CELEX: 51985DC0743
Language: en
Date: 1985-12-19 00:00:00
Title: JOINT DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION on attitudes and organisations motivated by racism and xenophobia

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (85) 743
Vol. 1985/0254
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                                            C0M185) 743 final
                                                                            B r u s s e l s , 19 December 1985
  JOINT DECLARATION BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION
       on a t t i t u d e s and o r g a n i s a t i o n s m o t i v a t e d by raci sm and xenophobia
  COM(85) 743 f i n a l
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                                                      t°H- IrH%
J o i n t D e c l a r a t i on by t h e European P a r l i a m e n t , t h e C o un ci l and t h e Commission
            on a t t i t u d e s and o r g a n i s a t i o n s m o t i v a t e d by racism and xenophobia
EXPLANATORY_MEM0RANDUM
                                                                                          (1 )
In i t s       Communication t o t he C o u n c i l o f 1 March 1985                           t h e Commission proposed
a d o p t i n g a t Community l e v e l a d e c l a r a t i o n on t he f i g h t a g a i n s t racism and
xenophobia.              In i t s   R e s o l u t i o n o f 16 J u l y 19851       (2) 3
                                                                                       4 on g u i d e l i n e s f o r a Community
p o l i c y on m i g r a t i o n t h e C o u n c i l o f M i n i s t e r s deci ded on t he p r e p a r a t i o n o f such a
d e c l a r a t i o n , w h i l e t h e European P a r l i a m e n t expressed a s i m i t a r view i n i t s
                                              ( 1)
R e s o l u t i o n o f 9 May 1985.
                                                                                                   (4)
In i t s        Communication t o t he C o u n c i l , dat ed 29 March 1985                               , t he Commission
s t a t e d i n re g ar d t o t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a Me di te r ra ne an p o l i c y f o r t h e e nl a rg e d
Community t h a t t hr o u g h a d e c l a r a t i o n by t h e European C ou nc il t h e Community should
"make a f o r m a l acknowledgement o f t he c o n t r i b u t i o n made by immi gra nt workers t o
t h e Community's development and condemn t h e r a c i s t a t t i t u d e s o f which t h e y are
i n c r e a s i n g l y t he v i c t i m s " .
 Economic d i f f i c u l t i e s        are f r e q u e n t l y accompanied by s o c i a l t e n s i o n l a r g e l y caused
by p e r s i s t e n t hi gh unemployment.                   T h i s s i t u a t i o n can provoke d e m o n s t r a t i o n s o f
 i n t o l e r a n c e t owar ds t h e f o r e i g n workers on Community t e r r i t o r y and encourage t he
development and e x p r e s s i o n o f v a r i o u s forms o f r a c is m .
 I gn or a nc e about t he r e a l s i t u a t i o n o f f o r e i g n wo rkers and t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o
 t h e European economies,                   lack o f f a m i l i a r i t y with t h e i r        l i f e s t y l e and c u l t u r e can
 a l s o lead t o r e j e c t i o n o f t h e f o r e i g n e r .
  It    i s t r u e t h a t d i f f e r e n c e s o f t e n make f o r unease o r arouse i n s t i n c t i v e m i s t r u s t
  i n many p e o p l e .         Th is l a t e n t , o f t e n unconscious, m i s t r u s t              can emerge and i s more
 e a s i l y aroused i n t i m e s o f c r i s i s            and i n a d i f f i c u l t employment s i t u a t i o n .
  The i d e o l o g i c a l , s o c i a l and p s y c h o l o g i c a l a spe ct s o f racism and xenophobia stem
  from t h e f e a r t h a t any d i f f e r e n t person o r group p r e s e n t s a t h r e a t .
   (1) COMC85) 48 f i n a l o f 1 . 3 . 1 9 8 5 .
   (2) O. J. No C 186, 2 6 . 7 . 1 9 8 5 , p . 3 .
   (3) O. J. No C 141, 1 0 . 6 . 1 9 8 5 , p. 462.
   (4) C0MC84) 107 f i n a l o f 2 9 . 3 . 1 9 8 5 .
 ---pagebreak---                                                                   - 2 -
There i s no doubt t h a t t h e taws i n a l l t h e Member S t a t e s o f t he Community
p r o c l a i m t he e q u a l i t y o f a l l        c i t i z e n s , t h e e l i m i n a t i o n o f a l l forms o f
s e g r e g a t i o n and racism and t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f f undament al r i g h t s .
