EUROPEAN NETWORK AGAINST RACISM

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 4 June 2002

SPANISH GOVERNMENT UNDER CRITICISM FROM EU-WIDE NETWORK

The Spanish government is “equating immigration with crime, manipulating crime figures and using foreigners as scapegoats when it comes to problems totally unrelated to the integration of immigrants as citizens. This kind of irresponsibility in dealing with the arrival and reception of foreigners may contribute to increasing xenophobia in the society, just as it happened in other European countries”.

Signed by over 50 participants representing anti-racist organizations in all EU countries, this “Madrid Appeal” criticizing Spanish migration policy was unanimously accepted in the closing act of a conference (31 May-1 June, Madrid) organised by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), a network of about 600 non-governmental organisations combating racism in the EU.

Under the title “Imagining a Multicultural Model of Citizenship for the EU", participants exchanged views about the concept of EU citizenship linked to residence rather than to nationality, which is the objective of a current ENAR campaign. Among several distinguished speakers, Ricard Zapata-Barrero (University Pompeu Fabra, Spain) and Paul Oriol (Collectif pour une véritable citoyenneté Européenne, France) elaborated on “The EU citizenship versus citizenship of residence”, while Dr. Hassan Bousetta (University of Leuven, Belgium) discussed “Political participation and representation of ethnic minorities in Europe”.

The acts of the conference are to be published soon on ENAR’s website www.enar-eu.org and are also available by e-mail on request.

For further comments, ENAR can be reached at:

István Ertl, ENAR Information Officer

43 rue de la Charité

B-1210 Bruxelles

Phone: 32 (0)2 229 35 71

fax: 32 (0)2 229 35 75

e-mail: istvan@enar-eu.org

http://www.enar-eu.org