Name or Title of the ProjectStrategies on Litigation tackling Discrimination in EU Countries (SOLID)

Information on Training Seminars

 

Project partners

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)

 

Aim

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