policies, legislation and practices against racism ... · racism, xenophobia and related...

Policies, legislation and practices against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance

A compilation of opinions issued by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) and its successor,

the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), related to the fight against racism

Summary for Policy Makers

May 2008

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P o l i c i e s , l e g i s l a t i o n a n d P r a c t i c e s a g a i n s t r a c i s m , x e n o P h o b i a a n d r e l a t e d i n t o l e r a n c e

contentsexecutive summary 3

introduction 9

a. cross-sectoral recommendations 11A.1. Mainfindings 11A.2. Recommendations 12

A.2.1. Legislation 12A.2.2. NationalStrategiesandActionPlansagainstRacism 13A.2.3. Integration,socialinclusionandcohesionpolicies 15A.2.4. Monitoringanddatacollection 16A.2.5. Mainstreamingnon-discriminationandequalopportunities 16A.2.6. CivilSociety 18A.2.7. Researchandtesting 19

b. racist violence and crime 21B.1. Mainfindings 21B.2. Recommendations 22

B.2.1. ActionatEUlevel 22B.2.2. CommonactionatEUandnationallevels 22B.2.3. Actionatnationallevel 23B.2.4. Lawenforcementagencies 23

c. employment 25C.1. Mainfindings 25C.2. Recommendations 26

C.2.1. ActionatEUlevel 26C.2.2. Actionatnational,regionalandlocallevels 26

d. education 28D.1. Mainfindings 28D.2. Recommendations 29

D.2.1. CommonactionatEU,nationalandregionallevels 29D.2.2. Actionatnationallevel 29D.2.3. Educationinstitutions 30

e. housing 31E.1. Mainfindings 31E.2. Recommendations 32

E.2.1. Actionatnationallevel 32E.2.2. Actionatlocallevel 33

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FRA - European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

F. situation of roma and travellers 34F.1.Mainfindings 34F.2.Recommendations 35

F.2.1. CommonactionatEUandnationallevels 35F.2.2. Actionatnationallevel 35F.2.3. Localauthorities 36F.2.4. Educationauthoritiesandinstitutions 37F.2.5. RomaandTravellers’organisationsandcommunities 37

g. anti-semitism 38G.1. MainFindings 38G.2. Recommendations 38

G.2.1. CommonactionatEUandnationallevels 39G.2.2. Actionatnationallevel 39G.2.3. Media 39

h. islamophobia 40H.1. Mainfindings 40H.2. Recommendations 41

H.2.1. ActionatEUlevel 41H.2.2. Actionatnationallevel 41H.2.3. CivilSociety 42

conclusions 43

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executive summaryTheEuropeanUnionand itsMemberStateshaverepeatedlycondemned in

themostabsolutetermsallmanifestationsofracismandxenophobiaandhaveexpressedtheirdeterminationtosafeguardfundamentalrights,non-discrimina-tionandequalopportunities forall.TheEUMC/FRAreportsshowthat in theperiodfrom1997to2007progresshasbeenmadeacrosstheEU,butalsothatmuchremainstobedoneincombatingandpreventingracistviolenceanddis-crimination in all fields of life and particularly in employment, education andhousing,aswellaswithregardstostrengtheninginclusion,communitycohesionandparticipation.

Despite the variation in legal frameworks, public policy responses, data col-lectionandmonitoringmechanismsacrosstheEU,theEUMC/FRAreportshaveprovided ample evidence showing that racism and xenophobia are widespreadacross the Union and that individuals and/or communities who are labelled as‘different’ are being subjected to numerous forms of exclusion, disadvantage orill-treatment.

cross-sectoral recommendations

HavingobservedthroughoutitsreportsseveralcommonshortcomingsacrosstheEUMemberStateswithregards toanti-discriminationand thefightagainstracism, xenophobia and related intolerance, the EUMC/FRA made a series ofcross-sectoralrecommendationswithreferenceto:

• Tacklingracistviolenceanddiscriminationpractices inall spheresof lifeandparticularlyinemployment,housingandeducation;

• Monitoringprogresstoovercometheobstaclestoracialequality,withthesup-portofcivilsocietyorganisations,socialpartnersandtheminoritycommunitiesthemselves;

• Improvingdatacollection,incidentrecording,monitoringandresearchregard-ingthesituationofmigrantsandminorities;

• Recognisingthe interplaybetweenmigrant integration,social inclusion,com-munitycohesionandracialequalityandinconsequenceadoptingaholisticap-proachtopolicydevelopment;

• Promotingacultureofdiversitythatrecognisestherightsofminoritiesandmi-grants,aswellastostrengtheningthelinkbetweenracialequalityandcommu-nitycohesionforinstancebymainstreamingnon-discriminationintoallpublicpolicies.


Executive summary

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Thesecross-sectoralrecommendationscomplementthespecificrecommenda-tionsmadeineachindividualsectorcoveredbytheEUMC/FRAreports.

racist violence and crime

Onthebasisof itsreports, theEUMC/FRAconcludedthattherewasaneedforsignificantimprovementwithrespecttohowcriminaljusticeagenciesrespondtotheproblemofracistcrimeandviolence.TheEUMC/FRAhasformulatedthefollowingkeyrecommendations:

• Approximate criminal sanctions related to racism and xenophobia across theEUMemberStates,inlinewiththeplannedFrameworkDecisiononcombatingracismandxenophobia;

• Establishcomprehensivecriminaljusticedatacollectionsystemsonracistcrimein thosecountries that still lack themandhave themstandardisedacross theEU.ThiswouldleadtobetterinformedpolicyresponsesineachMemberState,including the adoption of workable and sufficiently broad legal definitions ofspecificcrimesofracism,whichinturnwouldensurethatthecriminaljusticesystemeffectivelytacklesracistcrimeandviolence;

• Improvelawenforcementbyensuringthatexistingcriminallawagainstracistandxenophobicoffences is alwaysapplied, thatvictimsof racistviolencecanfindaccesstojustice,andthatnoracistcrimesremainunpunished;

• Ensure adequate police responses to racist crime and violence (e.g. accurateinitial reporting and recording of racist and xenophobic offences, immediateresponsetoindicationsoftensions,steppinguppolicingamongtargetedcom-munities,providingsupporttovictimsofracistcrime),aswellasworktowardsthe elimination of racial discrimination or racially motivated misconduct bypoliceandotheragentsoftheState.

employment

TheEUMC/FRAhashighlightedinitsreportspersistentpatternsofinequalityanddiscrimination in employment affectingmigrants andminorities in theEU.Thesecommunitiesgenerallyendureworseworkconditionsthanmajoritywork-ers,receivecomparativelylowwagesandtendtobeover-representedinthemostprecariousandleastdesirablejobs.

The EUMC/FRA argued that inequalities and discrimination in employmentcanbeminimisedby:

• Encouraging the inclusionofminorities andmigrants into the labourmarket(forinstancebymakinguseofpositiveactioninitiatives,byimprovingtheirem-

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ployabilitybyattendingtotheirspecialeducationalneeds,bydevelopingstrictcodesof conduct againstdiscrimination and in supportofdiversity etc.) andgenerallybyadoptinganapproachwhichaddressesnon-discrimination,equalopportunitiesanddiversitymanagementatthesametime;

• Setting quantitative targets and clear indicators in employment policies andguidelinesenablingthemeasurementofprogressinregardtomigrantsandmi-norities,and,inordertodoso,improvingthedatacollectionmechanismsonemployment,aswellsasconductingdiscriminationtestinginplacesofwork;

• Settingupastandardisedsystemtoevaluateforeignqualifications,aswellasbyaddressingthespecialtrainingneedsofmigrantsandminorities.

education

The EUMC/FRA has indicated in its studies that areas where immigrant orminority children are being let down include enrolment assessment, the choiceorallocationofschools,drop-outorexpulsionrates,academicperformanceandresults, limitedcareersoptions,andprogressiontohighereducation.Thepupilsfoundtobemostvulnerabletodiscriminationarethosewithamigrantorminor-itybackground,withRomaandTravellersandchildrenofasylum-seekersandun-documentedmigrantsbeingespeciallyatrisk.FindingsfromEUMC/FRAstudiessuggestthattherelevantauthoritiesmustdevotemoreattentionto:

• Securing open and equal access to education for all by eliminating practicalbarrierstoeducation,byaddressingthespecialeducationalneedsofimmigrantandminoritystudents,byensuringthatpoliciesandpracticesdonotinadvert-entlyresultinsegregationortheoverrepresentationofmigrantsand/orethnicminoritiesinschoolswithloweracademicdemandsorinspecialeducation,byhavingeducationinstitutionsadoptanti-discriminationandanti-racistcodesofconduct,andbyendowingallchildrenwiththenecessarymeanstoparticipateineducation;

• Financialandhumanresources,byallocatingadequateresourcesandtraininginordertofulfiltheurgentdemandsofamulticulturalenvironment;

• Preventingsegregationandtopromotinginterculturaleducationwhendefiningpublicpoliciesoneducation;

• Combating racism as well as direct and indirect racial discrimination in andthrough education, which also requires collecting comprehensive and compa-rabledata setson the educational situationofmigrants andethnicminoritiesnation-wideandattheEUlevel.Thispertainstodataonenrolment,attendance,completionrates,resultsachievedandprogressmadeatalleducationallevels,aswellastothemonitoringofactsofdiscriminationandracisminschools.


Executive summary

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housing

Awidespreadincidenceofunfairanddiscriminatorypracticesaffectinghous-ingmarketshasbeendocumentedbytheEUMC/FRAreports.This incidence isnotrandom,ratheritfrequentlyresultsfromacombinationoflowsocio-economicstatuswithsystematicandpersistentracistpractices.ThemostvulnerablegroupsareRomaandTravellersaswellasmigrants(particularlynon-EUorundocument-edmigrants).

ThemainrecommendationsmadebytheEUMC/FRAinclude:

• Ensuring equality of access to housing, for instance by providing counsellingand information on the practical and legal housing-related issues, by lower-inglegalbarrierstoaccesstosocialhousingor,inthecaseofaccesstoprivatehousing,byprovidingmaterialorfinancialassistancewhichincreasetherentingorpurchasingcapacitiesofthetargethouseholds,aswellasbyofferingdirectmediationbetweenprivatelandlordsandpotentialtenantswhootherwisemightbediscriminatedagainst.

