The author of the publication from which this statement is taken goes on to argue for the importance also of uniting the Roma in national and international networks. A strategic decision to work at several different levels is of central importance in work undertaken to include the excluded through community development. The need for a multilevel strategy provides the overarching principle behind the following six key themes or priorities that can be drawn out of the preceding chapters. In most, if not all, instances the phrase ‘unfinished business’ needs to be inserted alongside each theme. We have drawn attention to the energy and resourcefulness of people across Europe who are committed to community development and social inclusion, and we have outlined an agenda for action. In this concluding chapter, we consider ways in which community development itself has to change.

Intercultural community development

The situation faced by Roma in several Central and Eastern European countries forms part of a Europe-wide phenomenon of discrimination, racism and xenophobia experienced by migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and members of minority ethnic groups. It is crucial that community development continues to engage with the issue, particularly in the context of social exclusion. This requires organisations to understand the nature of the oppression and discrimination experienced by these different groups and to develop critiques and strategies that recognise the differences between the groups. There are, for instance, few policies specifically for refugees and asylum seekers; instead policies designed originally to meet the needs of economic migrants have been used towards refugees and asylum seekers.