Pan-European consultation on equality, non-discrimination

Very often racial discrimination in Malta is immediately associated with some club bouncers' action in not allowing into clubs people of different race than ours, generally taken to mean people from North Africa or from the Arab world. But is that the only form of racial discrimination shown against these people? Many would say no, but how aware are we of other forms of discrimination?

Public comments revealing an extreme form of intolerance on grounds of race have recently caused quite a stir in Malta. In a way, the shock and dismay these created helped to bring into a much sharper focus than ever before the need to raise greater awareness of racial discrimination.

But have we ever seriously stopped to think of forms of racial discrimination shown even among European citizens themselves? European citizens are not a uniform race and encompass different nationalities and creeds.

In Malta, the Church's Justice and Peace Commission, reconstituted as part of the Synod's action programme, plans to help in efforts aimed at creating greater awareness of racial intolerance.

As a starting point, we may well start with an initiative that the European Union itself is undertaking right now. As European citizens, we have an opportunity of expressing our own views in a pan-European consultation exercise launched by the Commission to help shape the Union's future policy strategy with regard to non-discrimination and equal treatment.

This consultation exercise takes the shape of a Green Paper that will feed into the reflections of the new Commission that will take office in November.

Responses to the Green Paper, Equality and Non-Discrimination in an Enlarged European Union, will be collected principally using an on-line questionnaire. It was launched on June 1 and ends on August 31.

But is there a real need for such consultation? Yes, there is, as the problem of discrimination is still far from being solved.

"Discrimination continues to be a daily reality for millions of people who live and work in the EU. In addition, new challenges have emerged since the adoption of the current instruments for combating discrimination at European level," Odile Quintin, director general, employment and social affairs, said.

"Our objective should be to ensure that the EU's framework for combating discrimination on all of the relevant grounds is effectively implanted and enforced across the enlarged Union."

In fact, anti-discrimination policy was an important part of the EU's approach to immigration, inclusion, integration and employment.

By clarifying rights and obligations and highlighting the positive benefits of diversity in a multicultural society, it can help to guide a process of change based on mutual respect between ethnic minorities, migrants and host societies.

"Anti-discrimination policy must continue to form an effective part of the EU's response to a number of issues of public concern. It must support efforts to combat all forms of racism and xenophobia, including recent manifestations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia."

The majority of Europeans continued to oppose all forms of discrimination, as confirmed by the recent Eurobarometer opinion poll on Discrimination In Europe. This provides a strong mandate for the EU's continuing efforts in the field of anti-discrimination and equal treatment.

The Green Paper says that in seeking views about how the EU can continue and reinforce its efforts to combat discrimination and to promote equal treatment, it was responding to calls from the European Parliament and others to organise a public consultation on the future development of policy in this area.

Giving a progress report, the Green Paper says a considerable body of European legislation has been put in place over the last 30 years, in order to tackle sex discrimination relation to pay, working conditions and social security.

Over the years, the case-law of the European Court of Justice has helped to clarify and reinforce this legal framework. Today, equality between women and men is recognised as one of the EU's core objectives and efforts are made to mainstream the gender dimension in all Union's activities.

One ground-breaking directive, unanimously adopted in 2000, bans direct and indirect discrimination, as well as harassment and instructions to discriminate, on grounds of racial or ethnic origin.

The Green Paper says enlargement should be used as an incentive for all member states to step up their efforts to address the challenges faced by minorities.

It highlights a number of areas where further efforts are required. Many of these efforts imply action at national and regional level, as well as the active involvement of civil society and other stakeholders.

Dr Borg is chairman, Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission.