Lívia Járóka was elected to the European Parliament in June 2004 after her country, Hungary, joined the European Union. She was the body’s first Romani member. The Roma, also know as Gypsies, are one of Europe’s largest minority groups and have faced widespread discrimination and poverty. As an MEP, Ms. Járóka sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and on the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. She is a member of the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of South Asia. 

Previously, Ms. Járóka was employed by an all-Roma radio station in Budapest. She is working toward a Ph.D. in social anthropology at University College London. She holds a B.A. from Berzsenyi Dániel Teacher Training College, Szombathely, Hungary; an M.A. in Society and Politics from the University of Central Europe, Warsaw; and an M.Phil. in social anthropology from University College London. 

Ms. Járóka is the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Romani father. She grew up in the Hungarian village of Sopron, near the Austrian border, and moved to Budapest as a teenager.