The Holocaust Memorial is seen at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California on Sunday. Photo: AFP

European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen marked Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday with an appeal to EU member states to protect today's minorities from discrimination and racism.

And she paid tribute to Raymond Gureme, a French Roma survivor of the internment camps, who died in May, aged 94.

"We consider it a moral duty to acknowledge and remember all those who suffered under the Nazi regime: among those people were the Roma," Von der Leyen said in a joint statement with Commission Vice President Vera Jourova and Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli. 

In addition to more than 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II, half a million Roma - about a quarter of their population - suffered the same fate.

"Remembering their persecution reminds us of the need to tackle the challenges they still face today and which are too often overlooked," the statement said.

"As the number of survivors and witnesses of these atrocities is dwindling, it is our duty, now more than ever, to continue their work of memory and to pass on their testimonies," their statement added.

AFP