The European Commissioner for Justice, Věra Jourová, presented on Tuesday 22 January the results of a new Eurobarometer survey on public perception of Antisemitism at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, where four people had died five years earlier.
One of the most striking conclusions of the Eurobarometer is the perception gap on Antisemitism. While a survey by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) published in December (see EUROPE 12156) revealed that 89% of European Jews consider that Antisemitism has increased considerably over the last 5 years, this survey shows that only 36% of public opinion considers that it has increased.
The survey also shows significant differences in perception between Member States. People who consider Antisemitism a problem are more numerous in countries where Jewish communities are large and where physical attacks against these communities have taken place, including Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Belgium, the report points out.
Moreover, only 3% of Europeans feel “very well informed” about Jewish history, customs and practices, while 68% say they are “not informed”. Only 4 in 10 Europeans believe that the Holocaust is sufficiently taught in schools and 34% of respondents did not know that Holocaust denial is criminalised.
Creation of a group of experts
Recalling several initiatives already taken by the Commission in recent years to combat this phenomenon, Commissioner Jourová also announced the creation of a working group to “give life” to the declaration adopted by the EU Council in December (see EUROPE 12155) in order to intensify their fight against Antisemitism and improve the security of Jewish communities in Europe.
This working group would be established within the framework of the Member States' High Level Group of Experts against Racism and Xenophobia and would provide active support to Member States to make progress in this area.
The Commission hopes to see the concrete results of the work of this group by the end of 2020. Ms. Jourová will present her proposal at the next meeting of the High Level Group on Racism and Xenophobia in March. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)