Back Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region

Strasbourg, France 3-4 July 2024
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Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region

The Council of Europe in Strasbourg welcomed during 3-4 July a two-day conference, focusing on tackling racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process. The conference, supported by EU and Council of Europe titled "Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process: state of play and tools available for the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region", brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region who discussed a joint approach in addressing racism and discrimination in their respective regions.

The conference was opened by Thorsten Afflerbach - Head of the Inclusion and Anti-discrimination Division of the Council of Europe, and Katerina Markovova - Head of the Programming Division of the Council of Europe, who stressed for the participants the importance of this meeting, serving as a platform for exchanging updates and good practices among key-stakeholders, with a special focus on the current state of play in addressing racism within the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. 

Elise Lassus, Project Officer at the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, introduced the EU legal and policy frameworks on racism and racial discrimination in policing, and provided for the participants an overview of the functioning of oversight bodies within the EU Member States.  

Participants engaged in a fruitful discussion regarding the preparations undertaken by EU Member States and their neighbouring countries for the implementation of National Action Plans against Racism (NAPARs) at the national level. Additionally, the exchanges explored the development of educational tools to combat hatred and racism, as well as the resources provided by the EU and the Council of Europe for legal professionals. Furthermore, representatives had the opportunity to gain valuable insights from both academic experts and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), including the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).

This two-day event empowered aspiring EU members with shared knowledge, collaborative strategies, and practical tools to curb racism and racial discrimination within their communities.

This event was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe under the joint programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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