The speaker noted that more should be done to eliminate prejudices and in some cases even increasing intolerance and discrimination.
"These are dangerous trends, which are not restricted only to the Roma population", he said, adding that the state and non-governmental organisations had to pay more attention to these issues.
Asked whether today's meeting was related to an initiative by coalition Zares deputy Franco Juri for a bigger role of the Roma in the National Assembly, Gantar said that the meeting coincided with the initiative by chance. He added that he meets representatives of the Roma Association twice a year.
"The initiative by Juri for the creation of a working body which would deal with the Roma issues seems appropriate. I'm not however convinced that this will be a commission for national communities," he said.
Gantar stressed that the government had to work systemically on the education of the Roma and the development of their settlements. "This is a way to build a more tolerant society and enable easier integration of the Roma in everyday life. Nobody wants ghettos in Slovenia."
The head of the Roma Association, Jozek Horvat Muc, was glad that Gantar received the representatives. According to him, they talked about ways to prevent events such as the attempt to avert a Roma funeral.
Horvat Muc added that a report on the implementation of the Roma Community act, which has to be prepared by the government every year for a discussion in parliament, was also on the agenda.
"The government has missed on this for two years in a row," he said, adding that the Slovenian legislation on the Roma was good and exemplary in Europe, while its implementation in practice was questionable.