• Addressingwithoutdelaythehousingsituationofvulnerablepersons,therebe-inganeedtoreconsiderthefinancialassistanceandrangeofchoice insocialhousing,aswellastoreducesegregation.

• Conducting regular monitoring and evaluation of housing policies and prac-tices,toensuretheircompliancewithanti-discriminationobligationsandthatthey are part of wider packages of measures involving all areas of social andeconomiclife.

situation of roma and travellers

TheEUMC/FRAhascontinuouslybeenpointingtothesystematicdeprivation,exclusionandmarginalisationofRomaandTravellersintheEuropeanUnionandhasurgedboth theCommunity and itsMemberStates to take robust action tochangethissituation.Aboveall,thereisanurgentneedforconductingevaluationsoftheimpactofEU,nationalandlocalprojectsandprogrammestargetingRomaandTravellersthathavebeenimplementedsofar.ThreemajorrecommendationsarecentraltotheopinionsexpressedbytheEUMC/FRA:

• Ensurenon-discriminationandequalopportunitiesofRomaandTravellersinallspheresoflife,particularlyineducation,housing,employment,andaccesstohealthandjustice,forinstancebyincludingtheirinterestsinmainstreampoli-cies,aswellasbymakinguseoftargetedinitiativesorpositiveaction;

• AchieveempowermentoftheRomaandTravellingcommunities,withtheaimofincreasingtheiractiveparticipationatalllevelsofpolicy-making,includingimplementationandmonitoring;

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• CombatprejudiceandpromoterespectforRomaandTravellercultureandtra-dition,becausediscriminationagainstthesegroupsisoftentheresultofdeeplyrootednegativestereotypesresulting fromignoranceof theirhistory,culture,valuesandnorms.

anti-semitism

ThedetailedanalysisofthedataintheEUMC/FRAstudiespointtoanumberofareaswherefurtherinitiativescouldbetakenincluding:

• Legislation,inordertointroduceeffective,proportionateanddissuasivecrimi-nalpenalties;

• Monitoringanddatacollection,becausetheactualprevalenceofanti-Semiticincidentsisstillverydifficulttogaugeinsomecountries;

• Education,giventhecrucialimportanceofeducationandtrainingmeasuresincombatingracismandanti-Semitism,andalsobecauseoftheneedtoproperlyconveythemessageoftheHolocaust;

• Media andwider civil society,due to thenecessity topromote interfaithandinterculturaldialoguethroughjoint initiativesat local,nationalandEuropeanlevel.

islamophobia

TheEUMC/FRAhaspointedoutthatitiscrucialthattheeffortstakentoen-gagewiththeMuslimcommunityandtopreventanti-Muslimincidentsbepartoforcomplementedbycomprehensivesocialinclusionandanti-discriminationpoli-cies,sothattheyachievesustainableresultsandaddresscoreissueswithbenefitsfortheentiresociety.Itisalsoimportanttocommunicatethatsuchpolicieshavestand-aloneobjectives,whichgobeyondthepreventionofextremism.

WhilewelcomingthegrowingawarenessacrossMemberStatesofthephenom-enonofIslamophobia,theEUMC/FRAalsopointedtoanumberofareaswherefurtherprogresscouldbemade,including:

• Empowerment,bypromoting theactive involvementofMuslimcommunitiesininstitutionalisedproceduresofpolicymakingatalllevelsandbysupportingtheirself-organisationthroughcapacity-building;

• Employment,byadvancingpositiveactionandsupportmeasuresforMuslims,particularlytheyouth,andbyimplementingdiversitymanagementmeasures;


Executive summary

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• Education,bypromotinganeducationfreeofbiasandbyincludingananti-rac-ismanddiversitycomponentinthetrainingofteachers,policestaffandotherpublicservants;

• Civilsociety–ontheonehandbyinsuringitssupportinthefightagainstrac-ism, xenophobia and related intolerance, including Islamophobia, and on theotherhandbyencouragingMuslimcommunities’involvementinallspheresofpubliclife.

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introductionThe European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) was es-

tablished in 1997 to provide the EU and its Member States with reliable data and information, as well as informed conclusions and opinions, on the situation across Europe of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and related intoler-ance. Since its creation, the primary role of the EUMC was to support the develop-ment of effective policies, legislation and good practices against racism at the EU and Member State level. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), launched on 1 March 2007, is mandated to continue the work of the EUMC on rac-ism, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The EUMC set up the European Information Network on Racism and Xenopho-bia (RAXEN), consisting of a selected national focal point (NFP) from each Mem-ber State, to collect data and information across the EU. On the basis of the data gathered through RAXEN and other sources, the EUMC/FRA has monitored and analysed the extent, causes and effects of racism and xenophobia. It has proposed strategies to combat these phenomena, while always seeking to highlight and diffuse examples of good practice.

During its ten years of existence, the EUMC/FRA has published around 200 re-ports, policy papers and conference conclusions.1 It has compiled annual reports on racism and comparative reports on key thematic areas. Each publication contains detailed conclusions and opinions relating to policies, legislation and good practices against racism and racial discrimination.

These reports address the thematic areas related to EU policy development on non-discrimination and equality, integration, criminal justice and social inclusion, focusing particularly on the issues of legislation, employment, education, hous-ing and racist violence. When it was found that members of particular groups or communities were disproportionately affected in a certain thematic area, a more detailed examination of the situation of those groups or communities has been pre-pared: for example, relating to the experience of Roma and Travellers in the fields of employment, education and housing, Jewish communities in the areas of racist crime and violence and media discourse, and Muslim communities in the areas of racist crime and violence and media discourse, education, employment, housing and integration.

An important element of formulating conclusions and opinions for the EU and its Member States is the need to interact with relevant inter-governmental organi-sations. This cross-referral with other organisations is needed to ensure that the EUMC/FRA conclusions and opinions remain consistent with existing European and international standards and reflect international policy developments. There-fore, the EUMC/FRA maintains close cooperation with the main inter-governmen-tal actors working in the field of racism and xenophobia, more specifically with the

� AcompletelistcanbefoundonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.


Introduction

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Council of Europe and in particular with the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The present policy paper sums up the main opinions expressed and recommen-dations made by the EUMC/FRA on policies, legislation and practices against rac-ism and racial discrimination in the EU between 2002-2007. Its purpose is to sup-port the greater use of EUMC/FRA opinions by policy makers at European, national, regional and local level, as well as by other stakeholders with responsibilities related to the fight against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, and to delivery of equality to disadvantaged members of society.

In this policy paper, the respective opinions and recommendations have been structured around the main themes of the Agency’s past work on racism, xenopho-bia and related intolerance, namely racist violence and crime, employment, educa-tion, housing, situation of Roma and Travellers, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Subsequently, they have been further classified according to the stakeholder respon-sible for implementing a particular proposal. In addition, the first chapter gathers a series of cross-sectoral recommendations that emphasise the interdependence be-tween all these sectors and thus provide the indispensable background to the action needed in each specific field.

This review should be a useful resource for policy-makers when developing poli-cies and measures to combat racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. The FRA believes that by drawing on these recommendations the framework for action to combat racism will be practical, consistent and coherent.

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a. cross-sectoral recommendations

TheEuropeanUnionanditsMemberStateshaverepeatedlycondemnedinthemost absolute terms all manifestations of racism and xenophobia and have ex-pressedtheirdeterminationtosafeguardfundamentalrights,non-discriminationandequalopportunitiesforall.TheEUMC/FRAreportsshowthatintheperiodfrom1997to2007progresshasbeenmadeacrosstheEU,butalsothatmuchre-mainstobedoneincombatingdiscrimination,integratingmigrantsandimprov-ingcommunitycohesion.

a.1. main findings

Despite the variation in legal frameworks, public policy responses, data col-lectionandmonitoringmechanismsacrosstheEU,theEUMC/FRAreportshaveprovided ample evidence showing that racism and xenophobia are widespreadacross the Union and that individuals and/or communities who are labelled as‘different’ are being subjected to numerous forms of exclusion, disadvantage orill-treatment.

Throughoutitsreports,theEUMC/FRAidentifiedseveralcommonshortcom-ingsacrosstheEUMemberStateswithregardto:

• Tackling racist violence and discriminationpracticesinallspheresoflifeandparticularlyinemployment,housingandeducation;

• Monitoring progresstoovercometheobstaclestoracialequality,withthesup-port of civil societyorganisations,socialpartnersandtheminoritycommuni-tiesthemselves;

• Improvingdata collection, incident recording, monitoring and researchre-gardingthesituationofmigrantsandminorities;

• Recognising the interplay between migrant integration, social inclusion, community cohesion and racial equalityandinconsequenceadoptingaho-listicapproachtopolicydevelopment;

• Promotingaculture of diversity thatrecognises therightsofminoritiesandmigrants,aswellastostrengtheningthelinkbetweenracialequalityandcom-munitycohesionfor instancebymainstreaming non-discrimination intoallpublicpolicies.

Highlighting social inclusion and integration as one of the main challengesfacingMemberStates in theEuropeanUnion, theEUMC/FRAcalls forpolicy-makers at all levels to recognise the interplay between integration, community


A. Cross-sectoral recommendations

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cohesionandthecombatingofracialinequalitiesinemployment,educationandhousing, and as a consequence to adopt a more integrated approach to policydevelopment.

However, in order to develop good policies, there is a need for quality datacollection, monitoring and research. The EUMC has been of the long-standingopinionthatthereisaneedforamorein-depthanalysisoftheimpactofnational,regionalandlocalpolicy, inthefieldsjustmentioned,ontherightsofthosebe-longing to migrant and minority groups. The regular review and assessment oftheinfluenceofsuchpoliciesshouldbeactivelypursuedwiththesupportofcivilsocietyorganisations,socialpartnersandtheminoritycommunitiesthemselves.

a.2. recommendations2

Takingtheseobservationsasstartingpoint,aseriesofcross-sectoralrecom-mendationscouldbegatheredfromthereports,whichwouldprovidetheindis-pensablebackgroundtotheactionfurtherneededineachspecificfield,whichwillbedealtwithoverthenextthematicchapters.

a.2.1. legislation

A.2.1.1. EU level

The Commission should continue to take the appropriate action in order toensurethatallMemberStatestransposeintotheirdomesticlawandimplementallelementsoftheRaceEqualityDirective(2000/43/EC)andtheEmploymentEqual-ityDirective(2000/78/EC).

