WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, TO MRS FANNY ARDANT,

ACTRESS, DIRECTOR, AMBASSADOR OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE “DOSTA!” CAMPAIGN

(Strasbourg, Tuesday 22 June 2010, 4.45 P.M., Hemicycle)

It is a great pleasure and an honour to welcome among us Mrs Ardant, a distinguished actress, cinema director and now Ambassador for the Council of Europe “Dosta!” campaign.

The campaign aims to turn around prejudices and stereotypes against the Roma in Europe and your commitment to it, Mrs Ardant, is an encouragement and inspiration to all of us. Your involvement will help reinforce the continuing efforts that are still required to break the vicious circle of the exclusion and stigmatisation. It reminds us of our personal responsibility to stand up for what is right.

Mrs Ardant, we all admire your extraordinary career as an actress, but in your latest work you were on the other side of the camera as well - as director of “Chimeres absentes”. This film was produced by a Human Rights NGO, “Art of the World”, under the auspices of the Council of Europe Secretary General.

It presents two parallel worlds which coexist in today’s Europe. One world - the Roma world – where discrimination and poverty are commonplace, and the other, the non-Roma world, which remains largely ignorant of it.

Many people believe that there is much more that we can do to make our Europe more humane and safer for the vulnerable. Some of them have the courage to actually tackle these issues and, more importantly, they are ready to dedicate their time and commit their talents to these ends. One such person is Mrs Fanny Ardant, whom we are delighted to welcome to our Chamber today.

Mrs Ardant, the floor is yours.