The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is due to present an Action Plan to combat racism in the EU in her first State of the Union address on Wednesday 16 September. Ms Von der Leyen took up the issue in June, when protests swept across the United States and many European countries in response to the death of African-American George Floyd.
As the institution prepares to lift the veil on the “concrete actions” promised in June (see EUROPE 12513/12), EUROPE spoke to MEP Alice Kunhke (Greens/EFA, Sweden), who was consulted by Ms von der Leyen earlier this month on the Action Plan.
“I understand that it is rare for the President of the Commission to invite a single Member of Parliament, let alone one from the opposition, to ask for her opinion”, Kunhke laughs, praising the “determination and commitment” that Ursula von der Leyen seems to show on this hitherto little-regarded subject.
Revendications. At the meeting, the MEP insisted on the need to resume negotiations on the Directive against unequal treatment, which has been blocked in the EU Council since 2008.
On other occasions, she also called for the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) to be given the necessary funding and tools to be able to support States, in particular in setting up national action plans against racism.
“We all know that the EU has very high human rights standards, but we also know that the situation in member countries is very critical in the fight against racism”, said Alice Kunhke. Only 15 of the 27 Member States have action plans in this area today, she points out.
However, no progress will be made at EU level without adequate funding. She also reminded Ms von der Leyen of this during their meeting: the European Council’s position on this matter, to her, is not acceptable.
On 21 July last, the Heads of State and Government agreed to allocate 841 million euros to the “Justice, Rights and Values” programme of the Multiannual Financial Framework. Parliament, on the other hand, was asking for almost two billion.
Finally, Ms Kunhke and the President of the Commission agreed on the need to combat racism within the European institutions themselves. “The first step is to recognise that we have a problem here. The second is to change the way we recruit”.
Coming from a modest background, being a refugee or a child of refugees... For the Member, such criteria could also be used to increase representativeness in institutions dealing with subjects as diverse as those that affect citizens on a daily basis.
Legislative proposals. Once the solutions have been identified, they still need to be implemented. Alice Kunhke expects above all that the Commission’s Action Plan will consist of legislative proposals. In particular, a revision of the anti-racism Directive could be announced, EUROPE has learned.
“Without concrete legislations and actions put forwards, it’s only words. And we are beyond the time when words were enough”, assured the Member.
This was reflected in the reactions of her colleagues to her speech on police violence at the June plenary session. When she left the Chamber, several EPP members assured her of their support and admitted: “we must do more”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)