At the 12th International Steering Committee Meeting in February 2008, the Hungarian Presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiated a “Call for a European Roma Policy.” The Call, attached at right, was signed by Mónika Lamperth, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Hungary; Kinga Göncz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary; Rita Süssmuth, Chairwoman of the European Commission's High Level Advisory Group of Experts on the Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market; and Hungarian Members of the European Parliament Lívia Járóka, Katalin Lévai and Viktória Mohácsi.

During the ISC meeting, these initial signatories encouraged all governments participating in the Decade to lend their support to the Call. Subsequently, the following officials signed letters supporting the Call for a European Roma Policy on behalf of their governments:

Albania: Koco Barka, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Safet Halilovic, Minister of Human Rights and Refugees
Bulgarian: Baki Hyuseinov, Minister Advisor, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy
Croatia: Jadranka Kosor, Vice Prime Minister
Czech Republic: Dzamila Stehlíkova, Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities
Macedonia: Ljupco Meshkov, Minister of Labor and Social Policy
Romania: Gruia Bumbu, State Secretary, National Agency for Roma
Serbia: Svetozar Ciplic, Minister for Human and Minority Rights
Slovakia: Dusan Caplovic, Deputy Prime Minister
Slovenia: Stane Baluh, Director of Office for National Minorities
Spain: Amparo Valcarce Garcia, Secretary of State for Social Policy

The letters were forwarded European Commissioner Vladimír Špidla by Erika Szûcs, Hungary's Minister of Social Affairs and Labor. In an accompanying message to Commissioner Špidla, she emphasized that social inclusion of Roma is a matter of common European interest, rather than a problem for Roma themselves or for only a small number of EU member states.