Annexes to JOIN(2023)51 - No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | JOIN(2023)51 - No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred. |
|---|---|
| document | JOIN(2023)51 |
| date | December 6, 2023 |
Equally important is to make sure that untransparent foreign funding is not used to undermine EU values. The EU will continue to combat covert and malicious foreign financing of cultural, civil and religious organisations. Transparency and accountability is the best way to guard against the potential of foreign funding to, intentionally or not, promote views and encourage behaviour contrary to our democratic principles, fundamental and human rights79. In addition, the EU maintains a strong framework for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.
The Commission will:
- Take forward monitoring and reporting on implementation of the equality strategies. In 2024 this will include reports on the implementation of the EU anti-racism action plan, the EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life and the LGBTIQ equality strategy 2020-2025;
- Disseminate a revised Annotated Grant Agreement to better set out the consequences for beneficiaries of not respecting EU values;
The Commission calls on the European Parliament and the Council:
- To swiftly conclude negotiations on the Financial Regulation to further strengthen the protection of EU value and the financial interests of the Union more broadly.
The Commission calls on Member States:
- To live up to the commitments made in the Council Conclusion on combating racism and antisemitism80, in particular to develop national action plans and/or strategies and to use the non-legally binding working definitions of antisemitism and of Holocaust denial and distortion adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
5. WORKING TOGETHER WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”.
Helen Keller – American author and disability rights advocate
It is through the engagement of all Member States, all communities, and the widest range of civil society that the different initiatives at EU level reach their full potential. This is particularly true for the long-standing EU commitment to equality, with specific initiatives to promote equal rights and to facilitate the participation of the marginalised in all aspects of our society.
The Commission’s approach of galvanising EU support through Coordinators on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, on combatting anti-Muslim hatred and the recently created coordinator on anti-racism, has played an important part in reinforcing stakeholder engagement. This will now be stepped up with an explicit mandate for each. The mandate will define their designation as Envoys as well as their role, in areas to include specific EU funded projects, and to maximise the potential of EU policies to combat hatred, online and directly81. The mandates will also include annual reports on trends, good practices and policy achievements. Fostering a close relationship with a wide range of organisations will be a key part of the role, including grassroots organisations helping to promote respect and understanding and support society-wide mobilisation in promoting and safeguarding EU values and fundamental principles.
The EU agencies, and particularly the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) provide key input for action at EU level. Data collection and analysis, including reliable and comparable equality data82, are indispensable for a deeper awareness and a sharper understanding of the current threats. Another key role is its support and monitoring of national action plans on antisemitism, anti-racism, Roma equality, inclusion and participation and LGBTIQ equality. The Commission will explore how to maximise the potential of FRA to contribute to EU efforts to help in the fight against hatred, including to establish a common methodology on recording antisemitic incidents.
Faith associations can also act as powerful actors for and between communities. The Article 17 dialogue between the EU institutions and churches, religious associations, and philosophical and non-confessional organisations provides a well-established forum to bring together different faiths. In light of growing concerns about religious intolerance, the work of the Article 17 dialogue is even more important, as a setting to explore ways to enhance tolerance and promote respect for religious and non-confessional communities may be warranted.
Finally, promoting awareness of the importance of diversity and combatting hatred is also a goal of EU external action. Programmes in partner countries promoting equality, inclusion and respect for diversity supported by the EU and implemented by civil society in key partner countries include the Global Europe - Human Rights and Democracy Thematic Programme83.
Combating hatred is a global concern and international cooperation is a necessity. Whilst our primary responsibility is to combat hatred and protect human rights inside the EU, there is both a responsibility and an interest in reinforcing EU external action in this area. All the Union Equality strategies and the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism include dedicated actions to work on a global level against hate and discrimination. The EU is one of the most active global players at multilateral level, such as at the UN and Council of Europe, in promoting Freedom of Religion and Belief84, with a dedicated Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. It also works through dialogues and actions in partners countries in cooperation with partner governments, local stakeholders, civil society organisations and faith-based actors. Working closely with those responsible for promoting rights at global, regional and country levels85 reinforces the credibility and the effectiveness of EU action within and outside the Union: the Commission and the High Representative will reinforce their engagement and networks at all levels, leveraging EU diplomatic work and concrete actions and external partnerships. The participation of the EU in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance allows for closer cooperation on combating Holocaust denial and preventing racism, xenophobia and antisemitism.
Finally, EU institutions, their workplaces and their staff adhere to the highest standards in tackling discrimination and combatting hatred. This is a major priority for the Commission and the updated Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2023-2024 will act as a focus for internal human resources, ethics and communication policy.
