Ministers’ Deputies

CM Documents

CM(2014)85       11 June 2014[1]

 

1205 Meeting, 9 July 2014

4 Human rights

 

4.1 European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)

b. Annual report on ECRI’s activities covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2013

 

Preface

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is a mechanism which was established by the first Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member States.  The decision to establish ECRI is contained in the Vienna Declaration adopted by the first Summit on 9 October 1993. On 13 June 2002, the Committee of Ministers adopted an autonomous Statute for ECRI and thus consolidated its role as an independent human rights monitoring mechanism specialised in questions relating to racism and intolerance.

ECRI’s task is to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance at the level of greater Europe and from the perspective of the protection of human rights.  ECRI’s action covers all necessary measures to combat violence, discrimination and prejudice faced by persons or groups of persons, on grounds of “race”, colour, language, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin.

ECRI’s members are appointed on the basis of their in-depth knowledge in the field of combating intolerance.  They should have high moral authority and recognised expertise in dealing with racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance.  They serve in their individual capacity, are independent and impartial in fulfilling their mandate, and do not receive any instructions from their government.

ECRI’s statutory activities are: country monitoring; work on general themes; and relations with civil society.  ECRI’s strategy for constantly enhancing its activities is to take a step-by-step approach, building on the work it has already accomplished by evaluating, consolidating and extending its action.

Main trends

Introduction

1.         Each year, as an introduction to its annual report, ECRI outlines the main trends in the fields of racism, racial discrimination^[2], xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance in Europe. The purpose of this exercise is to show the context in which ECRI must continue its efforts and step up its action in the future. The precise characteristics and extent of these trends, observed in the course of ECRI’s various activities, vary from region to region and country to country. They are, however, sufficiently widespread to justify a special mention. 

Rise of aggressive nationalist, populist xenophobic and neo-Nazi political parties 

2.         There is increasing support in some Council of Europe countries for aggressive nationalist and populist xenophobic parties; these are represented in Parliaments and even form part of Government coalitions. In the EU context, the European Commission President warned, among other things, against nationalism, xenophobia and racism ahead of the 2014 European Parliament elections in which extreme right-wing forces are expected to gain ground. ECRI is concerned that these new dynamics will have an overall negative effect on the political climate throughout the European continent.

3.         2013 saw important steps taken to dismantle one of Europe’s most notorious neo-Nazi parties. ECRI notes that the public financing of political parties can now be suspended in some countries, in certain circumstances.  ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 7 on national legislation to combat racism and racial discrimination calls on states not only to suppress public financing of organisations which promote racism, but also to provide for the possibility of dissolution of such organisations. ECRI stresses that timely action should be taken against such parties to avoid an escalation of criminal activities and the need for extensive law-enforcement action. 

The economic crisis

4.         Recession is now in its fifth year in some countries. As noted above, a worrying consequence has been the rise of nationalist populist parties rooted in profound hostility to ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. But the crisis has also hardened mainstream forces. There have been persistent attempts to place the blame for job losses on immigrants. Non-nationals have been accused of abusing social and welfare services. Politicians across the entire spectrum propagated hostility bordering on hate speech against citizens of some EU countries in anticipation of large scale immigration following the lifting of labour market restrictions in 2014; inflammatory statements have been made about the infiltration of criminal gangs and waves of illegal activities. Aggressive campaigns have been organised to push migrants in an irregular situation to leave without considering the wider implications of such action. ECRI considers that more needs to be done to project a positive image of a diverse society and to explain better its advantages.

