On Wednesday 25 September, the European Commission published three mid-term evaluation reports on the strategies implemented to promote equality and combat discrimination in the European Union.
These reports relate to the ‘EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025’ the ‘EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030’ and the ‘LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025’, established to build a ‘Union of Equality’.
EU Anti-Racism Action Plan. While 21 out of 27 Member States have adopted national plans to combat racism by 2024, only 11 Member States have put in place effective systems for collecting data on hate crimes and racial discrimination, which makes it difficult to assess progress.
Statistics show that people of African or Middle Eastern origin in the EU continue to have an unemployment rate 10% higher than the general population.
The Commission recommends an increase in administrative and financial resources to improve the application of anti-discrimination laws and inclusion in the labour market.
It also involves stepping up diversity training for employers and stepping up the fight against online hate speech, the incidence of which has risen by 7% since 2020.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dkp
EU Roma Strategic Framework for Equality, Inclusion and Participation. With 10 to 12 million Roma living in the EU, this ethnic minority remains one of the most marginalised. The strategic framework aims to improve their access to education, employment, healthcare and housing.
However, the unemployment rate for Roma still exceeds 60% in some countries, and the school drop-out rate remains alarmingly high, sometimes reaching 80%, a figure well above the European average.
One of the targets set for 2030 is to halve the school enrolment gap between Roma and non-Roma children. To date, only 7% of Roma aged between 18 and 24 have completed secondary education, compared with 78% of the general population in the EU.
In addition, access to healthcare for Roma, particularly during the pandemic, has been considerably limited, with less than 30% having access to regular health services.
The report advocates the adoption of more ambitious targets by Member States, as well as additional investment in education and health infrastructure in regions where Roma communities live. The Commission is also calling for more detailed data collection to better assess public policies.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dks
LGBTIQ Equality Strategy. The mid-term report notes legislative advances, such as the adoption by 16 Member States of laws against hate crimes and hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In addition, a number of countries, such as Spain and Germany, have introduced laws recognising LGBTIQ families and facilitating gender reassignment for civil status purposes.
But only 12 Member States currently recognise the rights of same-sex couples who are married or in a civil union in the whole of the EU. The European Commission recommends reaching agreement on cross-border recognition of these rights by 2025.
An upsurge in acts of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ people has also been reported. Between 2020 and 2023, physical attacks and online hate speech increased by 15% and 11% respectively. Member States are called upon to adopt stronger protection mechanisms, including legal and psychological assistance services.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/dkq (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)