A.2.1.2. National level

Intheirfightagainstracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerance,MemberStatesshouldbeguidedintheirenactmentoflegislationandaccompanyingmeasuresbytheGeneralPolicyRecommendationsmadebytheCouncilofEurope’sEuropeanCommissionagainstRacismandIntolerance(ECRI).3

� ThisisacondensedcompilationofthoseopinionsandrecommendationswhichhaveageneralapplicationacrossallthesectorscoveredbytheEUMC/FRA’swork.AllthereportspublishedbytheEUMCandtheFRAfromtheperiod�00�-�007havebeenusedforthissection,particularlythemostrecentRacism and Xeno-phobia in the Member States of the EU (�007)andTrends and Developments 1997-2005: Combating Ethnic and Racial Discrimination and Promoting Equality in the European Union (�007).AlldocumentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.

� AllGeneralPolicyRecommendationsmadebytheECRIcanbeaccessedathttp://www.coe.int/t/e/hu-man_rights/ecri/�%�Decri/�%�Dgeneral_themes/�%�Dpolicy_recommendations/_intro.asp#TopOfPage(07.0�.�008).

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MemberStatesshouldfullytransposeandimplementallelementsoftheRaceEqualityDirectiveandtheEmploymentEqualityDirective.MemberStatesshouldconsidergoingbeyondtheminimumlegalrequirementsandextendtheprotectionagainstdiscriminationtootherareasthanemployment,inparticularwithregardstoeducationandaccesstogoodsandservices.

Member States should ensure that a positive action provision forms part ofnationallegislationtopromoteracialequalityandcombatdiscrimination,particu-larlyonthegroundsofracialorethnicorigin,religionorbelief.ThisprovisionataminimumshouldcoverthescopeofCouncilDirective2000/43/ECimplementingtheprincipleofequaltreatmentbetweenpersonsirrespectiveofracialorethnicorigin.

MemberStatesshouldconstantly implementEU-level legislativeupdatesandundertakesystematicandregularreviewsoftheirexistinganti-discriminationpol-iciesandpractices.Allprovisionsoradministrativepracticesthatresultindirectorindirectdiscriminationagainstmembersofethnicorreligiousminoritygroups,regardless of whether this results from action or inaction of state or non-stateactors,shouldberemoved.Particularlytheevaluationoftheimpactofnewlegalandregulatoryinitiativesshouldbeconsideredasakeyresearchandmonitoringobjective.

MemberStatesmustguaranteethattheequalitybodies(requiredbyCoun-cil Directive 2000/43) are fully independent, adequately resourced, empow-eredtocarryoutformalinvestigationsandtakecasestocourt,andalsothattheycanprovidelegalassistancetovictims.Equalitybodieswillthenbebetterequippedtoactascatalystsforthedevelopmentofeffectiveanti-discrimina-tionlegislation.

a.2.2. national strategies and action Plans against racism

A.2.2.1. Action at national level

Member States need to adopt an explicit public policy framework aimed atcombating all forms of racism and racial discrimination. Policies should be de-signed and developed through public consultation, including a targeted assess-mentofspecificethnicminorityconcerns.ThismustleadtocomprehensiveNa-tionalStrategiesandActionPlans (NSAPs), givingpriority tokeyareas suchasracistcrimeanddiscriminationinemployment,housingandeducation.

NSAPsagainstracismshould,wherenecessary,includeareviewoflegislationand administrative practices, to ensure coherent and coordinated implementa-tion.Thestrategyshouldincorporategoodpracticesalreadyidentified,knowledgegainedthroughresearch,lessonslearntfromsubstantialmonitoringandevalua-



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tionsofothernationalprogrammesagainstracismthroughouttheEUandrecom-mendationsmadebytherelevantinternational,nationalandlocalorganisations.

NSAPsagainstracismshouldbesubjecttointerdepartmentalgovernmentco-ordination(integratingtheeconomic,socialandlegalaspectsofanti-discrimina-tionpolicies),consultationwiththecivilsocietyandsocialpartners(particularlywiththoseidentifiedasvulnerablegroupsand,amongthem,especiallywithrep-resentativesofRomaandTravellersandMuslimcommunities),aswellasregularreview(whichshouldbepresentedannuallytothenationalparliamentsandalsomadeavailabletothepublic).

NSAPs should incorporate a data collection component and must also:

• Set clear,quantitative targets and indicatorswithin thepolicyguidelines thatenablethemtomeasureprogressincombatingracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerance;

• Includespecificoperationalmeasuresagainstdiscriminationandexclusion;

• Monitor,evaluate4andreportregularlyontheimpactofthemeasurestopro-moteequalityandcombatracialdiscrimination;

• Makethenecessaryfinancialarrangementstoensurethatallrequiredmeasuresareadequatelyfunded.

A.2.2.2. Action at national, regional and local levels

MemberStatesshouldinvolveregionalandlocalauthoritiesfromtheearlieststages of developing the national strategy, and ensure their commitment to itseffectiveimplementation.Subsequently,regionalandlocalauthoritiesshouldde-velopfurtheractionplanstoimplementthenationalstrategyatlocalandregionallevel.

Moreover,MemberStatesshouldensurethatethnicandreligiousminorities,particularlyRomaandTravellersandMuslimcommunities,areregularlyconsult-edaswellasgiventheopportunityandencouragedtobe involved inthedevel-opment,adoption, implementation,monitoringandevaluationofpoliciesaimedatimprovingtheirlivingconditions.Moreover,authoritiesshouldensuregenderbalancethroughouttheconsultationprocess.

� Foralistofindicatorsof‘goodpractice’developedbytheEUMC/FRA,seetheannex.

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a.2.3. integration, social inclusion and cohesion policies

A.2.3.1. Action at national, regional and local levels

MemberStatesshouldmakeuseintheirintegrationpoliciesoftheCommon Ba-sic Principles on Integration (CBPs)formulatedbytheCounciloftheEuropeanUn-ion,5inordertoimproveanddiversifytheirintegrationprogrammesandpolicies.

Whendevisingpublicpoliciestargetingmigrantsandminorities,policymak-ers at all levels should recognise the interplay between integration, communitycohesionandthecombatingofracial inequalitiesinemployment,educationandhousing,andasaconsequenceadoptaholisticapproachtopolicydevelopment.Itshouldchallengeinstitutionalbarriers,resourceproblemsandracistpracticesthatoftenrestrictthechoicesandenvironmentsofthesevulnerablegroups.

MemberStatesshoulddevelop,whereappropriate,communitycohesionpoli-ciesinordertopreventalienationandfosterasenseofbelongingforallcommuni-tiesbyappreciatingandvaluingthediversityofthedifferentcultures.

MemberStatesshouldestablishorsupportinterdepartmentalworkinggroupstaskedwithensuringthatsocialandeconomicgovernmentpoliciesdeliverontheobjectiveofpromotingintegrationonthebasisofequalityandnon-discriminationforallcultural,ethnicandreligiousminorities.

A.2.3.2. Action at local level

LocalauthoritiesareclosesttotheEuropeancitizenandthereforehaveapar-ticular role to play in enhancing effective implementation of integration, socialinclusionandcommunitycohesionpolicies.A leadby local authorities in theseareashasapositiveimpactoninter-communityrelations.

� SeeDocument��6��/0�of�9November�00�,availableathttp://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/press-Data/en/jha/8�7��.pdf(07.0�.�008).



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a.2.4. monitoring and data collection�

A.2.4.1. Common action at EU and national level

TheEuropeanUnionanditsMemberStatesshouldtakeallnecessarystepsfortheimprovementoftheavailability,scope,qualityandcomparabilityofdatarelatingtothesituationofmigrantsandminoritiesatnationalaswellasatEUlevel.


MemberStatesshoulddevelopappropriatemechanismsto:

• Systematicallycollect,compileandpublishcomparableannualstatisticsonthesituationandneedsofmigrantsandminoritiesinallspheresoflife(particularlyineducationandprofessionalqualification,housing, employment,healthandsocialbenefits,publicaccesstogoodsandservices,thecriminaljusticesystem,andcivicandpoliticalparticipation);

• Recorddiscriminationandincidentsofracialviolenceandcrime;

• Monitorinstitutionalperformance;

• Evaluatetheimpactofpoliciesandmeasuresthathavebeenimplemented.

Whencollectingsuchdata, theprinciplesofpersonaldataprotectionshouldberespected.

a.2.5. mainstreaming non-discrimination and equal opportunities

A.2.5.1. Action at national, regional and local level

Member States should implement support and positive action measures formigrants and minorities, in order to enhance their social situation, prevent orcompensatefordisadvantageslinkedtoracialandethnicoriginrespectivelyreli-gion,providethemwithequalopportunitiesandpreventtheirmarginalisationandexclusionfrommainstreamsociety.

6 SeealsotheEuropeanCommission’smostrecentpublicationsondatacollection:theEuropean Handbook on Equality Data (�006),availableathttp://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/pubst/stud/hb07_en.pdf(07.0�.�008),andMeasuringDiscrimination:DataCollectionandEUEqualityLaw(�006),availableathttp://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/legnet/07measdis_en.pdf(07.0�.�008).

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MemberStatesshouldtaketheappropriatemeasurestoguaranteethatjusticeisfullyandpromptlydoneincasesconcerningviolationsofthefundamentalrightsofmigrantsandminorities,particularlyof,aswellastoensurethatnodegreeofimpunityistoleratedasregardscrimescommittedagainstindividualsfromthesegroups.

Publicauthoritiesatalllevels,aswellasotherpublicandsemi-publicinstitu-tions,shouldserveasrolemodelsforanti-discriminationandequalopportunitypolicies.For instancetheycouldadoptadiversitymanagementapproach,whichwouldmainstreamanti-discriminationactivitiesand institutionalise thepositivevalueofethnicandculturaldiversity.7

Wheretheyhavenotyetdoneso,MemberStatesshouldensurethatauthoritiesatall levelsundergoaprocessof institutionaldevelopmenttoensuretheyrelatetoethnicandreligiousminorities,ona fairandequalbasis.Stafftraining,clearleadership,effectivemanagementandsupervision,practicalguidance,monitoringofperformance,andeffectivecomplaintsproceduresareusefultoolsforsecuringinstitutionalchange.

