Brussels considers EU equality law change to tackle racism
BRUSSEL - Brussels will consider upgrading the EU’s race equality law as it sets out a sweeping plan to tackle discrimination against people from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background.
A draft EU action plan against racism, seen by the Guardian, proposes to investigate whether the 2000 race equality directive has gaps, particularly on policing and law enforcement. The document, expected to be unveiled on Wednesday by the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, during her annual state of the union address, is intended to mark a turning point in the EU’s approach to anti-racism, following the Black Lives Matter protests that brought thousands on to the streets of Europe.
The draft states: “It is not enough to be against racism. We have to be active against it.” It describes racism as structural and “often deeply embedded in our societies’ history, intertwined with its cultural roots and norms”. It follows an official report that concluded Europeans of African descent face a “dire” picture of discrimination in everyday life, with almost one-third having reported experiencing racial harassment in the past five years.
The EU does not control police forces, health services or social housing. However, it is exploring how to use anti-discrimination laws and EU agencies to promote anti-racism policies across the 27 member states. This is an approach that could trigger conflict with national governments. The EU institutions, which are predominantly white, have been accused of a blind spot over discrimination facing BAME Europeans. This complaint was fuelled when Margaritis
Schinas, the commission vice-president charged with promoting “our European way of life”, told the Financial Times in June Europe did not have issues “that blatantly pertain to police brutality”. Samira Rafaela, a Dutch liberal MEP, told the Guardian the EU had been “too relaxed” about racism for too long. “This action plan is very much needed to make the EU institutions very very aware that they need to invest in this topic,” said Rafaela, a co-president of the European parliament’s anti-racism and diversity intergroup.
(The Guardian)