EU Anti-Racism Action Plan: Civil Society recommendations 2021-2022

Brussels, 20 September 2021: As part of a coalition, ENAR and 40 Civil Society Organisations across Europe share recommendations for the European Commission to prioritise ahead of the one-year EU Anti-Racism Action Plan anniversary.

EU Anti-Racism Action Plan Civil Society recommendations 2021-2022 As we mark the one-year anniversary of the European Union (EU) Anti-Racism Action Plan (ARAP) and the recent appointment of the new EU Coordinator on Anti-Racism, we are calling on the European Commission to prioritise the following recommendations in its work the next year.

• 1- Policy delivery

• Extension of the Race Equality Directive (RED) to cover law enforcement – The European Commission should present its proposal to extend the RED to cover law enforcement as stated in the ARAP and prioritise tackling hate crime committed by law enforcement.
• National Action Plans against Racism (NAPAR) - The EU Coordinator on Anti-Racism and the European Commission’s subgroup on NAPAR should finalise the common principles of NAPARs and support Member States to deliver their NAPAR proposals in 2022 including through a Council Recommendation.
• Mainstreaming of racial equality - The EU Coordinator on Anti-Racism and the Task Force on Equality should create a Working Group on racial justice that includes relevant Directorates-General to help facilitate genuine engagement on racial justice in other policy areas such as climate, digital, economic, education, employment, foreign, security and defence policy, gender, migration and security.
• Anti-racist human rights defenders and organisations – The European Commission should closely monitor the situation of anti-racist human rights defenders and organisations in Member States and provide support for anti-racist human rights defenders and organisations at risk.
• Anti-racism Summit – The EU Coordinator on Anti-Racism should ensure that the second EU Anti-Racism Summit scheduled to take place in France under the French EU Presidency will discuss structural racism, be co-organised with civil society and that it is interactive with high level participation including the President of the Commission and Heads of States.

• 2 – Civil society engagement

• The EU Coordinator on Anti-Racism should ensure structured and regular dialogue with local, regional and national civil society organisations led by racialised groups and organisations working on issues related to racial justice and equality including meaningful involvement in policy processes.

• 3 – Working environment and representation

• The Office of Diversity and Inclusion office should release the results of the EU staff survey and a strategy to ensure a safe and successful working environment for racialised people and others from underrepresented communities.
• The Office of Diversity and Inclusion office should put forward its proposal for a strategy or program that will increase representation of racialised people and others from underrepresented communities.

Signatories

1. European Network against Racism (ENAR)
2. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
3. European Roma Grassroots Organisations network (ERGO)
4. Waterford Integration Services, Ireland – (member of ENAR)
5. European Network On Religion and Belief (ENORB)
6. Eurodiaconia
7. Fair Trials
8. Àltera
9. Migrant Tales
10. Changemakers Lab
11. CADO-Advocacy and Human Rights Centre (Romania)
12. Trans United Europe/ BPOC Trans Network
13. Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO)
14. Asociación Nacional Presencia Gitana
15. Anti-Racist Forum ry
16. Ad Lucem Foundation
17. Velferdsalliansen EAPN Norway
18. Public Institution Roma Community Centre
19. Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
20. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
21. Movimento SOS Racismo –– Portugal
22. Centre for Peace Studies
23. Regional Roma Educational Youth Association – RROMA – North Macedonia
24. Asociación Musulmana por los Derechos Humanos (AMDEH)
25. Instituto de Asuntos Culturales, España
26. Trans United Europe/BPOC Trans Network
27. The Czech Helsinki Committee
28. Federación de Asociaciones Gitanas de Catalunya – FAGiC
29. Moxie Consultancy Collective
30. CEJI-A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe
31. BIBI AMKA Woman wake up
32. Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre, Ireland
33. INAR – Irish Network Against Racism, Ireland
34. Collective for Countering Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE)
35. Stichting Ocan
36. SIEMPRE ong – Networking for Latin-American women in Belgium
37. Roma Active Albania
38. Nadia Karera
39. RomanoNet
40. Czech Republic India ki Rasta Foundation
41. Greek Forum of Migrants

Download the coalition manifesto here.

Attached documents