention.
Firstly, we need better data. Without accurate data, we cannot design effective, targeted policy and service responses. While recent censuses have included questions on (lack of) citizenship, the results are often unreliable because of problems with methodology, limited engagement by affected communities, and lack of awareness.
Secondly, laws are largely now in place, but implementation is lagging. Many undocumented parents – especially mothers – still face practical barriers to registering births. Poverty, antigypsyism, and lack of access to healthcare or legal assistance makes things worse. Promising solutions like digitalised birth registers are being tested in some countries, but they need real investment and strengthened capacity to have an impact.
Thirdly, funding is drying up. Civil society has played a vital role in reducing statelessness for years, often with very limited resources. But now, with foreign aid cuts and shifting geopolitics, funding is vanishing. If governments and other donors don’t step up, we risk losing the very organisations that have made this progress possible.
Finally, statelessness is a transnational issue. Families often have ties across different countries, and their cases can be complex. That’s why regional cooperation is not just helpful but essential. The successful cross-border collaboration of ENS partners during this project has proven just how important this is. The Poznan Declaration and follow-up has laid the groundwork, but we need stronger cross-border institutional coordination to make it sustainable and impactful.
The Podgorica Roundtable and road ahead
In May, under the Roma Integration Phase III Joint Programme, with the support of UNHCR, we brought together governments from all countries in the region, international organisations, civil society, and community representatives to reflect, share, and chart a path forward. The discussions were largely open, constructive, and future-focused. We identified clear actions, but now we need political will, resources, and follow-through to make them happen.
This joint project and the #RomaBelong initiative to date have shown what’s possible when we work together. We have mapped progress, spotlighted the gaps, and proven that tailored, community-led solutions can change lives.
But statelessness isn’t just a ‘legal anomaly’. It is a structural problem, rooted in antigypsyism and system exclusion, which shapes people’s lives. Addressing it means investing in stronger public services, closing implementation gaps, and – most importantly – supporting the organisations and communities doing the hard work on the ground.
Our members are at the heart of the movement for change. They have built trust, resolved many hundreds - if not thousands - of individual cases, and driven positive change. But we and they can’t keep going without long-term support. In today’s climate, that support is under threat — and that threatens the sustainability of the progress made.
In 2011, the Zagreb Declaration made a promise: that no-one should be left without legal identity and a nationality. That promise hasn’t yet been fulfilled, but it’s not out of reach. With renewed commitment, investment, and collaboration, it is a promise that can still be kept.
This article has been produced using the funds of the Roma Integration Phase III Joint Programme of the European Union and Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union or the Council of Europe.
