This set of regional actions offer assistance in improving the record of fighting discrimination, racism, hate speech and hate crime in the Western Balkans. They build on the work done and results achieved under the previous phase of the Horizontal Facility programme and the actions on Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans, in line with the latest trends in the field of racism and intolerance in Europe as outlined in the Annual Reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

The technical support is provided as part of the beneficiaries’ EU accession process, in line with European standards – notably those from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance – as well as with the EU Anti-racism Action Plan  2020-2025.

The actions (consisting of 6 beneficiary specific and a regional one) are implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.

More on the beneficiary specific actions:
Albania – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Kosovo* - Montenegro – North Macedonia – Serbia

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

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 3 -4 JULY 2024
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page

The ultimate goal of the regional action on “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance 
in the Western Balkans” is to increase the awareness of the institutions and of the population in the Western Balkans about hatred, racism and intolerance, and develop a harmonised institutional approach to tackle these issues. 

The action ultimate beneficiary is the population in the Western Balkans. By providing technical assistance and raising awareness of public institutions and related actors in the field, the action will contribute towards improving the anti-discrimination policies, its redress mechanisms and advancing in the overall protection of human rights for the vulnerable communities. 

The action will work with Government representatives in charge of combating racism; with equality bodies; with police administrations; with civil society organizations and youth activists. 
The action provides capacity building initiatives, adapting existing tools and methodologies of the Council of Europe. It also provides occasions for peer exchanges and multi-stakeholder dialogue activities to foster co-operation among partners in the region and the dialogue between state and non-state stakeholders.
Awareness raising on combatting discrimination and promoting diversity towards Youth and the general population constitutes an important component of the action. 

Notably, the action will ensure that:

  • Policy makers better address racism and intolerance;

  • Equality bodies and police administrations enhance their capacities to respond to racism and intolerance, by operating in diverse societies;

  • The youth and ultimately the general public are more aware of the dangers of hatred, racism and intolerance to societies and can take actions against these phenomena.

The total budget of the actions is 3,5 Million Euros, out of which 700,000 Euros for its regional component.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe)

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

* Cette désignation ne préjuge pas des positions concernant le statut du Kosovo ; elle est, en outre, conforme à la Résolution 1244 du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies ainsi qu’à l’Avis de la Cour internationale de justice sur la Déclaration d’indépendance du Kosovo.


 

Duration: January 2023 - December 2026
Funding: European Union and Council of Europe
Budget: 41 Million Euros (85% funded by the EU, 15% by the CoE)
Overall budget for the actions on combating discrimination in the Western Balkans: 3,5 Million Euros
Out of which - budget for the regional action on Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans: 700,000 Euros
Implemented by: Council of Europe
 

Angela Longo, Programme Manager, Strasbourg

Contact us