What Is Status of Ethnic Minorities in Slovakia? US Commission Counsel Investigates

July 8, 2009

Erika Schlager, Counsel for International Law at the U.S. Helsinki Commission, visited Slovakia July 6-8. She traveled to Bratislava, Košice, Kráľovský Chlemec, Michalovce, Rožňava and Moldava nad Bodou to meet members of the Roma and Hungarian communities and local officials. Ms. Schlager has monitored the status of minority communities in Europe for over 20 years and advocated for improved inclusion and integration in myriad bilateral and multilateral fora. Ms. Schlager joined the Commission staff in 1987. She follows OSCE and international legal issues, domestic compliance questions, the human rights situation of the Romani minority, and developments in Central Europe. She has staffed numerous OSCE meetings and has extensive experience drafting policy and legal analyses, as well as Commission publications.