Migrants and asylum seekers

5.         2013 was yet another year of tragedy at sea for migrants and asylum seekers fleeing poverty and conflict. In October a boat carrying more than 500 persons sank off the Mediterranean coast and around 360 migrants drowned. Only a few days later, another similar shipwreck cost 34 more lives. Earlier in the year, Pope Francis visited Lampedusa – significantly, the first official visit of his papacy - and lamented the “globalisation of indifference” to the plight of migrants. ECRI notes, with interest, that the security approach to immigration began to shift in some countries; the criminalisation of irregular immigration was questioned by government leaders. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that criminalising irregular migrants is extremely harmful and that the countries that have established criminal law provisions relating to foreigners’ irregular entry and stay should move to decriminalise such offences. ECRI supports this approach. Moreover, it considers that states should ensure that all persons in their territory can access basic human rights regardless of their immigration status. Mechanisms should also be established whereby irregular migrants are able to report abuses freely.

6.         Drastic measures (including border fences) have been taken by some countries to prevent migrants from entering their territories, at the risk of violating their obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Other forms of pushbacks, which often occur at sea, continued in 2013 in possible violation of the principle of non-refoulement. Certain countries’ asylum policies have become more restrictive. Refugees have been subject to hate campaigns and the large majority of European states failed seriously to live up to the challenges of an unprecedented influx of refugees from Syria.

The role of local/federated authorities and Specialised Bodies

7.         Local/federated authorities are called upon to play an increasingly important role in the fight against racism and discrimination. While ECRI considers this to be a natural development, it also wishes to stress the need for central-government coordination and national action plans. Cooperation with local authorities will be the topic of ECRI’s 2014 seminar with national Specialised Bodies (the independent authorities expressly entrusted with the fight against racism and racial discrimination).

8.         ECRI notes that the independence and efficiency of equality and human rights bodies are under threat due to budget cutbacks and enforced mergers. Independence – de jure and de facto - is a key characteristic of national Specialised Bodies. Issues of lack of independence have been identified in a number of ECRI’s country monitoring reports. Effectiveness is the ability of national Specialised Bodies to deploy all their functions and powers to a scale and a standard that ensures impact and the full realisation of their potential. Inadequate financial resources have emerged as a key issue for the effectiveness of such bodies, in particular in the current context of mandate extension and merger.

Hate speech

9.         ECRI notes that hate speech continues to be a major problem. It will dedicate part of its fifth monitoring round to the close scrutiny of measures taken by member States to deal with hate speech, including not only forms of expression that should be criminalised, but also intolerant and inflammatory discourse targeting vulnerable groups, such as Roma, migrants, Muslims, refugees and asylum seekers.

10.        In its country reports, ECRI has encouraged states to take a more vigorous approach to the prosecution of offences committed through the Internet and to promote self-regulatory measures by the Internet industry, such as anti-racist hotlines and codes of conduct. Note has been taken of some good initiatives to establish abuse reporting mechanisms, ban anonymous comments and exercise appropriate control over web pages. ECRI will follow closely developments in the case of Delfi v. Estonia (Application no. 64569/09), which has been referred to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. ECRI also wishes to emphasise the responsibility of political leaders and the importance of building civil society’s capacity to respond with counter speech. The use of civil and administrative law provisions against discrimination or harassment should also be encouraged.

11.        The fight against racism also involves the problem of how to deal with symbols with hidden racist meaning, insensitive speech and ignorant conduct. ECRI understands that responding to the above with excessive formalism may backfire and become counterproductive. Focusing the response on the underlying issues as well as a strong message of tolerance becomes, therefore, essential. In any event, banalisation of racism should never be accepted.  

Racist violence

12.        Important incidents of racist violence continued to occur in 2013. In one member State, mass disturbances and retaliatory pogroms took place following the killing of a local resident by a migrant. The escalation of inter-ethnic conflict was exacerbated by massive police raids in which migrants where rounded up and detained on a large-scale. In another member State, following the brutal public slaying of a young soldier by two converts to Islam, an anti-Muslim backlash occurred across the country: Muslims were physically attacked, mosques were set alight and an Islamic school was destroyed. In such difficult situations, prompt and effective action is of course called for to prevent escalation: at the same time, the authorities should be careful not to feed the spiral of violence.  

