As promised by the President of the European Commission in her State of the Union speech (see EUROPE 12561/3) and in the European Action Plan 2020-2025 against racism (see EUROPE 12563/2), the European Union now has an “Anti-Racism Coordinator”.
The post has been awarded to Michaela Moua of Finland, the European institution announced on Monday 17 May. Ms Moua will be responsible for liaising between the European Commission and civil society, including relaying the concerns of people from racial and ethnic minorities to the office of the Commissioner for Equality.
Ms Moua has held several senior positions in Finnish NGOs and worked in the Finnish Ministry of Justice, the Commission said, assuring that the new coordinator “has extensive experience and expertise in combatting racism and ethnicity-based discrimination”.
The European Network Against Racism (ENAR), which closely monitors the implementation of European anti-racism commitments, welcomed the appointment.
The new anti-racism coordinator “should be leading all the work on the topic within the European Commission, ensuring the meaningful participation of civil society and other stakeholders and engage with national and local levels”, ENAR stressed.
The organisation issued a statement outlining in more detail its expectations of Ms Moua’s mandate. To consult it: https://bit.ly/2RUVyY1 (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)