The Commission will:
- Provide Envoys with an explicit mandate to deepen coordination, including through specific EU funded projects, and to maximise the potential of EU policies to combat hatred, online and directly.
- Hold an Article 17 special meeting on interfaith dialogue on 19 December 2023.
6. CONCLUSION
“What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander”.
Elie Wiesel - Nobel laureate, Holocaust survivor
The EU was born out of determination to come together after the war to unite around the values at the core of an inclusive, diverse, and democratic society. With two wars in our neighbourhood and with daily evidence of division being imported into our homes and communities, Europe needs to show its determination to respect and promote those values.
In early 2024, the Commission will organise a high-level anti-hatred conference with high-profile participants engaged in the fight against hate and discrimination. It will open a pan-European space of dialogue and reconciliation, to allow moving from hatred and division to the shared enjoyment of our European values of equality and respect for human rights and dignity. With this aim, the Commission will also bring together, at European level, citizens from across the EU, in particular young people, with decision-makers, experts and members of the most affected communities. These European dialogues for reconciliation should result in recommendations on how to build bridges across fractured communities and bring to life the EU’s motto of living “United in diversity”. The Commission will encourage Member States to organise similar dialogues at national level, and beyond.
Hatred is unacceptable in the European Union and worldwide. Politicians and public figures as well as citizens from all walks of life should be ready to stand up and speak up. We must leave no doubt about our determination not only to protect our values, but to do everything in our power to put them into practice. Protecting those at risk from hatred is essential to protect our society and our way of life. Acting together, the EU can be a powerful force to demonstrate this determination, to call on all Europeans to stand up against hatred and speak up for equality, inclusion and respect.
1 On 6 November 2023, Special and Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism issued a joint statement on combating antisemitism hatred. On 29 November 2023, the Coordinators, Special Representatives and Ambassadors dealing with anti-Muslim hatred and racism issued an international statement on combating all forms of hatred and in particular anti-Muslim hatred.
2 Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combatting certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law, OJ L 328, 6.12.2008, p. 55–58.
3 Article 1 of the Framework Decision.
4 ‘A more inclusive and protective Europe: extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime’, COM(2021) 777 final, 9.12.2021. This initiative is one of the deliverables announced in 2020 in the European Democracy Action Plan.
5 EU Security Strategy, COM(2020) 605 final, 24.07.2020
6 Data produced by the EU funded project ‘European Observatory on Online Hate’ shows that out of eight million online messages analysed in the EU, the level of hateful toxicity since the start of 2023 has increased by 30%. The levels are higher in French, Russian, Slovak and Spanish languages. https://eooh.eu/
7 Whilst public authorities are yet to compile statistics, numerous examples have been cited by civil society or the media. Civil society organisations in Germany marked sudden rises in both antisemitic (source: RIAS) and anti-Muslim (source: CLAIM) incidents. Press reports recorded major increases in antisemitic attacks in France (source: Le Monde), Austria (source: euractiv) and the Netherlands (source: jta.org).
8 One study recorded an over 50-fold increase in the absolute volume of antisemitic comments on YouTube videos about the Israel/Palestine conflict in the course of October. The overall proportion of antisemitic messages more than doubled during the same period (source: isdglobal.org, 31 October 2023). Similar research conducted on the platform X shows that the number of posts containing anti-Muslim keywords spiked during the weekend of Hamas’ terrorist attacks, with an increase of more than four times from the previous two days (source: isdglobal.org, 2 November 2023).
9 ‘Being Black it the EU’, a report published by the Fundamental Rights Agency in October 2023, highlights that one third of respondents have experienced racist harassment in the 5 years before the survey and 4 % of respondents experienced racist violence.
10 EU strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021-2030) COM(2021) 615 final, 5.10.2021.
11 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/combating-hatesccscsc-speech-and-hate-crime_en
12 Notably FRA and CEPOL, as well as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
13 Since 2021 the Commission has co-organised, with OSCE/ODIHR and the World Jewish Congress, seven events between national law enforcements authorities and Jewish communities to strengthen their cooperation on security. The next event is planned for 11 December 2023 in Italy.
14 ‘Ensuring justice in the EU — a European judicial training strategy for 2021-2024’, COM(2020) 713 final, 2.12.2020.
