The seven co-presidents of the European Parliament’s Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI) welcomed the meeting held by videoconference on Tuesday 28 July with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
“This is brand new: I am in my third term in the European Parliament and it is the first time that a Commission President herself is engaging in dialogue with our intergroup and on this issue”, ARDI co-president Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL, French) told EUROPE. “This meeting is a political act, and I see it as a very strong signal”, he said.
In a statement, several intergroup co-presidents also welcomed Mrs von der Leyen’s commitment to address the problems of racism and discrimination and her willingness to involve ARDI in this process.
Action plan
This meeting was in fact an opportunity for the co-presidents to inform Ursula von der Leyen of their proposals for the action plan against racism and xenophobia promised by the Commission (see EUROPE 12513/12).
“The President wanted to have a first exchange with us before the summer break”, Younous Omarjee explained, assuring that “permanent” work is being done on this subject with the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli.
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Greens/EFA, Germany) said at the end of the meeting that she was pleased that “the President took into account the idea of having a single coordinator for the fight against racism”.
Mónica Silvana González (S&D, Spain), for her part, said she had raised the problem of the lack of progress in the EU Council on the directive on equal treatment and non-discrimination, which has been blocked for 12 years.
Peter Pollak (EPP, Slovakia) and Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA, Germany), for their part, placed particular emphasis on the fight against antiziganism.
Role of institutions
“For my part, I recalled that the European institutions remain the bulwark against discrimination and racism - a fight inseparable from the fight against the return of nationalism”, Mr Omarjee said.
The President, for her part, reaffirmed that the fight against discrimination should be cross-disciplinary and should be reflected in all the decisions taken by her Commission.
Furthermore, she again deplored the lack of diversity within the European institutions and stressed that change had to be initiated at this level (see EUROPE 12508/11). Otherwise, “the right questions will never be raised or listened to”, insisted Samira Rafaela (Renew Europe, Netherlands), co-president of ARDI.
The intergroup intends to continue its work on the action plan and does not rule out being heard again by Mrs von der Leyen.
“Where the Commission needs us is also in the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework”, Mr Omarjee stressed, noting that many of the points raised today “obviously relate to budgetary matters”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)