Information on the above-mentioned topic could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, for detailed information on the treatment of Roma in general in Austria, with a special focus on Roma who are not recognized as "autochthon" ( i.e. as members of an Austrian "ethnic group" (Cahn Sept. 1996, 13-16), please see the attached document. The author expresses the opinion that the percentage of Roma among refugee claimants ("asylum seekers") in Austria from certain eastern European countries is higher than the percentage of Roma in the general populations of those countries, and Romania is mentioned, among other countries (ibid., 48, 51).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Cahn, Claude. September 1996. Divide and Deport: Roma and Sinti in Austria. Budapest: European Roma Rights Center.

Cahn, Claude. September 1996. Divide and Deport: Roma and Sinti in Austria. Budapest: European Roma Rights Center, pp. 4-7, 12-17, 42-55.

Council of Europe Activities Concerning Roma/Gypsies and Travellers. 4 March 1996. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Displaced Romanies (Gypsies) Within the New Europe. 1993. Bucharest: International Romani Union.

European Committee on Migration. 1 August 1995. The Situation of Gypsies (Roma and Sinti) in Europe. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Liègeois, Jean-Pierre. 1994. Roma, Gypsies, Travellers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Minority Rights Group International. September 1995. No. 95/4. Roma/Gypsies: A European Minority. London: Minority Rights Group.

Electronic sources: IRB databases, Global News Bank, FBIS, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).