MemberStatesshouldorganisein-servicetrainingofteachers,policeofficersandcivilservantsthatshouldaddressprejudiceandnegativestereotypes,increaseawarenessofdirectandindirectdiscrimination,andprovidethemwiththeneces-sarytoolstorespondtoandeffectivelydealwithanethnicallymixedpopulation.

ThoseMemberStateswhohavenotalreadydoneso,shouldinduecoursees-tablishspecializedmediationorarbitrationcentres(ormakeexistingmechanismsmore accessible to migrants and minorities) that can help to mediate conflictsrelating todiscriminationbefore theparties reach thecourt.However,MemberStatesmustbeawarethatpracticesforconflictresolution,counsellingandmedia-tion,thoughlikelytobeusefulatlocallevel,cannotbesubstitutesforputtinginplaceeffectivesystemsofinspection,policingandindividuallegalredresstocom-batdiscriminationinallspheresoflife.

Member States could develop codes of conduct to counteract discriminatorypracticesinfieldssuchashousingoremploymentanddisseminatethemnation-wide.

7 MemberStatescouldconsideradoptingtheEuropeanCommunities’anti-racismprovisions(Council Regula-tion No 781/98of7April�998amendingthe Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Communities inrespectofequaltreatment)fortherecruitmentpracticesandregulationsoftheirownpublicservices.



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a.2.�. civil society

A.2.6.1. Common action at European, national and local levels

Aspartofthestrategiestoattainaninclusiveandcohesivesociety,theEUanditsMemberStatesshouldinitiateandencouragepubliccampaignsandeducationalprogrammes thatpromote tolerance andnon-discrimination, respect for all theculturesrepresentedintheEU,aswellasraisepublicawarenessoftheexistenceandtheunacceptabilityofracistviolenceandcrime.

TheEuropeanCommission,MemberStatesgovernmentsandlocalauthoritiesshould initiate, encourage and actively support interfaith and intercultural dia-logueinitiativesatthelocal,nationalandEuropeanlevel,inclosecooperationwithall religious communities, Non-Governmental Organisations and other relevantstakeholders.

TheEUanditsMemberStatesshouldfacilitatethecapacitydevelopmentandsupporttheactivitiesofNon-GovernmentalOrganisationsthatplayanimportantroleincombatingracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintoleranceandthatprovideap-propriatelegalassistancetovictims.

A.2.6.2. National, regional and local levels

MemberStatesshouldimplementtargetedinformationactivitiestoensurethatgroupsvulnerabletodiscriminationarefullyawareoftherightsandinstitutionalsupportmechanismsprovidedbythenewanti-discriminationlegislation,suchasequalitybodies(Art.13ofCouncilDirective2000/43)andvictimsupportorganisa-tions(Art.7ofCouncilDirective2000/43).Itwouldalsobeusefultoproduce,foreachMemberState,adirectoryoforganisationsdefendingtherightsofvictims.

Effectivesocial inclusionstrategiesshouldworkalongwithaconceptofem-powerment.ThisimpliesthatMemberStatesandlocalauthoritiesshouldexamineways to encourage the active involvement of minorities, particularly Roma andTravellersandMuslimcommunities,inpolitical,economic,socialandculturalin-stitutionsandprocesses,especiallybysupportingtheirself-organisationthroughcapacity-building.

MemberStatesshouldencourageself-organisationsofmigrantsandminoritiestoplayanactiveroleinsocietyandpolitics,withaviewtostrengtheningthecivilsociety.

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A.2.6.3. Media

Giventheirroleinshapingsocialattitudesandbehaviour,mediaorganisationsand Internet serviceproviders in theEUshoulddevelopclear codesof conductandtrainingprogrammesforjournalistsandothermediaprofessionalstopromotediversityandcombatallformsofracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerance,in-cludinganti-Gypsism,anti-SemitismandIslamophobia.

Member States should enact or reinforce appropriate legislation on Internetserviceproviderstopreventthedisseminationofillegalracistandxenophobicma-terial,inaccordancewitharticle14oftheECDirectiveonElectronicCommerce(2000/31/EC).

A.2.6.4. Political Parties

AllpoliticalpartiesinEuropeshouldsignandimplementtheCharter of Eu-ropean Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society,8whichsetsoutaclearcodeof conduct for the fight against all forms of racism, xenophobia and relatedintolerance.

A.2.6.5. Non-Governmental Organisations

All religious communities, Non-Governmental Organisations, local authori-tiesandotherrelevantstakeholdersshouldspeakoutagainstbigotryandhatred.Furthermore, they should seek to promote interfaith and intercultural dialoguethroughjointinitiativesatlocal,nationalandEuropeanlevel.

Peoplefrommigrantandminorityethnicgroupsthemselvesmayactivelyex-ploreandpursuemeansforachievingpositivechanges,individually,collectivelyorcollaboratively.

a.2.7. research and testing

A.2.7.1. EU level

TheEU(forinstancethroughitsPROGRESSprogrammeortheFRA)shouldcollect,analyse,compileanddisseminateinformationon‘goodpractice’modelsinthefieldofequalityandanti-discrimination.Specialconsiderationshouldbegivento a systematic and rigorous independent evaluationof suchactions and initia-tives,inordertodevelopstandardised‘goodpractice’criteriatobereferredtoat

8 Availableonlineathttp://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php?fuseaction=content.dsp_cat_content&catid=�ef0�00f9e0c�&contentid=�ef0��6�96bb�(07.0�.�008).



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eachstageofpolicy/projectdevelopment,implementationandfollow-upandwithwhichtomeasuretheir‘success’.9

A.2.7.2. Common action at European and national levels

The EU and its Member States should support the transnational transfer ofknowledgeandtrytoenhancetheflowofpracticalideasbetweencountries.Im-provementsinpolicynetworksandenvironmentsmighthelpbringvaluableben-efitsinthefuture.

TheEUand itsMemberStatesshouldenhancecapacities for independentaswell asgovernmental researchandanalysis that should informsocial, economicandpoliticalintegrationpoliciesinacomprehensiveandreliableway.


Toanalysethesubjectivedimensionofdiscrimination,MemberStatesshouldsupport the surveying victims’ perceptions and experiences (victim surveys).Moreover, Member States should consider implementing more widespread andsystematic discrimination testing (or ‘situation testing’) in order to facilitate aclearerassessmentofthemagnitudeandmechanismsofdiscriminationandpro-videevidencewithwhichtosupplementofficialdata.10

9 Foralistofindicatorsof‘goodpractice’developedbytheEUMC/FRA,seetheannex.�0 MemberStatesthathavenotdonesoalreadyshouldjointheprogrammedevelopedbytheInternational

LabourOrganisationondiscriminationtestinginemployment,education,housing,healthcareandaccesstogoodsandservices.

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b. racist violence and crimeSince its creation, the EUMC/FRA has been collecting information on racist

crime and violence in the EU, including on initiatives aimed at combating these phenomena. The findings and subsequent recommendations are detailed in the EUMC Annual Reports and in the comparative report Racist Violence in 15 EU Member States. A Comparative Overview of Findings from RAXEN National Focal Points Reports 2001-2004, published in 2005. Moreover, the same year the EUMC released another report, Policing Racist Crime and Violence, which focused specifi-cally on police responses to racist crime and violence, with an emphasis on record-ing practices, responses to victims of racist crime, training, and engagement with civil society.

b.1. main findings

Onthebasisof itsreports, theEUMC/FRAconcludedthattherewasaclearneed for significant improvement with respect to how criminal justice agenciesrespondtotheproblemofracismcrimeandviolence.

The main areas identified by the EUMC/FRA in its reports to be in need ofimprovementwere:

• Legislation and implementation,withcriminalsanctionsrelatedtoracismandxenophobiahavingtobeapproximatedacrosstheEUMemberStates,inlinewith theplannedFrameworkDecisiononcombating racismandxeno-phobia;

• Data collection,becauseoftheneedtoestablishcomprehensivecriminaljus-ticedatacollectionsystemsonracistcrimeinthosecountriesthatstilllackthemandhavethemstandardisedacrosstheEU.ThiswouldleadtobetterinformedpolicyresponsesineachMemberState,enablingthecriminaljusticesystemstoeffectivelytackleracistcrimeandviolence.

• Law enforcement,giventhatexistingcriminallawagainstracistandxenophobicoffencesisnotalwaysappliedandthereforevictimsofracistviolencefindtheiraccesstojusticeconstrainedandcertainracistcrimesremainunpunished;

• Police responsestoracistcrimeandviolence,becausethepoliceactascriminaljustice‘gatekeepers’intheinitialreportingandrecordingofracistandxenophobicoffences,whichthendeterminestheireventualinvestigationandprosecution;

• Racial discrimination or racially motivated misconduct by state agents,therebeingcontinuingdisturbingreportsofviolenceandmalpracticeagainstvulnerableminoritiesbypolice,immigrationofficers,bordercontrolpersonneletc.


B. Racist violence and crime

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b.2. recommendations11 12

In line with the recommendations set forth in the European Parliament Reso-lution on the increase in racist and homophobic violence in the EU (2006) and its position after the re-consultation of the Council Framework Decision on combat-ing racism and xenophobia (2007),13 the ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 11, and the ODIHR Annual Report on Hate Crimes (latest version 2006-2007), the EUMC has been calling on the EU and its Member States to advance legislation, criminal justice initiatives and data collection on racist incidents in order to provide a firm foundation for policies which protect victims and deter perpetrators. Its main recommendations included the following:

b.2.1. action at eU level

TheEUshouldencourageandfacilitatethecooperationbetweennationalforces,aswellastheinternationalexchangeofknowledgethroughthemeansoftransna-tionalseminars,comparativeanalyses, ‘goodpractice’guidesandothermaterial.Priorityareasinthisfieldincludetherecordingandinvestigationofracistcrime,victimsupport and referral,police trainingand the roleofNGOs incombatingracistcrime/violence.

b.2.2. common action at eU and national levels

TheEUanditsMemberStatesshouldadopttheFrameworkDecisiononcom-batingracismandxenophobia14whichwillharmonisecriminalsanctionsrelatedtoracismandxenophobiaacrosstheEU.