15 This proposal is being pursued by the Spanish Presidency in the Council.
16 EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020 - 2025), COM/2020/258 final, 24.6.2020.
17 Underreporting precipitates a continuation of victimisation, results in impunity for offenders and leads to a lower level of security of the entire groups affected by hate crimes. A FRA study on antisemitism found that 79 % of Jewish people who experienced antisemitic harassment did not report the most serious incidents. FRA survey ‘Experiences and perceptions of antisemitism - Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU’, 2018.
18 Proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, COM/2023/424 final.
19 ‘EU strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021-2030)’, COM(2021) 615 final, on 5.10.2021.
20 ‘A Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU: Anticipate, Prevent, Protect, Respond’, COM(2020) 795 final, 9.12.2020.
21 The 2020 PROTECT call amounted to EUR 14.5 million for projects on the protection of places of worship, out of a total of 22.7 million. In the call of 2022, projects on the protection of places of worship received EUR 8.3 million out of the total budget of EUR 17.8 million. Under these calls, eleven projects on the protection of places of worship were selected Six have Jewish partners and one is fully focused on enhancing the protection of Jewish communities, EUCARE. Five of the projects have Muslim partners within their consortia.
22 This project, which was completed this year and whose funding amounted to EUR 2.5 million, enabled to equip 1000 places of worships in Europe with emergency tablets.
23 The new PROTECT call will be launched by the end of 2023; the total budget will amount to 30 million and include an increase of 5 million to address the threats arising from the rise in antisemitism.
24 Additional funding of EUR 3 million is foreseen.
25 EU Protective Security Advisors (PSA) is an initiative under the Counter-terrorism Agenda.
26 The Commission’s practical guide on the protection of places of worship has been backed up with meetings focused on protecting Jewish sites in Poland in 2021 and in Sweden in 2022.
27 EU quick guide to support the protection of places of worship (europa.eu)
28 https://counterterrorism.ec.europa.eu/book.php
29 The database provides findings of national human rights bodies related to anti-Muslim hatred incidents, such as violence, property offences, incitement to violence or hatred, other forms of hate speech, discrimination, harassment - https://fra.europa.eu/en/databases/anti-muslim-hatred/
30 See report from the FRA Online content moderation - ‘Current challenges in detecting hate’
31 Proposal for a Regulation on a Single Market For Digital Services (‘Digital Services Act’) and amending Directive 2000/31/EC, COM(2020) 825 final, 15.12.2020.
32 The Commission has recently adopted a Recommendation on coordinating responses to incidents in particular arising from the dissemination of illegal content. This encourages Member States to respond in a coordinated and consistent manner to incidents.
33 By the Coimisiún na Meán (www.cnam.ie)
34 This requires the full governance of the DSA to be in place with the Board For Digital Services to be established by February 2024, made up of Digital Services Coordinators in the Member States and the Commission.
35 Additional EUR 2.5 million in 2024.
36 Regulation (EU) 2021/784 addressing the dissemination of the content terrorist online, OJ L172, 17.5. 2021, p. 79-106.
37 Based on the information available to the Commission, at least 100 removal orders of terrorist content online related to the situation in the Middle East have been issued since early October 2023.
38 ALLIES, FRISCO and TATE.
39 European Union Internet Forum (EUIF).
40 ‘A Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU: Anticipate, Prevent, Protect, Respond’, COM (2020)795 final, 9.12.2020.
41 Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) .
42 The Christchurch Call is a community of over 130 governments, online service providers, and civil society organisations acting together to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.
43 ‘A Digital Decade for children and youth: the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+)’, COM(2012) 196 final, 11.5.2022.
44 Proposal for a Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, COM (2022) 105 final, 8.3.2022.
45 Keep your eyes open to the different forms of violence. | Victims Rights (europa.eu)
46 “Achieving the European Education Area by 2025”, COM (2020) 625 final, 30.09.2020
47 “Digital education Action Plan 2021 – 2027: Resetting education and training for the digital age”, COM(2020) 624 final.
48 Council conclusions on the contribution on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship, 23 November 2023.
49 In 2023, the European Education Area strategic framework Working Group on Equality and Values in education and training published two issue papers on tackling different forms of discrimination in and through education and on citizenship education.
50 See Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success.
51 Regulation 2021/817, OJ L 189, 28.5.2021, p. 1–33.
52 Regulation 2018/1475 laying down the legal framework of the European Solidarity Corps, 02.10.2018.
53 As example, through its Erasmus + Programme, the Commission funded the project ‘Football History for Inclusion’, coordinated by the European Association of History Educators partnering among others with the Anne Frank Foundation, the football museum of the Eintracht Frankfurt and the Romanian football federation. The objective was to help educators who witness instances of exclusion and who wish to help their pupils engage in meaningful conversations about inclusion and develop social and civic competences through the use of football history.
