Name
or Title of the ProjectStrategies on Litigation tackling Discrimination in
EU Countries (SOLID)
Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (Lead Partner)
European Network Against Racism (Core Partner)
Public Interest Law Institute
European Roma Rights Centre
Interights
National Bureau against Racial Discrimination (LBR)
Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial
Discrimination (DRC/DACoRD)
The project aims at
the achievement of effective
transposition and implementation of the Race Equality and Framework Directives
through empowerment, capacity building and partnership, promoting equality for
Ethnic and Racial Minority groups across the European Union.
One sentence description of what will be
accomplished as a result of the action
Overview
The deadlines for the
Transposition of the Race Equality Directive and the Framework Employment
Directive have passed. Not all countries have transposed the Directives,
and of those that have there are a significant number where the transposition
does not meet the minimum standards. The lack of sufficient implementation amongst many
Member States leads to a lack of access to justice for victims of
discrimination, and significant legal uncertainty. It is in the
interests of the European Union and the NGO community to have effective and
uniform transposition and implementation of the two Directives within the EU,
in order to achieve effective legal protection against discrimination and
remedies from legal protection.
For this to be realised, a holistic strategy needs to be taken which includes, but is not restricted to, litigation and the identification of test cases. The project will train groups of NGO representatives from each of the 25 EU Member States, not only in the standards of the Directives, but also in strategic litigation, and the development of National Strategies on Litigation and Support. This will create a cadre of trained experts who can identify test cases and work in partnership with other organisations, including National Equality Bodies, Trade Unions and other NGOÕs, to support victims of discrimination.
We also aim to
make a crucial connection between NGOÕs and lawyers. Too many people within the
NGO community believe that the law is too remote
and inaccessible, while too many lawyers perpetuate this
myth. It is hoped that tThrough this
approach gaps in transposition can be filled, the resulting laws will be
implemented effectively, and we will begin to see real change in the experiences
of communities that face discrimination.
Countries will be grouped geographically, with training held in four regions across Europe (excluding pilots), and between 3 and 7 participants from each country depending on the size of the country. This will facilitate the creation of national and regional support networks, and increase the regional networking of organisations, as well as enabling the training to be more tailored to the situation of participantsÕ countries.
During
the training, specific attention will be paid to the national situation of each
country, to enable the production of a National Strategy. For this section of the training, organisations will be grouped
according to the country they work in.
Recruitment
The SOLID
Partners want to ensure that organisations and individuals participating in the
training are able to contribute to the goals of the SOLID project, particularly
the development of longer-term measures, in a strategic manner.
The process
of recruitment and selection of training participants is important in ensuring
the strategic impact of the training, and ensuring transparency and fairness.
Primary selection criteria will relate to the organisation, as participation in
the training is for the benefit of organisations, not individuals. However,
individuals nominated by selected organisations need to be in a position (both
in terms of their position in the organisation and their skills) to bring the
learning obtained back to the organisation, and to develop and implement the National
Strategy.
The training is targeted at NGOÕs who work directly with ethnic and racial minority groups and either (a) already offer support to victims of race discrimination (not limited to legal support) or (b) be in a position to offer this support. The organisation must be willing to commit to the production and implementation of a National Strategy on Litigation and Support following the full training programme, including the development of a longer term strategy.
We will soon be
seeking to recruit participants for the training programme of the SOLID
project. If you are interested in finding out more and/or would like to receive
information on how to apply for the training, please contact:
Tansy Hutchinson or Patrick Yu
Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities
3rd Floor Ascot House
24-31 Shaftesbury Square
Belfast
BT2 3DW
Tel: (0044) 028 90238645
e-mail: thutchinson@nicem.org.uk or patrickyu@nicem.org.uk
This project is supported by the European Community Action Programme to combat Discrimination (2001-2006)
A
twenty- lines summary of the action presented in a ready-to-use format for
dissemination purposes