26 February 2004

Leaders cannot rest on their laurels and allow EU to be safe haven for racism

By Bashy Quraishy

WHEN it comes to fighting racism, the EU institutions have the tendency to congratulate themselves on the job achieved. At ENAR, the European Network Against Racism, we estimate that, on the contrary, the EU has abdicated its responsibilities in the fight against racism – and ENAR denounces it for this course of action.

In the past, key dates have marked the EU’s genuine political commitment to combat racism and xenophobia and highlighted the dynamic development of a coherent EU policy on these key issues.

In 1995, the Commission published a communication on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. In 1996, the institutions adopted a joint action to combat racism and xenophobia. The EU Monitoring Centre on Xenophobia and Racism (EUMC) was established in 1997 following the European Year Against Racism and in 1998 the action plan against racism was adopted.

At the Tampere Summit in 1999, the European Council called “for the fight against racism and xenophobia to be stepped up” and proposed in 2001 a framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia, tackling the issue of racism as a crime. The same year, member states declared at the Laeken Summit that ‘racism is on the rise’.
However, since then, nothing has further materialized.

Civil society continues to draw the attention of the general public and governments to the fact that racism is on the rise. Racist and xenophobic crimes continue to be reported daily. In fact, political parties openly developing a political programme based on racist and xenophobic propaganda have even become members of a number of government coalitions in Europe.

Paradoxically, this evidence is totally ignored by European decision-makers who, since the 2001 Laeken Declaration, have steadily marginalized any EU action against racism on their political agenda by no longer condemning racism in the European Council presidency conclusions. Discussions in the Convention on the future of Europe, about the EU’s competence in justice and home affairs on combating racism and xenophobia, have been extremely difficult.

We are witnessing a total blockage in political negotiations regarding the proposed framework decision to combat racist and xenophobic crime. The agendas of both the Irish and Dutch presidencies do not plan any action on this or any major initiative against racism in 2004.

Do European decision-makers think there is no racism anymore? Or do they think they have done their job?

Indeed, the two equality directives adopted in 2000 to fight discrimination are merely milestones in the EU’s policy to combat racism and are thus not an end-objective as such.
A lot still needs to be done and the Council must assume its responsibilities to implement the Tampere objective to step up the fight against this scourge.

Negotiations with a view to adopting the framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia need to be restarted.

Presidencies have the duty to keep the item high on their political agenda.
The EUMC was one of the major outcomes of the European Year Against Racism. It enhances the visibility of the European commitment and produces valuable research and recommendations for the development of both EU and national policies to fight racism and xenophobia. However, the Council unexpectedly decided in December 2003 to broaden the mandate of the EUMC to transform it into a general human rights agency.
By changing the focus of the EUMC, the issue of anti-racism has once again been marginalized. Safeguards need to be given to preserve the resources, the focus and the visibility of the centre’s actions against racism.

At Tampere, member states agreed that ‘people have the right to expect the Union to address the threat to their freedom and legal rights posed by serious crime’.
Racism is a serious crime and the lack of action against it is shaping the EU as a safe haven for racists. Is that what decision-makers really want?

· Bashy Quraishy is chairman of the European Network Against Racism, which comprises 600 NGOs.