54 Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training - https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a224c235-4843-11ed-92ed-01aa75ed71a1/language-en.
55 Combatting hatred through quality requirements of digital education content should be a theme of follow up to the recently adopted Council Recommendation on key enabling factors for digital education, 23 November 2023.
56 This was one of the lessons learnt from the EU preparatory action “Culture for Health” (2021-2023)
57 Arrangement for Cooperation between the European Commission and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) - C(2022) 3721 final.
58 An example is the ‘Football for UNITY 2.0 project’, funded under the EU’s Asylum and Migration Integration Fund, which will be implemented by the UEFA Foundation for Childrens. The project will leverage on the popularity of football and use the platform of the EURO 2024 in order to fight discrimination and promote the social inclusion of refugees.
59 Culture and Democracy – the evidence. How citizens’ participation in cultural activities enhances civic engagement, democracy and social cohesion. Lessons from international research.
60 Denti, D., Crociata, A., & Faggian, A. (2022). Knocking on Hell’s door: dismantling hate with cultural consumption, in Journal of Cultural Economics, 1-47.
61Council Resolution on the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023–2026, OJ C 466, 7.12.2022, p. 1–18.
62The multi-annual Work Plans for Culture guide EU level policy cooperation between the Member States and the European Commission in the field of culture.
63 This process is outlined in the 2024 Annual Work Programme for the implementation of the Creative Europe programme: https://culture.ec.europa.eu/resources/creative-europe-annual-work-programmes.
64 Horizon Europe will fund as of 2024 research projects on combating hate speech online and offline.
65 The Commission has increased to EUR 12 million the funding available in 2024 under the Remembrance strand of the CERV including for projects to commemorate the Holocaust, counter Holocaust distortion, also through the digitalisations of archives and testimonies of Holocaust survivors.
66 COM(2020) 790. A review of the actions under EDAP is forthcoming.
67 Other key initiatives include the recently agreed proposal on transparency of political advertising, introducing clear rules on transparency and targeting of political advertising, and the proposal under the European Media Freedom Act which, once adopted, would guarantee more effective editorial freedom and independence of media service providers.
68 The upcoming Regulation on Political advertising will provide common transparency standards allowing to distinguish political advertising from other content and identify messages that seek to shape their political views and decisions. It will also limit abusive use of personal data to disseminate political advertising.
69 According to the 2023 Freedom in the World Report (by Freedom House), media freedom is one of the indicators that has declined the most over the past 17 years. Today, as many as 85% of people live in countries where media freedom has worsened in the past five years (source: UN).
70 Through the ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism, among other measures.
71 Including through partnership with Denmark on the Digital Democracy Initiative.
72 FRA (2020) survey ‘A long way to go for LGBTI equality: A long way to go for LGBTI equality’ | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (europa.eu)
73 FRA survey: ‘Violence against women: an EU wide survey’, 5.03.2014
74 This figure is based on administrative data and only includes acts reported to the authorities. EIGE, Gender Statistics Database, https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs., 2019.
75 FRA (2021) survey ‘Roma in 10 European countries, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
76 Union of Equality strategies: ‘Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’, COM(2020) 152 final, 5.3.2020; ‘EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020-2030’, COM(2020) 620 final, 7.10.2020; ‘Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025’, COM(2020) 698 final, 12.11.2020; ‘A Union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025’, COM(2020) 565 final, 18.9.2020; Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, COM(2021) 101 final, 3.3.2021. These were complemented by the ‘EU strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021-2030)’ on 5.10.2021 COM(2021) 615 final.
77 Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 - Common Provisions Regulation.
78 Article 135 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 - Financial Regulation.
79 Proposal for Financial Regulation recast COM/2022/223
80 Council Conclusions on combating racism and antisemitism, 2.3.2022.
81 This work will also engage the Commission Coordinator for the dialogue between the European Commission and churches, religious associations or communities as well as philosophical and non-confessional organisations set out in Article 17 of the TFEU.
82 To this end, the Commission cooperates with FRA in coordinating the work of the Subgroup on equality data under the High-Level Group on Non-discrimination, Equality and Diversity.
83 Joint Communication on “EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024”, JOIN (2020) 5 final, 25.3.2020. A new call for proposal aiming to promote freedom of religion of beliefs is now open for applications - Calls for Proposals and Tenders (europa.eu).
84 See also the Rabat Action Plan on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred.
85 For example, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and its Special Representative on Anti-Semitic, Anti-Muslim and other forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes.
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