Greater push needed for equality, says EU rights agency report[de] 

• Anti-discrimination legislation and its application

The report notes the progress made in the implementation of the EU Racial Equality Directive in a majority of member states during 2006, but adds that by the end of the year there were still a few countries lagging behind. Furthermore, the report finds that many countries showed no indication that a single sanction had been applied or compensation awarded in cases of ethnic discrimination during 2006, even though laws and procedures were in place. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, on average only one third of EU citizens (32%) claim to know their rights should they become victim of discrimination or harassment. 

• Racist violence and crime 

Racism either continued or emerged in some member states in 2006, according to FRA, while most EU countries still have insufficient data-collection on the issue, meaning that trends in recorded crime in many member states are difficult to detect. Eight of the 11 member states for which sufficient criminal justice data is available to undertake a trend analysis experienced a general upward trend (Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Finland and the UK). Three states experienced a general downward trend in recorded racist crime (Czech Republic, Austria and Sweden).

• Employment 

FRA noted "continuing indications in 2006 of a growing awareness of the problem of ethnic discrimination in employment, and the need to combat it. In some member states there were landmark court decisions against discrimination in access to employment, where before there were none". The report also indicates, however, that some innovative 'good practice' examples were reported, with the public sector in several member states demonstrating "special positive action initiatives to recruit under-represented minorities".  

• Migrants' housing 

The 2006 data shows that disparities in housing between migrants and nationals are significant across Europe. According to FRA: "There are clear differences between migrants and nationals regarding housing standards, occupancy rates, quality of facilities and concentration in poorer housing areas. Roma segregation remains a particular problem. In some countries, the extreme deprivation of housing for Roma is heightened by their vulnerability to forced evictions and relocations." 

• Education

Information in 2006 points to an increased public and political awareness as regards discrimination and related inequalities in education in the European Union. While there are an increasing number of programmes aimed at supporting Roma and diminishing segregation and discrimination, many EU efforts to ensure equal opportunities in education suffer from insufficient funding, the report finds.  

In presenting the new report to the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Anastasia Crickley, the recently elected first chairwoman of the agency's management board, said: "There is progress with regard to putting in place racial equality legislation in most EU countries. Yet, FRA's report proves that we cannot be complacent. There is ample evidence that racist violence and discrimination persist and in fact are on the increase in parts of the EU. We must guarantee equal rights and protection from violence for everyone – not just on paper, but also in practice. It is important that the new agency for Fundamental Rights continues to provide the EU with reliable data on the development of racism and discrimination, along with advice on how to develop evidence-based policies to combat such phenomena."

Commenting on the report, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat European Justice Spokeswoman and vice-president of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, said: "EU laws outlawing race discrimination are driving positive change. But it is a scandal in a European Union which claims to stand for human rights that seven years after those laws came into force, many EU member states still lack effective enforcement or sanctions, or redress for victims. The European Commission must be encouraged to take these countries to the European Court of Justice. An increase in recorded racist crimes has been noted in eight member states, but that is out of only 11 which have collected adequate criminal justice data in recent years. The fact that the rest of the (then) 25 states did not bother to collect them indicates a lack of seriousness in tackling the scourge of race-hate crime."