It     i s o b v i o u s , however, t h a t s u p p r e s s i o n al one cannot e l i m i n a t e e ver y l a t e n t
form o f r a c is m .          I n t h i s c o n t e x t , e f f o r t s t o i n f o r m and educate people
c o n ce r ni n g t o l e r a n c e , r e s p e c t f o r d i f f e r e n c e s and a p p r e c i a t i o n o f o t h e r c u l t u r e s
are as i m p o r t a n t as s u p p r e s s i o n .              The dangers o f d i s s e m i n a t i n g bia sed
i n f o r m a t i o n t o an u n e n l i g h t e n e d p o p u l a t i o n are a l l t o o o b v i o u s .
I n t h e i r J o i n t D e c l a r a t i o n o f 5 A p r i l 1977, t h e European P a r l i a m e n t , t h e Co u nc il
and t h e Commission s o le mnl y u n d e r l i n e d t h e i r r e s p e c t f o r f undament al r i g h t s .
Faced w i t h t h e r i s i n g dangers o f racism and xeno pho bi a, i t                                      would appear t o be
a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e Community, m o t i v a t e d by i t s                    i d e a l s o f freedom and
peace, t o r e i t e r a t e        its b e lie f          i n t he d i g n i t y o f man, and launch an appeal t o
combat any a c t i o n d e t r i m e n t a l t o t h a t d i g n i t y ,              re gardle ss of ra ce, r e l i g i o n ,
n a t i o n a l i t y or e th n ic o r i g i n .
The p r e s e n t d r a f t      D e c l a r a t i o n i s i n t e n d e d as a moral and p o l i t i c a l u n d e r t a k i n g
by t h e Community i n s t i t u t i o n s              i n t h e f a c e o f racism and xenophobia and every
form o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n and t o c a l l f o r a v i g o r o u s                   i n f o r m a t i o n and e d u c a t i o n
campaign.
 ---pagebreak---                                               JOINT DECLARATION
            by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission
     on attitudes and organisations motivated by racism and xenophobia
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION,
Rec ogn iz in g t h e e x i s t e n c e and r esurgence o f xenophobic a t t i t u d e s , move­
ments and a c t s o f v i o l e n c e which are o f t e n d i r e c t e d a g a i n s t immigrante;
Whereas t he Community i n s t i t u t i o n s a t t a c h b a s i c impo rt anc e t o r e sp ect
f o r f undament al r i g h t s , as so l e mn l y p r o c l a i m e d i n t h e J o i n t D e c l a r a t i o n
o f 5 A p r i l 1977;
Whereas r e s p e c t o f t h e d i g n i t y o f man and t h e e l i m i n a t i o n o f a l l forms
o f r a c i a l d i s c r i m i n a t i o n are p a r t o f t he c u l t u r a l and l e g a l h e r i t a g e o f
a l l t h e Member S t a t e s and are e n s h r i n e d i n t h e i r n a t i o n a l c o n s t i t u t i o n s
and l e g i s l a t i o n ;
 1. V i g o r o u s l y condemn a l l forms o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n , d e f a m a t i o n , r a c i s t
      t h e o r y o r i n s u l t , e x p r e s s i o n o f hat e o r v i o l e n c e i n p h y s i c a l , spoken
      o r w r i t t e n form d i r e c t e d a g a i n s t persons o r groups o f persons on t he
      grounds o f t h e i r o r i g i n , o r t h e i r b e l o n g i n g o r n ot t o a p a r t i c u l a r
      e th n ic group, n a t i o n a l i t y ,         race o r r e l i g i o n ;
 2. Solemnly c a l l on Member S t a t e s t o adopt t h e n ecessary measures t o
      p r o t e c t t h e i d e n t i t y and d i g n i t y o f e ver y member o f s o c i e t y ,          regard­
       l e ss o f r a c e , r e l i g i o n , n a t i o n a l i t y o r e t h n i c o r i g i n ;
 3. R e c a l l t h e i m p o rt a nc e o f d i s s e m i n a t i n g bal anced and a c c u r a t e i n f o r ­
      mat i on t o a l l       citize n s     i n response t o t h e dangers o f racism and
       xe no p ho b ia , and t h e need t o ensure t h a t a l l                  forms o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n
       are pre v e nt ed o r e l i m i n a t e d .