Brussels, 09/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 9 November 2009, the European Commission published its third Eurobarometer opinion poll into how Europeans view discrimination in the European Union. The poll was carried out from 29 May to 15 June 2009 on a sample of 26,756 people in 30 European countries - the 27 EU member states plus Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Croatia. Like the two previous polls on the issue (in 2007 and 2008), Eurobarometer 2009 was carried out ahead of the European Equal Opportunities summit, to be held in Stockholm this year on 16 and 17 November 2009 on the theme of cooperation for equality, and attended by national authorities, trade unions, employers and the media. A European Commission expert said that the Eurobarometer 2009 poll showed that people had rights and discrimination was illegal. Diversity is a benefit and people should not be blocked. The poll's aim is to convince people that society is diverse, she added. The main lessons to be learnt from the 2009 poll (compared with the previous ones) are:
(1) The most widely mentioned forms of discrimination: The type of discrimination mentioned by the highest number of those polled (61%) is discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin, followed by age-related discrimination (58% in 2009, compared with 42% in 2008) and disability (53%, compared with 45% in 2007). Overall, 16% of Europeans say they were victims of discrimination in 2009 due to race, religion, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation. The perception of discrimination due to sexual orientation has declined slightly, by 4% on 2008, as has discrimination due to religion, by 3%.
(2) Are Europeans aware of their rights? A third of Europeans are aware of their rights when it comes to discrimination and harassment, but there are huge differences from country to country. In Finland, 63% of those polled are aware of their rights. Compared with 2008, awareness has grown slightly, explained the Commission, citing the UK (up 8 percent), France (up 7 percent), Ireland and Sweden (6 percent), but has fallen in Poland (down 12%) and Portugal (down 11 percent). When it comes to sexual orientation, an expert from DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities pointed out that one cannot talk about sexual orientation in the same way in Lithuania as in the Netherlands and it is important to raise member states' awareness about the importance of combatting stereotypes early on, at school, and for people to know their rights.
(3) Connection with the economic crises: There is a clear connection between discrimination and the economic crisis for 64% of the Europeans polled, who believe the recession will lead to an increase in ageism in the workplace. Some 57% believe the recession will lead to an increase in racism and 56% believe discrimination against disability will increase. The Commission comments that people's greatest fear is that the economic crisis will have repercussion on the job prospects for young people and older people at work.
(4) Who to turn to if one feels discriminated against? Most Europeans (55%) would go firstly to the police, 35% say they would go to their country's equal opportunities bureau, and 27% to a trade union. The Commission points out that the trust in the organisations that tackle discrimination varies enormously from one country to another.
(5) Factors influencing people's responses: A diverse social network, being highly educated and belonging to a minority all greatly raise awareness about discrimination issues. Some 69% of those polled believe that discrimination against the disabled does not feature enough in the media, which they view as a type of business.
(6) Prospects of strong action at EU level: To raise awareness about discrimination, the Commission should focus on two issues: (1) Legalisation. The Commission should get national authorities to respect EU directives and ensure they are properly applied, possibly supported by an additional directive alongside the current rules (as was done for the highly controversial subject of discrimination based on ethnic origin). The European Parliament gave the European Commission its full support in the spring of this year in this connection but the talks are not progressing as smoothly at the Council of Ministers. The Commission will shortly be publishing a progress report. The Commission hopes unanimous agreement will be reached under the Spanish Presidency of the EU; (2) It will take time and extra work at EU and national level by major players (like member states' equal opportunities commissions) to raise awareness. The Commission is running a pan-European awareness-raising campaign “For Diversity, Against Discriminations”, and is co-funding national projects under the Progress programme. The Commission is also providing €5.6 million to national campaigns (especially in countries where there are greater levels of discrimination) for 35 projects in the EU. (G.B./transl.fl)