Equality, non-discrimination and racism

The EUMC Annual Report 2006 looks at racial discrimination and data on racist violence and crime. It also includes an overview of positive initiatives.The EUMC finds that migrants and ethnic minorities remain discriminated against across the EU in employment, education and housing.

The report analyses the impact of the bomb attacks on the EU's Muslim communities, examining government and police responses to the events, the reaction from Muslim communities, media reporting, and the possibility of an anti-Muslim backlash, in the EU and in the UK in particular.

This annual report of the Agency is the EU's first comprehensive overview of racist, xenophobic, antisemitic and anti-Muslim discrimination, and responses to it, to cover all 25 EU Member States. The Roma emerge as the group most vulnerable to racism in the EU. They face discrimination in employment, housing and education - as well as being regular victims of racial violence. Other groups facing high levels of discrimination in many Member States are migrant workers from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Muslim groups face particularly challenging conditions in many Member States. Also recent migrants from Russia or the Ukraine may be subject to discrimination in some Member States.

The report on ‘Racist Violence in 15 EU Member States' is based on national reports by the Agency's National Focal Points and includes available data for the period 2001-2004. The focus of the report is on the extent and nature of, and policy responses to, racist violence (and associated activities) in EU15.

By their very nature, opinion polls are in danger of misinterpretation or simplification. The EUMC puts forward these questions & answers in order to facilitate a better interpretation of the survey results.

This summary provides a brief overview and interpretation of important results from the analysis of the 2003 Eurobarometer survey and 2003 European Social Survey on majorities’ attitudes
towards minorities. Detailed research findings can be found in the four reports stemming from the research.

In 2003 the Agency commissioned a research team from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands (NISCO) to conduct a major analysis of data from the 2003 Eurobarometer Survey and the 2003 European Social Survey on attitudes towards minorities and migrants in different European countries. The researchers also compared the findings of the 2003 Eurobarometer with results of earlier Eurobarometer Surveys. The research team produced a statistical analysis, written up as four reports.

In the Annual Report published on 2 December 2004, the Agency concludes that the education system in EU states is still failing migrant and minority pupils and racism against the Roma community continues.

The report analyses the existing and developing legal measures and remedies against discrimination of migrants and minorities, especially within the framework of the two EU anti-discrimination directives and their transposition into national legislation.

This report complements the report "Manifestations of Antisemitism in the EU 2002-2003" and consists of material from in-depth interviews with 35 persons from Jewish communities in eight European countries, covering their own perceptions of antisemitism.