News
Mainstreaming Outcomes from EQUAL
to combat
Discrimination against Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities
March 2007
Discrimination against
ethnic minorities in the labour market is a daily, and arguably an increasing,
reality in the Union and there is an urgent need for action to redress this
situation. A
very timely new initiative has been launched,
led by France in close cooperation with Germany and Sweden, to share experience
and disseminate good practices emerging from Development Partnerships(DPs) that have
tackled ethnic discrimination in employment.
This initiative provides a European
platform for mutual learning from innovative EQUAL outcomes. It also offers a
forum for decision makers to discuss strategic recommendations that can inform the implementation of the 2007/2013 ESF programmes and that could also introduce a
greater degree of innovation into the main EU employment, anti-discrimination
and inclusion policies.
A European Platform for Action against Ethnic
Discrimination...
This joint initiative of the French, German and Swedish ESF authorities forms
a major element of the transnational EQUAL Mainstreaming Programme in 2007 and
is open to all other Member States that wish to participate. It seeks to
identify and present, at European level, strategic lessons from the experience
of EQUAL Development Partnerships. It also
provides a European Platform to stimulate further debate on the dissemination of
the good practices that have emerged, with a view to adding new dimensions to
these practices and to identifying and addressing gaps in current policies to
combat discrimination.
The critical mass of experience on which this platform can
draw is impressive: More than 350 DPs have piloted new approaches to preventing
and overcoming discrimination against immigrants and ethnic minorities. With EU
financial support from EQUAL in excess of 500m €, these DPs represent a
substantial European investment in the development of innovative action in this
field.
Experience and the validated, successful approaches that
have been developed and tested by these EQUAL DPs offer benchmarks for
experimental action and provide models of good practice that could be further
disseminated and mainstreamed by the ESF. Outcomes from EQUAL can also underpin
strategic action to combat discrimination against ethnic minorities within the
wider framework of EU Employment and Social Inclusion policies, particularly as
they can be harnessed in different ways to improve the delivery of these
policies (see background note on the
EU context of the platform).
...involving a Series of Peer Review Seminars leading up to
a European Policy Forum
The work of the platform is being organised in two stages.
The first stage comprises a series of peer review seminars involving
actors from different Member States who either have been working in the EQUAL
DPs, or are "users" of the innovative approaches developed by them. These
seminars address five different peer groups:
- Actors in public and private employment services
Paris, 8 and 9 February 2007 (further information on the proceedings and first
results of this seminar can be downloaded from the
EQUAL website in France which also provides further details about the
platform).
- Trade Unions
Hamburg, 19 and 20 March 2007 (for further information use this
hyperlink);
- Non Governmental Organisations
Hamburg, 22 and 23 March 2007 (for further information use this
hyperlink);
- Employers and Human Resource Managers
Stockholm, 26 and 27 April 2007 (for further information use this
hyperlink);
- Actors from Local and Regional Authorities
Hanover, 21 and 22 May 2007 (for further information use this
hyperlink).
The aim of these seminars is to analyse progress achieved
through the work of EQUAL and draw out the appropriate lessons.
Finally, these lessons and conclusions will be presented at
a Policy Forum, on 22 and 23 November 2007, in Paris. This Policy Forum will
bring together European, national and territorial decision makers to discuss
strategic recommendations that can inform the implementation of the 2007/2013
ESF programmes and the main EU employment, anti-discrimination and inclusion
policies.
This "European Platform for Overcoming Discriminatory
Practices concerning Ethnic Minorities in Employment" is also clearly intended
to provide a significant EQUAL contribution to stimulating discussion and
follow-up action, in 2007, within the context of the
European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
Contact
For further information, please contact:
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