Brussels, 25/06/2008 (Agence Europe) -Racist violence and discriminatory behaviour are increasing throughout the EU, but the countries of the EU do little or nothing to sanction these actions, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights lamented on Tuesday 24 June, when its first annual report was published. The agency, which was created in Vienna in 2007, stressed the upward trend in racist and anti-Semitic actions (in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden) or right-wing extremism (France and Germany). It also noted an increase in discrimination at the workplace. "No sanctions were applied in 12 member states after proceedings had been undertaken", notes the agency, quoting the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia. In the 15 other member states, "the gaps are extreme". In certain cases, this lack of sanctions coincides with the absence of a specialist body to fight racism and discrimination, the agency states. The United Kingdom has the most effectively applied anti-discrimination legislation of the whole of the EU and, with 95 penalties over the period 2006-2007; it pronounced more sanctions than all of the other member states put together. France is in second place, having sanctioned four individuals. Belgium, on the other hand, is characterised "by the rarity or absence of sanctions". The EU has legislation on racial equality, but it has not been entirely transposed in the member states. In May, the European Commission sent an official request to 14 of them, including France and the United Kingdom, to fulfil this obligation. Lastly, it is worth noting that the Roma remain the European community which is most often the victim of discrimination in terms of housing, education and access to healthcare services. (B.C./trans.fl)