21st of March marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The European Union has been founded on the values of respect for human dignity and rights, freedom, democracy, and equality. No-one in the EU should be discriminated based on its racial or ethnic origin.
In 2020 the European Commission stepped up its work in tackling persistent issues and presented the first EU Anti-Racism Action Plan, that set up a series of measures and brought together actors at all levels to address racism more effectively in the EU.
Despite this, certain issues persist. An EU survey from 2023 shows that more than half the concerned peoples faced discrimination based on their being Roma (65%), their skin colour (61%,) or their ethnic origin (60%).
In 2023 the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights reported that harassment and violence against people of African descent and Muslims in the EU has not improved since 2016. Discrimination was most common when searching for accommodation, looking for a job, at work or in education.
There is a distinctive need for further action. And as part of its new priorities, the Commission is working on a new EU Anti-racism Strategy, so that racism has no place in the EU.
For more information:
Equality bodies for the promotion of equal treatment and non-discrimination
EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025
Eurobarometer survey on Discrimination in the European Union – December 2023
Report: Being Black in the EU
Report: Being Muslims in the EU
Source: Tackling racial discrimination in the EU – European Commission