TheEUandeachMemberStateshouldfacilitatethecapacitydevelopmentofcivilsocietytocontributetomonitoringandreportinghate-motivatedincidents,toassistvictimsofhatecrimeandtoconductresearchontheextentandnatureofracistcrimeandviolence.

�� ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAalongtheyearsonthetopicofracistviolenceandcrime.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommendationsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).Alldocu-mentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.

�� Theserecommendationsmustbereadinparallelwiththecross-sectoralrecommendationsmadeinthefirstchapter,whichcomplementthemandprovideageneralframeworkofmeasuresagainstracism,xenophobia.

�� http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/file.jsp?id=��696�(�8.0�.�008).�� AttheJusticeandHomeAffairsCouncilof�9-�0April�007,theEUMemberStatesreachedageneralagree-

mentonadoptingaFrameworkDecisiononcombatingracismandxenophobia.Thetexthadbeenundernegotiationssince�00�.InJuly�007,anewversionofthedraftCouncil Framework Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal lawwassenttotheEuropeanParliamentforreconsultation.TheDecisionfocusesontheprohibitionofpublicincitementtoviolenceandhatreddirectedagainstpersonsonthebasisoftheirrace,colour,religion,descent,ornationalorethnicorigin.Furthermore,itcompelsMemberStatestocriminalisecaseswherepublicapproval,denialorgrosstrivialisationofgenocideamounttoracistorxenophobicagitation.Accordingtothedrafttext,MemberStateswillensurethattheseconductsarepunishablebycriminalpenaltiesofamaximumofatleastbetween�and�yearsofimprisonment.

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b.2.3. action at national level

All Member States must implement an adequate legal framework which en-suresthatthecriminaljusticesystemeffectivelytacklesracistcrimeandviolence.Thiswouldcompriseadoptingworkableandsufficientlybroadlegaldefinitionsofspecificcrimesofracism.Racistmotivationshouldberecognisedasanaggravat-ingfactorthatincreasessentencing.

Nationalcriminal legislationmustalsocertifythatracistandxenophobicof-fencescommittedbypublicofficialsinthecourseoftheirprofessionaldutiesaredeemedparticularlyseriousandmadepunishableasaggravatedoffences.

MemberStates should introducecomprehensiveand reliable criminal justicedatacollectionmechanismsatnationallevel.Theyshouldcollectandmakepub-liclyavailabledetailedstatisticsonracistcrime,ateverystageofthecriminaljus-ticesystem,whichcanbeanonymouslydisaggregatedtorevealinformationbothaboutoffendersandvictims.

MemberStatesshouldensurethatjudges,magistrates,prosecutorsandlawyersreceivespecial trainingandcontinuededucation innewcriminal lawprovisionsrelatingtoracism,whichwillenabletheimplementationofsuchprovisionsduringinvestigations,prosecutionsandsentencing. Moreover,policepersonnelshouldalsoreceivein-servicetrainingonthenatureandsignificanceofracistcrime,theirroleincombatingsuchcrime,andprocedurestobefollowed.

MemberStatesmustestablishvictim-centredinitiativesthataddresstheneedsofthosewhohavebeenvictimisedbyracistviolenceandcrime.Moreover,Mem-berStatesshouldsupportorganisationsthatdealwithsuchvictimsandprovidethemwithtraininginrecordingincidents,assistingvictims,filingcasesandactingonbehalfofvictimsinjudicialoradministrativeproceduresatanationallevel.

b.2.4. law enforcement agencies

Nationallawenforcementagenciesshouldexpressaclearpubliccommitmenttothefullandeffectiveuseoftheirpowers,underexistinglaw,inthefightagainstracistcrimeandviolence.Inaddition,specialisedunitsshouldbecreatedtocoun-ter incidents of racially motivated offences, to monitor police responses and toprovideexpertadvice.

Lawenforcementagenciesmusttranslatethispubliccommitmentintothein-ternal development of a clear procedural and practical guide for police officersabouthowtorespondtocrimeswithasuspectedracistelementandhowtosup-portvictims.


B. Racist violence and crime

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At the local level,police, inpartnershipwithNGOsandcommunitygroups,needstopromoteandfacilitatethereportingofracist incidents,torespondim-mediatelytoindicationsoftensionsbysteppinguppolicingamongtargetedcom-munities,andtoprovideadequatesupporttovictimsofracistcrime,thusensuringthatvulnerablegroupsareawareofpolicecommitments toeffectivelydealwithracistcrimeandviolence.

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c. employment The EUMC/FRA has persistently underlined the inequality in employment and

discriminatory labour market patterns affecting migrants and minorities in the EU in its Annual Reports, as well as in the report Migrants, Minorities and Employment: Exclusion, Discrimination and Anti-Discrimination in 15 Member States of the EU, published in 2003.

TheEUMC/FRAwelcomedtheprogressmadeinincorporatingthesituationofmigrantsandethnicminoritiesintheEuropeanEmploymentStrategy,aswellasinhavingthesamegroupsidentifiedasvulnerableintermsofpovertyriskintheEuropeanStrategyonSocialInclusionandSocialProtection.

c.1. main findings

Migrantsandminoritiesgenerallyendureworseworkconditionsthanthema-joritypopulation,receivelowerwagesandareover-representedinthemostpre-carious and least desirable jobs. Moreover, concurring with the findings of theECRI in itscountryreports,15 theEUMC/FRAalso indicates that theRomaandTravellers are particularly vulnerable to employment discrimination across theEU.

The EUMC/FRA argued that inequalities and discrimination in employmentcanbeminimisedby:

• Encouragingtheinclusion of minorities and migrants into the labour mar-ketandgenerallybyadoptinganapproachwhichaddressesnon-discrimination,equalopportunitiesanddiversitymanagementatthesametime;

• Improvingthedata collection mechanismsonemployment,aswellsascon-ductingdiscriminationtestinginplacesofwork;

• Settingquantitative targets and clear indicatorsinemploymentpoliciesandguidelines,whichenable themeasurementofprogress in thesituationofmi-grantsandminorities;

• Settingupastandardised system to evaluate foreign qualifications,aswellasbyaddressingthespecialtrainingneedsofmigrantsandminorities.

�� ECRI’scountryreportscanbeaccessedathttp://www.coe.int/T/E/human%�Frights/ecri/�%�DECRI/�%�DCountry%�Dby%�Dcountry%�Fapproach/(07.0�.�008).


C. Employment

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c.2. recommendations1� 17

In order to achieve these goals and ultimately to create an integrated labour mar-ket in each Member State, the EUMC/FRA made a series of action-oriented recom-mendations, with a view to implementation. Most of these recommendations have been reinforced in the recent report released by the High Level Advisory Group of Experts on the Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market (HLG). 18

c.2.1. action at eU level

TheEuropeanCommissionshouldprovideguidanceregardingtheconditionsunderwhichEUandnationalpublicprocurementpoliciestoimproveequalityarecompatiblewithCommunitylaw.

c.2.2. action at national, regional and local levels

MemberStates shouldcreatea task force,composedof representatives fromrelevantministries,socialpartnersandNGOs,responsibleforelaboratingapro-gramme to promote the inclusion of migrants and minorities into the labourmarket, including thesettingandmonitoringof specificoperational targetsandmeasuresagainstdiscriminationandexclusion.Theministriesofemploymentandlabour,incooperationwithsocialpartners,employers’andworkers’associations,shoulddevelopstrictcodesofconductagainstdiscriminationand insupportofdiversity.

TheFRAjoinstheEuropeanCommissionincallingonMemberStatestotrans-pose the Council Directive 2003/109/EC concerning the status of third countrynationalswhoare long-termresidents.Accordingtothisdirective, third-countrynationalswhohaveacquiredlong-termresidencestatusassetoutbythisactshouldhavetherightofaccesstothelabourmarketonthesameconditionsasnationals,exceptforthoseactivitieswhichinvolvetheexerciseofpublicauthority.

MemberStatesshouldundertakecomprehensiveefforts,coordinatedatthena-tionallevelbytherelevantMinistriesofEmployment,LabourandEducation,toestablishreliableandefficientsystemsfortheevaluationandrecognitionofforeignqualificationsanddiplomas.Suchsystemscouldhelp toalleviate thewidelyob-

�6 ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAalongtheyearsonthetopicofemployment.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommenda-tionsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).Alldocumentsareavail-ableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.

�7 Theserecommendationsmustbereadinparallelwiththecross-sectoralrecommendationsmadeinthefirstchapter,whichcomplementthemandprovideageneralframeworkofmeasuresagainstracism,xenophobia.

�8 HLG(�007)Ethnic Minorities in the Labour Market. An Urgent Call for Better Social Inclusion,Brussels,availableat:http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/hlg/etmin_en.pdf(07.0�.�008).

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servedphenomenonofdequalificationofskilledmigrants,contributetoreducingdiscriminationinrecruitmentaswellasenhancetheefficientallocationofhumancapital.

Member States should attend to the special educational needs of migrantsandminorities inorder to improve their employability and foster their integra-tionintothe labourmarket.Sufficientfinancialresourcesshouldbeallocatedtofulfiltheneedsforlanguage,preparatoryandvocationaltrainingcourses.Specialprogrammesshouldtargetparticularlyvulnerablegroupssuchasmigrantwomen,second-generation migrant youth and disadvantaged autochthonous minorities,whiletakingcaretoavoidmarginalisationandsegregationthroughthecreationofparallelsystems.

MemberStatesshouldreviewtheregulationsrestrictingaccesstoemploymentinthepublicsectorforminorities.19Publicauthoritiesatnational,regionalandlocallevelshouldalsoconsideradoptingpositiveactionprogrammesforspecificvulnerableminoritygroups.

�9 MemberStatescouldconsideradoptingtheEuropeanCommunities’anti-racismprovisions(Council Regula-tion No 781/98of7April�998amendingthe Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Communities inrespectofequaltreatment)fortherecruitmentpracticesandregulationsoftheirownpublicservices.


