On Monday 23 February, Ana Carla Pereira, the Director in the Directorate-General for Justice with responsibility for equality and non-discrimination presented to MEPs on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) the European Union’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030, presented on 20 January (see EUROPE 13790/8).
“Since 2023, two out of three Europeans consider that racial discrimination is widespread in their country”, while “more than 60% think that it has to do with skin colour”, she said.
And she recalled the economic consequences of racism: “Systematic barriers and racial discrimination cost the EU 12 billion in lost GDP”.
She pointed out that these figures were taken from a study commissioned from the OECD.
The new Strategy, which follows on from the 2020-2025 action plan, aims to tackle “structural racism” and strengthen the application of the existing legal framework.
“Despite a strong legislative framework, many people suffer discrimination (...) without being able to take legal action”, she acknowledged. The Commission is planning a fourth report on the implementation of the Racial Equality Directive, an examination of the effectiveness of national penalty systems and monitoring of “algorithmic discrimination” linked to artificial intelligence.
Asked about the implementation of the measures, Ana Carla Pereira stressed the key role of the national action plans. “The national plans (...) are the main tool”, she said. Drawn up by the Member States, these plans must establish priorities, actions and indicators to prevent and tackle racism at national or regional level.
They represent a political commitment and serve as a basis for dialogue with the Commission. In the event of failure to comply with EU law, “the Commission will take action, in particular before the Court of Justice”.
Concerning online discrimination and harassment. She reiterated that “the DSA is a precious instrument”. The Digital Services Act imposes stricter obligations on large online platforms to remove illegal content, including hate speech, and provides for monitoring mechanisms and penalties in the event of non-compliance.
She argued that the causes of rising tensions were “multiple: social exclusion, economic instability”, calling for action on employment, education, health and housing to “achieve a more inclusive society”.
The Strategy: https://aeur.eu/f/kbl (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)