WRITTEN QUESTION E-3437/03 by Philip Claeys (NI) to the Commission. Anti-Semitism among North African and other Islamic immigrants in Europe.
Date: 2003-11-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, France, Netherlands, action programme, anti-discriminatory measure, antisemitism, child of migrant, framework decision, youth policy

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/547

(2004/C 78 E/0581)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3433/03

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(18 November 2003)

Subject: Eurostat scandal (cid:1) unanswered questions

The main tasks of Eurostat include assessing conformity with the Stability Pact and establishing the
Member States’ contribution to the EU budget. Does the Commission accept Eurostat’s conclusions on the
economic conditions of the Member States or does it obtain information elsewhere? To what extent has
the quality or reliability of Eurostat’s work been affected by the recent revelations? What quality controls
have been introduced to check the reliability of the data produced by external agencies concerning such
sensitive subjects?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3416/03, E-3417/03, E-3418/03, E-3419/03,
E-3420/03, E-3421/03, E-3422/03, E-3423/03, E-3424/03,
E-3425/03, E-3426/03, E-3427/03, E-3428/03, E-3429/03,
E-3430/03, E-3431/03, E-3432/03 and E-3433/03
given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(12 January 2004)

The eighteen questions which the Honourable Member raises are connected with the follow-up to the
the
Eurostat case and concern anti-fraud policy, political
information available to the Commission on Eurostat-related matters, questions concerning cases of
whistleblowing, Eurostat controls and the quality of Eurostat’s work.

responsibility,

responsibility,

individual

When addressing the Conference of Presidents and the Committee on Budgetary Control (Cocobu) on
25 September, and more recently on 18 November before the Committee on Budgetary Control and then
the full House in Strasbourg, the President of the Commission set out the Commission’s position on all
these questions.

In addition, he also provided written answers to the 18 questions put to him after his appearance on
25 September 2003. These answers address in detail the Honourable Member’s questions and will be sent
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

(2004/C 78 E/0582)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3437/03

by Philip Claeys (NI) to the Commission

(20 November 2003)

Subject: Anti-Semitism among North African and other Islamic immigrants in Europe

During the annual commemoration of Kristallnacht in Amsterdam on 9 November 2003, Commissioner
Bolkestein drew attention to the fact that the vast majority of those who commit anti-Semitic offences are
currently of North African origin.
In many cases they are young people who sympathise with the
Palestinian intifada and wish to express their identification with the Palestinian cause by attacking members
of Jewish communities in Europe. This is not confined to verbal abuse but increasingly also involves
physical violence. This phenomenon may be observed not only in the Netherlands but also (‘inter alia’) in
France and Belgium.

Do the present campaigns and programmes against racism and discrimination which are organised and/or
subsidised by the European Union include any specific measures to combat the growing hatred of Jews
among Islamic and/or other North African immigrants?

C 78 E/548

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

As part of measures against racism, are there any plans to formulate a target group policy in the near
future which will specifically tackle hatred of
Jews among immigrants? Which approach does the
Commission favour in this regard? What appropriations are allocated to this?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(16 January 2004)

The Community Action Programme to combat discrimination (1)
is aimed at promoting measures to
combat any direct or indirect, single or multiple discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin, religion or
beliefs, disability, age or sexual orientation. Within the limits of the Community’s powers, the programme
with a budget of almost EUR 100 million for the period 2001-2006, supports and supplements the efforts
made at Community level and in the Member States to encourage measures to prevent and combat
discrimination. One of its objectives is to promote and disseminate the values and practices underlying the
combating of discrimination, including by means of awareness-raising activities. Groups who are potential
victims of discrimination are targeted through the full range of activities under the Programme, including
of course, members of the Jewish community, Muslims and immigrants.

Concerns about reports of the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the Union led the Commission to
organise, with the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, a series of Round Tables on
anti-Semitism and Islamophobia earlier in 2003.

The Monitoring Centre is, of course, responsible for monitoring racist and xenophobic incidents within the
Union. The Centre is currently preparing a study on anti-Semitism in the Union which it plans to publish
in the first quarter of 2004.

On the other hand, adequate criminal law measures form an important tool for combating racism and
xenophobia. Apart from their punitive aspect, they have a significant dissuasive force. In this respect, the
Commission tabled in November 2001 a proposal for a Council Framework Decision on combating racism
and xenophobia (2).

The purpose of the proposed framework decision is twofold:

(1)

to ensure that racism and xenophobia are punishable in all Member States by effective, proportionate
and dissuasive criminal penalties, which can give rise to extradition or surrender and

(2)

to improve and encourage judicial co-operation by removing potential obstacles.

This instrument, if adopted and implemented in national laws would obviously apply to individuals or
legal persons who practice criminal behaviour regardless of whether they belong to any population group.

(1) Council Decision 2000/750/EC of 27 November 2000, OJ L 303, 2.12.2000.
(2) OJ C 75 E, 26.3.2002.

(2004/C 78 E/0583)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3442/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 November 2003)

Subject: Discrimination amongst athletes

Paragraph 14 of the European Parliament resolution of 5 June 2003 on women and sport (P5_TA-
PROV(2003)0269) ‘calls on government authorities to systematically take account of gender equality in
their sports policies, particularly in the granting of subsidies’.