ENAR Weekly Mail 12
16 September 2005
FROM ENAR MEMBERS
· MRAX to court over veil issue
MRAX, the NGO which holds the Belgian coordination of ENAR, is taking legal action in the Belgian Council of State to overturn school regulations banning the wearing of a Muslim headscarf. The organisation is convinced that banning girls from wearing a headscarf at school is xenophobic and displays cultural ignorance. Besides the legal action, the movement wants to stimulate debate and put forward five proposals for consideration. Read more (in French only)
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE EU
· IHF statement on human rights in Europe
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) has published a set of sixteen interventions to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which will be held from 19 to 30 September 2005 in Warsaw. This meeting is the main annual OSCE conference to deal with human rights issues. “Thirty years after the Helsinki process began, the situation remains very grave for many citizens in the region whose human rights are still not honoured,” said Aaron Rhodes, the executive director of the IHF.
· Britain calls for change to European Convention on Human Rights
In the aftermath of the July bomb attacks in London, senior politicians are now warning that EU citizens will have to accept curbs on their civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. Addressing the European Parliament on 7 September, UK home secretary Charles Clarke said the 50-year old European Convention on Human Rights had to be reviewed. His comments received a mixed response from MEPs. Read more
· I CARE Durban +5 Poll
The outcomes of ICARE’s poll about the 2001 World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) and the possibility of holding a follow-up meeting 5 years later, confirm that the NGO community is still divided over the happenings during the WCAR in Durban in 2001. Read the poll
EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC) AND OTHER EU INSTITUTIONS
· EUMC call for PHARE RAXEN Project
The EUMC (European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia) published a call for the second PHARE RAXEN (Racism and Xenophobia Network) project. The purpose of this call for tender is to identify candidates to operate a National Focal Point in Bulgaria and Romania that will network with governmental, non-governmental and research organisations in order to collect reliable data, conduct research and studies on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. If you know of any potentially interested parties, please distribute this information to them. Deadline for the call is the 24 October 2005. Further information
· EC immigration and asylum package
As was mentioned in last week’s Weekly Mail, the European Commission on 1 September published a major package of measures in the field of immigration and asylum. The package includes: a Proposal for a Returns Directive - a Communication on Integration – a Communication on Regional Protection Programmes – a Communication on Migration and development
The European Council of Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and other European refugee NGOs responded saying the Commission's proposals are contradictory. Peer Baneke, General Secretary of ECRE: “There is much to be welcomed in the Commission’s proposals, but there are fundamental contradictions. The Commission proposes tough common rules on deporting asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected, when the chances of being recognized as a refugee still vary enormously across the EU.” Read more
· European Court of Justice rejects family reunion challenge
In an opinion presented on 8 September, the advocate general of the European Court of Justice has advised the court to reject the European Parliament’s attempt to annul elements of the Family Reunion directive (Case C-540/03). The Court almost invariably follows the opinion of the advocate general. You can read the application and opinion on the Court’s website: in English // in French
· ECRI mailing list
ECRI, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe, has created a mailing list to inform its key partners on a regular basis on the latest developments and events concerning ECRI. Rapid reaction is key to combating racism effectively on all levels and the mailing list aims to provide ECRI’s partners with up-to-date information to be used in their day-to-day work.
Subscribe: combat.racism@coe.int
ROMA ISSUES
· Hungary: ERRC submits written comments to UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
The European Roma Right Centre (ERRC) submitted a shadow report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) concerning Romani children’s rights issues in Hungary. The CRC will formally review Hungary’s compliance with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in January 2006. In October 2005 a pre-session working group of the Committee will meet to assess preliminary issues and main areas of focus with respect to Hungary. The ERRC shadow report focuses on the following issues: the Hungarian anti-discrimination law; ethnic statistical data; child protection; racial segregation in schools; health care; and housing. Read more
CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, MEETINGS & EVENTS
Date and venue: 19 October 2005, London (UK)
The Runnymede Trust (UK) will be holding this one-day conference to launch its latest report, Preventing Racist Violence. Paul Goggins, UK Home Office Minister for Policing, Security and Safer Communities will give the keynote address. The day has been designed to ensure that all delegates can participate in discussion with practitioners and also listen to leading experts in the field with first hand knowledge of the problems. In addition there will be speakers from community groups giving practical examples of how they are achieving success in combating racism. Draft programme and registration form
· Racism and Ethnicity
Date and venue: 9 November 2005, London (UK)
The Race Equality Unit (REU) and the Social Services Research Group (SSRG) are organising a second one-day conference exploring the messages for policy and practice of research on racism and ethnicity. This event is aimed at practitioners, policy makers, researchers, carers, users and others involved in the area of service planning and improvement. There will be a number of plenary speakers and smaller workshops. A booking form is available from www.reu.org.uk and www.ssrg.org.uk.
PUBLICATIONS
· ECRE Way Forward paper: Towards the Integration of Refugees in Europe
This 53-page paper by the European Council of Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) contains recommendations on ways to improve the integration of refugees in Europe. Based on ECRE's definition of integration as a two-way process, the paper takes a closer look at what more could be done to develop welcoming societies and the role of education, politicians and the media. It also makes suggestions for the improvement of civic, socio-economic and cultural integration of refugees. The paper is part of the organisation’s development of a series of proposals entitled “The Way Forward - Europe’s Role in the Global Refugee Protection System” designed to provide constructive recommendations on a number of topical refugee policy issues, including returns, resettlement, integration, effective protection in regions of origin and fair and efficient asylum systems. Download the paper
· Beyond Black and White: mapping new immigrant communities
This report by Sarah Kyambi (Research Fellow at the Migration Equalities and Citizenship Team of the Institute for Public Policy Research, IPPR) provides the first comprehensive picture of new immigrant diversity across the UK. Using Census and Labour Force Survey data this report maps were immigrants live and gives a detailed breakdown of the socio-economic profiles of new and settled immigrants by country of birth and across UK regions focusing on age, gender, employment status, earnings and qualifications. Read some of the findings - The report can be purchased (£10) from www.ippr.org.uk
· EPC Issue Paper: Revamping Development Efforts. An assessment of Development Policy in the EU
Ahead of the review of the Millennium Development Goals in New York, the European Policy Centre (EPC) published this Issue Paper which brings together a number of leading commentators and specialists in development issues to analyse trends in EU development policy and the challenges it faces. You can read the Issue Paper online (English only). For further details or to obtain printed copies of the paper, contact Carlos Buhigas Schubert at: C.BuhigasSchubert@theEPC.be
· Centre for European Reform: Why Europe should embrace Turkey
Even if Turkey starts EU accession talks as planned in October, its accession process will be anything but smooth. Among the obstacles are: public opposition to Turkish membership, the EU's struggle to digest its last enlargement, the Cyprus question, some politicians’ insistence on a ‘privileged partnership’, and the Turks’ lack of knowledge of what EU entry entails. The essays in this 47-page pamphlet explain the risks and problems that loom on Turkey’s way into the EU, concluding that Turkey would be an asset for the Union, the European economy and for EU foreign policy. Read the pamphlet
On the same topic, a recent survey, just weeks before the scheduled start of the membership talks, showed that fewer and fewer Europeans are backing Turkey's entry into the EU. Read more: in English // in French
· Compensations to Roma Victims of the Holocaust & the International Organization for Migration
This 19-page report by Dzeno Association is an attempt to bring complete information about International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) role in compensation programmes on behalf of Roma victims of the Holocaust and forced labour work.
Read more – read the Report (English only)