Debate: The Anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd
Date: WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2020
Speaker: Nikolina Brnjac
Language: EN

I would like to start by using this forum to express, on behalf of the Croatian Presidency and of the Council, my deepest condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd. Let me say loud and clear that we stand in solidarity with victims of racial discrimination across the world. Black lives do matter and systematic racism and discrimination have no place in our society.  The events that triggered the recent protests raised, first and foremost, the issue of police treatment of African-American people and, more broadly, their place in society. Because of each country’s history and social and political context this situation cannot be transposed to Europe one to one. Equality, human dignity, respect for human rights, together with tolerance, gender equality and the prohibition of discrimination are founding values of the European Union. Among the tools we have to fight racism, the main one is the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which protects citizens against any discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic origin and religion or belief. The Racial Equality Directive, as the first new-generation equal treatment instrument extending legal protection against discrimination beyond the grounds of gender, is the key instrument at EU level. Not only did it pave the way for extending protection to new grounds and fields, it changed the European human rights infrastructure forever by requiring all Member States to designate national equality bodies to promote equal treatment. The Presidency is strongly committed to fighting racism. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to announce the marking of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of this crucial legislative instrument, organised by the Croatian Presidency and in cooperation with the European Network or Equality Bodies, the Commission and the Council on 29 June, the exact date of the adoption of the directive by the Council.  The EU has so far developed a robust legal framework, including specific legislation on combating intolerance and hatred, such as the 2008 Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia. In June 2016, the Council invited Member States to ensure the effective transposition and implementation of the Framework Decision and other relevant hate-crime laws at national level. In addition, it asked all Member States to develop effective methods to report and ensure proper recording of hate crimes. In conclusions adopted in October 2017, the Council also welcomed the measures coordinated by the Commission’s High Level Group on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. All these countermeasures need to be accompanied by anti-racist education and youth work and, more precisely, the need to develop democratic resilience, tolerance and conflict-resolution skills in the learning process. To sum up, we have the tools, legislation, knowledge, education, counter-narratives, but also condemnation of any form of racially motivated violence, hate speech and discrimination. At the same time, however, we in Europe must be vigilant in the face of a worrying increase in the number of manifestations of hate speech and racism affecting minorities. The Fundamental Rights Agency report, ‘Being Black in the EU’, released in November 2018, revealed the unacceptable challenges black people still face in our countries. The inclusion of black people is hampered by several obstacles: discrimination against them during their job search, mismatch between individuals’ educational level and their current jobs and access to housing. We are therefore compelled to take such matters extremely seriously. It is our obligation to lead an uncompromising fight against racism in our Union.  The European Union is deeply committed to fighting all forms of discrimination within its borders as well as in the world at large. In March 2019, the Council adopted EU human rights guidelines on non—discrimination in external action. This provides guidance to enhance the effectiveness of EU human rights policy in combating discrimination on any grounds, including race, and to increase the visibility of awareness of EU values and action in combating discrimination in its external action. Abuse of power has to be denounced and combated everywhere. Societies which pride themselves on representing the rule of law, democratic principles, fundamental freedoms and human rights should set an example in this respect. All societies must remain vigilant against the excessive use of force and ensure that incidents such as the killing of Mr Floyd are addressed swiftly, effectively and in full respect of the rule of law and human rights. We trust in the ability of the American people to come together to heal as a nation and to address these important issues. Racism is not just a problem in the United States, as I said, and as the protests in many European countries and across the world have shown. The responsibility for combating racism rests with all of us: politicians, teachers, civil servants, students, parents, policemen, citizens. With all of us.