C. Employment

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d. educationEducation is a particularly influential factor in social integration and in mediat-

ing entry into the employment market. As such, the EUMC/FRA sought to identify the type of discrimination pervading the educational sector and to highlight the situation of vulnerable groups. In addition to constantly covering this policy area in the Annual Reports, the EUMC has also published a comparative report on Mi-grants, Minorities and Education. Documenting Discrimination and Integration in 15 Member States of the European Union in 2004.

d.1. main findings

Areaswhereimmigrantorminoritychildrenarebeingletdownincludeenrol-mentassessment,thechoiceorallocationofschools,drop-outorexpulsionrates,academic performance and results, limited careers options, and progression tohigher education.Thepupils found tobemost vulnerable todiscriminationarethosefrommigrant-backgroundcommunities,ethnicorlanguageminoritiesandreligiousminorities.RomaandTravellers, aswell as childrenof asylum-seekersandundocumentedmigrants,areespeciallyatrisk.

Findings fromEUMC/FRAstudiessuggest that therelevantauthoritiesmustdevotemoreattentionto:

• Securing open and equal access to education for all and to addressing thespecialeducationalneedsofimmigrantandminoritystudents;

• Financial and human resources,byallocatingadequateresourcesandtraininginordertofulfiltheurgentdemandsofamulticulturalenvironment;

• Preventingsegregationandtopromotinginterculturaleducationwhendefin-ingpublicpolicies;

• Combating racismaswellasdirect and indirect racial discriminationinandthrougheducation,whichalsorequirescollectingcomprehensiveandcompa-rabledatasetsontheeducationalsituationofmigrantsandethnicminoritiesnation-wideandattheEUlevel.

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d.2. recommendations20 21

The EUMC/FRA stresses the fact that equal access to quality education for all is a critical foundation for integration and community cohesion. Moreover, as em-phasised also by the ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 10 on Combating Racism through Education,22 education and training measures play a crucial role in combating racism, xenophobia and related intolerance.

d.2.1. common action at eU, national and regional levels

TheEuropeanUnionandtheMemberStatesshouldtakethenecessarystepstoincreasetheavailability,thescope,qualityandcomparabilityofdataontheeduca-tionalsituationofmigrantsandethnicminoritiesatthenationalaswellasattheEUlevel.Thispertainstodataonenrolment,attendance,completionrates,resultsachievedandprogressmadeatalleducationallevels,aswellastothemonitoringofactsofdiscriminationandracisminschools.

Authoritiesinchargeofeducationalprogrammedevelopmentatregional,na-tional, and EU levels should take concerted efforts to develop clear guidelinesfor the integrationof intercultural approachesandcomparativeperspectives toteaching.

d.2.2. action at national level

MemberStatesshouldworktoeliminatepracticalbarrierstoeducationanden-dowallchildrenwiththenecessarymeanstoparticipateineducation.Particularat-tentionshouldbepaidtochildrenbelongingtovulnerablegroupssuchasmigrants,minorities,asylumseekersandpersonswithoutalegalresidencestatus.

MemberStatesneedtoensurethatpoliciesandpracticesdonotinadvertentlyresult in segregationor theoverrepresentationofmigrantsor ethnicminoritiesinschoolswithloweracademicdemandsorspecialeducation.Segregatedformsofeducationshouldbeeithercompletelyabolishedorlimitedtoshort-termpre-paratoryclasses, leadingtothe integrationofmigrantsandminoritypupils intomainstreamschooling.

�0 ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAalongtheyearsonthetopicofemployment.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommenda-tionsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecent Racism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU (�007).Alldocumentsareavail-ableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.


�� SeetheECRIGeneral Policy Recommendation No. 10 on Combating Racism through Education,availableathttp://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/ecri/�%�Decri/�%�Dgeneral_themes/�%�Dpolicy_recommendations/_intro.asp#TopOfPage(07.0�.�008).


D. Education

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MemberStatesshouldensurethatnationaleducationcurriculaandtextbooksaddressissuesofracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerance,andalsothatthehis-toryofethnicalandreligiousminoritygroupsispresentedinabalancedway.

MemberStatesshouldensurethatparentsofpupilsfromminoritygroupsareabletofullyparticipateintheschool’sdecisionsandactivities.

MemberStatescouldconsider thepossibilityof introducing initiatives to in-creasethenumberofteacherswithmigrantorminoritybackground.Actingasin-terculturalmediators,theywouldhelpimprovecommunicationbetweenfamiliesandeducationauthorities.

MemberStatesshouldensurethatmorefreelanguagecoursesandsupportismadeavailable tomigrants,particularly theyouth, to facilitate their integrationinto thehost societyand improve theiremploymentopportunities.Where suchlanguagelessonsdoexist,municipalitiesmustdisseminatethisinformationtopo-tentialstudents.

MemberStatesshouldensurethatschoolauthoritiesofferallmigrantchildren,irrespectiveofwhetherEU-nationalsornot,thepossibilitytolearntheirmothertongueatschool.

d.2.3. education institutions

Educationinstitutionsshouldadoptacodeofanti-discriminationandanti-rac-istprinciplesandbehaviourthroughanopenandfacilitatedconsultationprocess,which involvespupils, theirparents and staff.Furthermore, educational institu-tions of all Member States should be mandated to record, report and seriouslyaddressracistincidentsbystaff,pupilsorparents.

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e. housingOver the years, the EUMC/FRA has devoted attention to the issue of discrimina-

tion and segregation in housing in each of its Annual Reports and it has also pub-lished in 2005 a special thematic report Migrants, Minorities and Housing: Exclu-sion, Discrimination and Anti-Discrimination in 15 Member States of the European Union. Viewed collectively, the reports show a widespread incidence of unfair and discriminatory practices affecting housing markets, social rented housing alloca-tion, or access to finance and other support.

e.1. main findings

Theincidenceofnegativehousingexperiencesandrestrictedchoiceisnotran-dom.Itfrequentlyresultsfromacombinationoflowsocio-economicstatuswithsystematicandpersistentracistpractices.Ontheonehandpoorhousingcondi-tionscanoftenbethemostimportantmanifestationsofsocialexclusion,andontheotherhandhousingpracticesmaybecomemechanismsforreinforcingorcre-atingsuchexclusion.

ThoughtheEUinterventionviaseveralDirectives23ishavingapositiveeffect,nonethelessmuchstillremainstobedonethroughlaw,regulation,co-operation,andinvestmentstrategies.ThemainareasidentifiedbytheEUMC/FRAtobeinneedofimprovementwere:

• Equality of access to housing, given thewidespread incidenceofunfair anddiscriminatory practices affecting housing markets. This could be tackled forinstance by providing counselling and information on the practical and legalhousing-relatedissues,byloweringlegalbarrierstoaccesstosocialhousingor,inthecaseofaccesstoprivatehousing,byprovidingmaterialorfinancialas-sistancewhichincreasetherentingorpurchasingcapacitiesofthetargethouse-holds, as well as by offering direct mediation between private landlords andpotentialtenantswhootherwisemightbediscriminatedagainst;

• Housing situation of vulnerable persons,therebeinganeedtoreconsiderthefinancialassistanceandrangeofchoiceinsocialhousing,aswellastoreducesegregation;

• Regular monitoring and evaluation of housing policies and practices,toen-sure their compliance with anti-discrimination obligations and that they arepartofwiderpackagesofmeasuresinvolvingallareasofsocialandeconomiclife.

�� AttheEUlevel,twoDirectivesareparticularlyrelevanttotheareaofhousing.Directive�00�/�09grantstolongtermresidentsrightstosocialsecurity,protectionandassistancewhichmightimprovethematerialsituationofmigrantsandinconsequencetheirhousingconditions.Also,Directive�00�/9onreceptionconditionstoasylumseekersprovidesthatMemberStatesshouldensureastandardoflivingadequateforthehealthofapplicantsandcapableofensuringasylumseekers’subsistence.


E. Housing

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e.2. recommendations24 25

This section offers a selection of the main recommendations on housing made by the EUMC/FRA, which have been also reiterated for instance in the Housing and Integration of Migrants in Europe report developed by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in 200826 or in the Study on Im-migration, Integration and Social Cohesion commissioned by the DG Employment and Social Affairs in 2005.27

e.2.1. action at national level

MemberStatesshouldcloselymonitorandrapidlyaddressthesituationofthosepeoplelivinginsub-standard,overcrowdedaccommodation,withnofacilitiesandpoor health conditions, particularly Roma and Travellers which are continuallyidentifiedasthemainvictimsofexclusionandprejudice.Totackletheprecarioushousingconditionsfoundinsuchneighbourhoods,MemberStatesshouldaimtoinstallproperamenitiesandmorepermanentinfrastructure.

Evictions from irregular housing or from areas selected for urban renewalshouldbeconductedonlyinthecontextofwell-fundedandresearchedrelocationprogrammesthatprovidethenecessarysupportandinformation,aswellasonthebasisofalternativeaccommodationbeingmadeavailable.

Member States should be aware that counteracting the formation of segre-gated neighbourhoods requires a broad package of measures involving all areas– employment, education, housing, security etc., and not just changing spatialdistributionpatterns.ThereforeMemberStatesshouldbecautiousinusinginvol-untaryspatialmixingorforceddistributionasaroutetowardssocialintegrationandshouldconsiderpeople’spreferredpathwaysintermsofhousingopportunitiesandchoices.

MemberStatesmustensurethatreceptioncentresforasylum-seekersaread-equatelyresourcedandthattherightsofthelodgersarenotneglected.

�� Foradetailedaccountofpracticesthatunderminetherighttohousingandimpactontheaccesstohousingofmembersofethnicminoritygroups,arangeofgoodpracticeinitiativestobefoundacrosstheEU,andcompleteEUMC/FRArecommendationsandopinions,seethereportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).AlldocumentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.


�6 EuropeanFoundationfortheImprovementofLivingandWorkingConditions(�008)Housing and Integra-tion of Migrants in Europe,reportdevelopedinthecontextoftheCitiesforLocalIntegrationPolicyNetwork(CLIP),availableatwww.eurofound.europa.eu(��.0�.�008).

�7 FerminA.andS.Kjellstrand(�00�)Study on Immigration, Integration and Social Cohesion,studypreparedfortheEuropeanCommission,DGEmployment&SocialAffairs,availableathttp://ec.europa.eu/employ-ment_social/spsi/main_studies_on_ss_en.htm(��.0�.�008).

