Leaders from eight central and eastern European countries agreed Wednesday to work together to fight prejudice and discrimination against Roma and fully integrate this minority into their societies. Prime ministers and government officials from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia gave their backing to the 10-year initiative for improving the social and economic status of Europe's Gypsies, called the Decade of Roma Inclusion. The project is sponsored by the World Bank and the Open Society Institute and aims to fight isolation, unemployment and illiteracy among one of Europe's largest minorities. «Every person deserves a chance for a better life,» Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxcoburggotski said at the launch ceremony.
