Brussels, 22/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 21 March, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) announced the publication of a guide to European non-discrimination law.
Published by the FRA and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the handbook explains the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice with regard to European non-discrimination law and “is aimed at legal practitioners at national and European level”, FRA states in a press release.
ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa said the guide gives a simple and comprehensive explanation of a complex set of rules. It is currently available in English, French and German. The Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Greek and Polish versions will be published very soon, FRA has said, pointing out that, in due course, it will also be available in practically all the languages of the European Union, as well as in Croatian.
On Monday 21 March, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) brought out a report on discrimination and exclusion in Europe suffered by ethnic and religious minorities. For instance, in the field of education, this leads to “lower quality education for ethnic minorities, segregation, racist bullying, as well as lower attendance and schooling rates”.
The report also highlights access to public transport as a key area of concern in many countries with regard to various means of transport, including airlines. Another example of discrimination is in the private rental market, most notably in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Latvia, Malta and Spain, a press release states. The ENAR also expresses concern in its report regarding the “rise of extremist organisations and public expressions of racist sentiments within the mainstream political parties”, which has hindered the integration of migrants and ethnic minorities, this being amplified by the financial and economic crisis.
Despite a number of improvements, especially EU anti-discrimination laws, such as Directive 2000/43/EC banning racial and ethnic discrimination, ENAR President Chibo Onyeji has said that, on the basis of this study, “we still have a long way to go before reaching effective equality for all” in Europe.
In a press release on Monday 21 March, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton said: “The European Union condemns all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and similar types of intolerance, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which are totally at odds with the values the EU is founded upon”.
Ashton went on to point out that the EU “mainstreams the fight against discrimination in its international cooperation”. “The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is the universal foundation for efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate racism”, said Ashton, who went on to underline the fact that the “EU calls on all states that have not yet ratified or fully implemented the Convention to do so”. (S.P./transl.jl)