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In the case of seasonal migrants and migrants with an insecure legal status,MemberStatesshouldensurethatalternativehousingsolutionsareenvisagedtocopewiththevulnerabilityofthesegroups.

MemberStatesshouldconsider the implementationofmorewidespreaddis-crimination-testinginthehousingsector.Evidenceofblatantxenophobiaispar-ticularlypervasiveinhousingadvertisements,whereforeignersareoftenexplicitlyexcluded,andintenancyevaluations,resultingintherejectionofrentalapplica-tionsmadebyminorities.

Member States should devise explicit and practical integration policies thatareresponsivetothediversityofhouseholdsandtheirneeds.Twopossiblewaysforwardwouldbe

• Todevelopmoreshared,collaborativeorfederatedhousingandneighbourhoodenterprises,wherecollectiveopportunitiestotakedecisionsanddevelopfacili-tiescouldbringpeopletogetherinverypracticaljointactivitiesasequals;and

• To facilitatevoluntarymovementbymigrantandminorityethnichouseholdsintoawiderrangeofhousingareas,includingthoseofbetterquality.

e.2.2. action at local level

Given that racism in residential environments is most effectively tackledthroughlocalaction,localauthoritiesshoulddevelopcity-wideinitiativesinform-ingpeopleoftherightssharedbyallresidentsandimprovethepoorconditionscharacterisingmigrantandethnicminorities.


E. Housing

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F. situation of roma and travellers

The EUMC/FRA in-depth work on the Roma and Travellers was developed through targeted research, the hosting of round table conferences and close coop-eration with international organisations, in particular, the Council of Europe and the OSCE. The findings from the regular monitoring of the situation of Roma and Travellers through the RAXEN network have been included in the Annual Reports. Additionally, the EUMC published two thematic reports that focused on the situa-tion of Roma and Travellers in the European Union: Breaking the Barriers: Romani Women and Access to Public Health Care (2003) and Roma and Travellers in Public Education. An Overview of the Situation in the EU Member States (2006).

F.1. main findings

TheEUMC/FRAhascontinuouslybeenpointingtothesystematicdeprivation,exclusionandmarginalisationofRomaandTravellersintheEuropeanUnionandhas urged both the Community and its Member States to act without delay tochangethissituation.Aboveall,thereisanurgentneedforconductingevaluationsoftheimpactofEU,nationalandlocalprojectsandprogrammestargetingRomaandTravellersthathavebeenimplementedsofar.ThreemajorrecommendationsarecentraltotheopinionsexpressedbytheEUMC/FRA:

• Ensurenon-discrimination and equal opportunitiesinallspheresoflife,par-ticularly ineducation,housing,employment,andaccesstohealthandjustice,wheretheRomaandTravellershavebeensubjecttosystematicexclusions,forinstancebyincludingtheirinterestsinmainstreampolicies,aswellasbymak-inguseofpositiveactioninitiatives;

• AchieveempowermentoftheRomaandTravellingcommunities,withtheaimofincreasingtheiractiveparticipationatalllevelsofpolicy-making,includingimplementationandmonitoring;

• Combat prejudice and promote respect for Roma and Traveller culture and tradition, because discrimination against these groups is often the result ofdeeply rooted negative stereotypes resulting from ignorance of their history,culture,valuesandnorms.

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F.2. recommendations28 29

Below are some of the main recommendations made by the EUMC/FRA aimed at improving the situation of Roma and Travellers and which concur with the ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 3 on Combating Racism and Intolerance against Roma/Gypsies, the recommendations made by the Council of Europe’s Experts’ Committee on Roma, Gypsies and Travellers (MG-S-ROM) and by the EU High Level Advisory Group of Experts on the Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market (HLG),30 as well as those found in the report on The Situation of Roma in an Enlarged EU published by the DG Employ-ment and Social Affairs in 2004.31

F.2.1. common action at eU and national levels

TheEUanditsMemberStatesshouldcommissionevaluationsoftheimpactofEUandnationalprojectsandprogrammestargetingtheRomaandTravellersthathavebeenimplementedsofar.

F.2.2. action at national level

InordertoeffectivelyaddresstheneedsoftheRomaandTravellers,MemberStatesshouldadoptanapproachwherebytheinterestsofthesecommunitiesarebothtargetedwithspecificinitiativesandincludedinmainstreampolicies,suchasNationalActionPlansonSocialInclusion,Employment,LifelongLearningetc.

MemberStatesshouldadoptproactiveandconcretemeasurestoraiseaware-ness among the Roma and Travelling communities about the importance andmethodsofacquiringdocumentedlegalstatus,inabidtoensureequalaccesstocitizenshipstatusandrights,aswellastoenablebetterdatacollectionandtotar-getspecificinitiatives.Additionally,MemberStatesshouldtakespecificmeasurestoensurethatRomaandTravellersacquirefullknowledgeandimplementationoftheirrightsandofthefunctioningofthelegalsystem.

�8 ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAalongtheyearsonthesituationofRoma.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommendationsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).AlldocumentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.


�0 HLG(�007)Ethnic Minorities in the Labour Market. An Urgent Call for Better Social Inclusion,Brussels,availableat:http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/hlg/etmin_en.pdf(07.0�.�008).

�� EuropeanCommission,DGEmploymentandSocialAffairs(�00�)The Situation of Roma in an Enlarged EU,availableathttp://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/pubst/roma0�_en.pdf(��.0�.�008).


F. Situation of Roma and Travellers

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Member States should take steps to guarantee equal and physical access tohealth care, through the provision of adequate infrastructure and services, andconsiderintroducingclient-heldrecords,orsimilarnon-territorybasedsystems,formobilepopulations.

MemberStatesarestronglyurged tousemeasures relocatingcitizenswithaRomabackgroundonlywhenthereisnopossibilityoflegalisationandre-housinginsitu.

MemberStatesshouldorganisetrainingprogrammesforhealthcareauthoritiesandstaffaboutRomaandTravellers’culture,traditionsandmobilitypatterns,inordertoprovidethebestcareforthesecommunities.Additionally,MemberStatescouldalsocreateasystemofincentivesthatwouldmotivatehealthcarepersonneltoworkwithinRomaandTravellingcommunities.

Member States should actively encourage Roma and Travellers to enrol inmainstream education by removing any administrative requirements that couldeitherpreventordiscouragethis.

Member States should urgently implement special measures to reduce adultilliteracyandtoimproveemployabilityofRomaandTravellers,forinstancebyim-plementingvocationaltrainingprogrammesthatdevelopmarketableskills.Suchprogrammes should target inparticularly thewomen,which suffer fromdoublediscrimination.

MemberStatesshouldensurethatRomaandTravellers’historyandculturearegivenvisibilityinmainstreamschooltextbooks.ParticularconsiderationmustalsobegiventodisseminatingtheRomaexperienceoftheHolocaust.

MemberStatesshouldconsulttheRomacommunityregardingtheuseofRom-anilanguageinschool,seeingasopinionsonthismatteraresometimesdivided.RomanilanguageclassescouldbemadeavailableforinstanceasanoptionalcourseforallpupilsinregionswithaparticularlyhighconcentrationofRoma.

F.2.3. local authorities

Localauthoritiesneedtobesensitisedtotheneedsoftravellingcommunitiesand provide them with the necessary facilities that will improve their standardof living.Schoolsalsoneedtodevelopspecialpedagogicalmeasures inordertointegratethemintheschoolpopulationbyopenlyacknowledgingnomadismasalegitimateandrespectedchoiceandlifestyle.

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F.2.4. education authorities and institutions

SchoolsshouldsystematicallymonitortruancyofRomaandTravellingpupilsandseektoactivelyinvolveparentsinschool-relatedactivitiesanddecisions,in-cludingensuringthattheirchildrenattendschoolregularly.

Inordertoreplaceanycurrentdiscriminatorypracticesthatresultintheplace-mentofadisproportionatelyhighnumberofRomaandTravellingpupilsinspecialeducation,educationauthoritiesshouldguaranteethattheassessmentproceduresandpsycho-pedagogicaltestingaredevelopedinvolvingRomaandTravellers’rep-resentativesandthat theytake intoaccount language issuesanddifferentsocio-culturalnormsandmodelsofbehaviour.Themainaimofsuchspecialeducationprogrammes should be to transfer and integrate Roma and Travelling pupils toregulareducation.

F.2.5. roma and travellers’ organisations and communities

RomaandTravellers’organisationsandcommunitiesmustalsocontributetothe removalofprejudices and stereotypes throughactiveparticipationandcivilrightsworkinthesocietiesinwhichtheylive.Tothisend,theymightforinstanceparticipate in lobby groups that point out the discriminatory treatment experi-encedbytheRomaandTravellersinsomeaspectsofeconomic,socialorpoliticallife.


F. Situation of Roma and Travellers

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g. anti-semitismBased on the data collected through the RAXEN Information Network, the

EUMC prepared in 2004 a report on Manifestations of Anti-Semitism in the EU 2002-2003. A brief but regular overview of this topic was also provided in the An-nual Reports. Having identified the need for more comparable indicators at the EU level, the EUMC cooperated with OSCE/ODIHR to improve the instruments avail-able for data collection.32

g.1. main Findings

ThedetailedanalysisofthedataintheEUMC/FRAstudiespointtoanumberofareaswherefurtherinitiativescouldbetakenincluding:

• Legislation,inordertointroduceeffective,proportionateanddissuasivecrimi-nalpenalties;

• Monitoring and data collection,becausetheactualprevalenceofanti-Semiticincidentsisstillverydifficulttogaugeinsomecountries;

• Education,giventhecrucialimportanceofeducationandtrainingmeasuresincombatingracismandanti-Semitism,andalsobecauseoftheneedtoproperlyconveythemessageoftheHolocaust;

• Media and wider civil society,duetothenecessitytopromoteinterfaithandinterculturaldialoguethroughjoint initiativesat local,nationalandEuropeanlevel.

g.2. recommendations33 34

On the basis of the findings in its studies, the EUMC/FRA made a series ofrecommendationsandproposalsforaction.Theseshouldbeseenwithinageneralframeworkofmeasuresagainstracism,xenophobia,anti-Semitism,Islamophobiaandrelatedintolerance.

