The protection of the rights and the integration of the nomad Roma cannot be the only responsibility of countries of origin, it requires international cooperation and support from pan European institutions such as the Council of Europe, said Traian Bãsescu, President of Romania on 27 January at the Parliamentary Assembly.

Bãsescu stressed the need to improve the protection of national minorities in some European countries and offered Romania´s experience in this field.

He warned against the tendency in Europe of transferring the responsibility of problems to migrants.

Council of Europe monitoring bodies can play an essential role, he said, in detecting problems at an early stage in order to combat them more effectively.