�� Oneoftheoutcomesofthiscollaborationwasaguidetodatacollectionavailableathttp://www.fra.europa.eu/eumc/index.php?fuseaction=content.dsp_cat_content&catid=��efd�eb��6�f(08.0�.�008).

�� ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAovertheyearsonthetopicofanti-Semitism.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommen-dationsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).AlldocumentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.


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g.2.1. common action at eU and national levels

TheEuropeanCommissionandMemberStatesshouldconsideradoptingmeas-uresforpolicecooperation,underArticle34oftheEUTreaty.Thesewouldworktowards enhancing the collection and dissemination of data on anti-Semitic of-fences,withtheclosecooperationofEUROPOLandEUROJUST.

g.2.2. action at national level

MemberStates shouldprioritise theobjectivesoutlined in theResolution on Remembrance of the Holocaust, Anti-Semitism and Racism,adoptedbytheEuro-peanParliamenton27January2005.Theseincludedthereinforcementofmeas-uresagainstanti-SemitismandthestandardisingofHolocausteducationinschoolcurriculaacrosstheEU.

ThoseMemberStatesthathavenotyetdoneso,shouldimprovetheirmecha-nismstocollectdataonracistcrime,soastorecordandproperlyidentifyincidentsofanti-Semitism.Thiswouldallowdeterminingtheactualprevalenceofanti-Se-miticincidents,aswellasobtainingmoredetailedinformationontheperpetratorsofanti-Semiticacts,andultimately itwouldenablethedevelopmentofeffectiveknowledge-basedcrimepreventionpolicies.

MemberStatesshouldmainstreamHolocausteducationintoallnationalcur-ricula.35Moreover,MemberStatesshouldcommissionanin-depthreviewofschooltextbooksinordertopurgeanyanti-Semiticcontent,thushelpingtoensurethatthepastispresentedfreeofbiasandthatthehistoryandmessageoftheHolocaustisproperlyconveyed.

g.2.3. media

Giventheirkeyroleinshapingsocialattitudesandbehaviour,mediaandInter-netserviceprovidersintheEUshoulddevelopclearcodesofconductandtrainingprogrammes for journalists and other media professionals to promote diversityand combat all forms of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, includinganti-Semitism.

�� ODIHR,inassociationwiththeAnneFrankHouse,hasdevelopeda�-moduleteachingmaterialspackad-dressingavarietyofaspectsofanti-Semitism.Furtherdetailsat:http://www.osce.org/odihr/item_��_��87�.html(07.0�.�008)


G. Anti-Semitism

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h. islamophobiaThe EUMC/FRA addressed the situation of Muslim communities and Islamo-

phobia in its Annual Reports as well as in several special reports: Community Cohe-sion at Local Level: Addressing the Needs of Muslim Communities. Examples of Local Initiatives (2008), Muslims in the European Union: Discrimination and Islamopho-bia (2006), Situation of Islamic Communities in Five European Cities. Examples of Local Initiatives (2001), The Impact of 7 July 2005 London Bomb Attacks on Muslim Communities in the EU (2005), and Summary Report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001 (2002).

h.1. main findings

WhilewelcomingthegrowingawarenessacrossMemberStatesofthephenom-enonofIslamophobia,theEUMC/FRAalsopointedtoanumberofareaswherefurtherprogresscouldbemade,including:

• Empowerment,bypromotingtheactiveinvolvementofMuslimcommunitiesininstitutionalisedproceduresofpolicymakingatalllevelsandbysupportingtheirself-organisationthroughcapacity-building;

• Employment,byadvancingpositiveactionandsupportmeasuresforMuslims,particularlytheyouth,andbyimplementingdiversitymanagementmeasures;

• Education,bypromotinganeducationfreeofbiasandbyincludingananti-rac-ismanddiversitycomponentinthetrainingofteachers,policestaffandotherpublicservants;

• Civil society–ontheonehandbyinsuringitssupportinthefightagainstrac-ism, xenophobia and related intolerance, including Islamophobia, and on theotherhandbyencouragingMuslimcommunities’involvementinallspheresofpubliclife.

TheEUMC/FRAhaspointedoutthatitiscrucialthattheeffortstakentoen-gagewiththeMuslimcommunityandtopreventanti-Muslimincidentsbepartoforcomplementedbycomprehensivesocialinclusionandanti-discriminationpoli-cies,sothattheyachievesustainableresultsandaddresscoreissueswithbenefitsfortheentiresociety.Itisalsoimportanttocommunicatethatsuchpolicieshavestand-aloneobjectives,whichgobeyondthepreventionofextremism.36

�6 InaCommunicationadoptedon��September�00�,theEuropeanCommissionpresentedactionsandrecommendationstocomplementcurrentnationaleffortstoprevent‘violentradicalisation’andthe‘potentialforterroristrecruitment’.TheCommissionhasnotedthe‘ancillaryeffects’thatinte-grationpoliciescanhaveonpreventingradicalisationwhilestressingthatthesearealsostand-alonepolicies.Furtherdetailsat:http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/0�/��9&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en(07.0�.�008).

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h.2. recommendations37 38

Building on the findings in its reports and reaffirming the position of the ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 5 on Combating Intolerance and Discrimina-tion against Muslims, the EUMC/FRA put forward several recommendations with an aim to support policy making towards Muslim communities. The opinions ex-pressed by the EUMC/FRA have to be seen within a general framework of measures against racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and related intolerance.

h.2.1. action at eU level

Membersofgovernment,staffofEuropeaninstitutions,politicians,policeof-ficialsandotherhighprofileopinionmakersmustshowdecisiveandresponsiblepolitical leadership, thoughpositivepublicgesturesregardingIslamandtheen-gagementindialoguewithMuslimcommunityrepresentativesmustnotbeseentooccuronlyattimesofheightenedtension.

Member States and European institutions should continue encouraging andpromotingtheactiveinvolvementofMuslimcommunitiesininstitutionalisedpro-ceduresofpolicymakingandalsoincludetheminmoreinformalchannelsofdia-logueatEuropean,nationalandlocallevels.Tothisend,MemberStatesandtheEuropeaninstitutionsshouldalsoexaminewaystosupportMuslimcommunities’self-organisationthroughcapacitybuildingandleadershipdevelopment.

h.2.2. action at national level

Member States should seriously address the employment situation of Mus-lims,particularlytheyouth.Researchshowsthattheimplementationofdiversitymanagementmeasures,wherebyculturalandreligiousallowancesaremadeintheworkplace,standstobringmanybenefitsforbothpublicandprivatesectorem-ployers.Moreover,nationalandlocalpublicauthoritiesshouldleadthewayinthepromotionofequalaccesstoemployment.

MemberStatesandlocalauthoritiesshouldexaminewaystoharnesstheactiveinvolvementofMuslimcommunitiesinpolitical,economic,socialandculturallifeandinstitutions,particularlybysupportingtheirself-organisationthroughcapac-ity-building.

�7 ThefollowingrecommendationsrepresentaselectionofthosemadebytheEUMC/FRAalongtheyearsonthetopicofIslamophobia.Furtherinformationonthissubject,aswellasdetailedconclusions,recommen-dationsandtheargumentssupportingthemcanbefoundintheEUMC/FRAreportsmentionedabove,aswellasinthemostrecentRacism and Xenophobia in the Member States of the EU(�007).AlldocumentsareavailableonthewebsiteofFRA,www.fra.europa.eu.



H. Islamophobia

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MemberStatesshouldorganisein-servicetrainingofteachers,policeofficersandcivilservantsthatshouldaddressprejudiceandnegativestereotypes,increaseawarenessofdirectandindirectdiscrimination,andprovidethemwiththeneces-sarytoolstorespondtoandeffectivelydealwithanethnicallymixedpopulation.Thediscussionofracism,xenophobiaandreligiousintoleranceshouldbepartofofficialschoolcurricula.

MemberStatesshould incorporateanti-racismanddiversity training intheirpolicetrainingprogrammes,includingafocusonissuesrelatedtoIslamophobia.

ItisnecessarythatMemberStatesexaminetheirpoliciesonreligioussymbolswith a view to ensuring that these are consistent with non-discrimination andequalitylegislationandprinciples.Wheredoubtsarise,MemberStatesshouldbepreparedtoclearlyexplainthereasonsfortheirpolicyonreligioussymbolsanditswiderbenefitsforsociety.

h.2.3. civil society

Muslim communities should strengthen or develop representative organisa-tionsthatreflectthediversityofthecommunitieswhileempoweringwomenandyouthinparticular.

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conclusionsTheEUMC/FRAfindingsshowthatintheperiodfrom1997to2007progress

hasbeenmadeacrosstheEUinthefightagainstracism,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerance. However, the EUMC/FRA identified throughout its reports short-comingsacrossMemberStateswithregards tocombatingandpreventingracistviolence and discrimination in all fields of life and particularly in employment,educationandhousing,aswellaswithregardstostrengtheninginclusion,com-munitycohesionandparticipation.TheEUMC/FRAarguedthattheinterdepend-encebetweenthesefieldsrequirestheadoptionofamoreintegratedapproachtopolicydevelopment.Allgovernmentdepartmentsshouldbeengagedinthisproc-ess,fromtheinitialdesignofpolicytoitseventualimplementationandassessingitsimpact.

Highlightingsocialinclusionandintegrationasoneofthemainchallengesfac-ingMemberStatesintheEuropeanUnion,theEUMC/FRAcallsforpolicy-makersatall levelstorecognisethe interplaybetweenmigrant integration,social inclu-sion,communitycohesionandthecombatingofracialinequalitiesinemployment,educationandhousing,andasaconsequencetoadoptamoreintegratedapproachtopolicydevelopment.

However,inordertodevelopgoodpolicies,thereisaneedforqualitydatacol-lection,monitoringandresearch.TheEUMC/FRAhasbeenofthelong-standingopinionthatthereisaneedforamorein-depthanalysisoftheimpactofnational,regionalandlocalpolicy, inthefieldsjustmentioned,ontherightsofthosebe-longing to migrant and minority groups. The regular review and assessment oftheinfluenceofsuchpoliciesshouldbeactivelypursuedwiththesupportofcivilsocietyorganisations,socialpartnersandtheminoritycommunitiesthemselves.


Conclusions

policies, legislation and practices against racism ... · racism, xenophobia and related...

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