13.        ECRI has also witnessed instances where the failure of the police to discharge their obligations, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law, has resulted in increased levels of xenophobia. Thus, ECRI is concerned about unofficial “migration-control” squads operating in a number of states instilling fear and sometimes committing, with impunity, serious acts of violence.

14.        ECRI’s fifth round of country monitoring will also focus on racist and homo/transphobic violence and the response of the authorities to these phenomena.

Racism against Roma, other historical minorities and Blacks

15.        ECRI’s country reports demonstrate that Roma continue to be victims of racism, discrimination and social exclusion. Many Roma have moved westwards and subsequently fall victim to removal. Public figures across the political spectrum have scare-mongered that tensions between local people and Roma migrants could escalate into riots.

16.        The European Commission’s assessment of the National Roma Integration Strategies shows that EU member States are making efforts towards Roma integration, which is described as both a moral and an economic imperative. Other non-EU member States of the Council of Europe have made similar efforts. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done at national level. In particular, most states have failed to allocate sufficient budgetary resources for Roma inclusion nor have they adequately involved regional and local authorities. Efforts must now focus on implementation based on concrete action plans.ECRI will deal with integration policies, for migrants and historical minorities, in its fifth monitoring round.

17.        ECRI has also noticed a persistence or revival of racism against other historical minorities as well as anti-Black racism.

Religious discrimination and intolerance

18.        Prejudice and intolerance against religious minorities persist across Europe.  Antisemitic incidents continued to occur in 2013 in a number of countries. Islamic radicalism still poses challenges: however, it should not become a pretext for Islamophobia. ECRI’s country reports attest to the discrimination suffered by Muslims, including women wearing headscarves, in everyday life. ECRI urges member States to draw inspiration from its General Policy Recommendations No. 5 on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims and No. 9 on the fight against antisemitism.

Fascist commemoration, gross trivialisation and the genocide debate

19.        ECRI is concerned by the persistence of fascist World War II nostalgia in a number of countries. There is evidence of Waffen SS commemorations, Nazi memorials, rehabilitation of war criminals and re-writing of history in a more favourable light. Such activities serve to justify and perpetuate ethnic and religious intolerance.

20.        ECRI notes that in the case of Perinçek v. Switzerland (Application no. 27510/08), which is not final, the European Court of Human Rights held that there had been a violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression) concerning the criminal conviction of the applicant for publicly challenging the existence of the Armenian genocide. ECRI will follow closely any further developments concerning this case.

Racism in sport

21.        Racist abuse continued to be reported in sporting events in 2013. Football matches were tainted by monkey chants and antisemitic gestures. ECRI welcomes action taken by both UEFA and FIFA: disciplinary proceedings were initiated against clubs for the racist behaviour of their fans; certain players were suspended for up to ten matches for racially abusive shouting or gestures; and a “no to racism” campaign was launched featuring some of the great stars of the game. National football unions have also issued fines to clubs for the racist and homophobic behaviour of fans but these are often insignificant amounts. ECRI considers racism in sport particularly abhorrent because it contravenes the notion of fair play.

LGBT

22.        ECRI began to report on hate speech and violence against LGBT people in its fifth round of country monitoring starting in 2013. Policies to combat discrimination and intolerance against these groups will also be examined under country-specific issues.

The European Convention on Human Rights

23.        Protocol No.12, which supplements the European Convention on Human Rights by prohibiting discrimination in general, has still only been ratified by 18 of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe. ECRI will continue to recommend ratification of this instrument in the course of its country monitoring. ECRI is also concerned by non-compliance with key ECHR judgments concerning issues coming within its mandate.

24.        ECRI is pleased to note that its standards and country findings continue to be referred to by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgments. In 2013 the Court cited ECRI’s work in the following judgments: Horváth and Kiss v. Hungary (Application no. 11146/11), 29 January 2013; Vona v. Hungary (Application no. 35943/10), 9 July 2013 and M.A. v. Cyprus (Application no. 41872/10), 23 July 2013.

*   *   *

ECRI’s activities in 2013

1.         Country-by-country approach

1.         ECRI’s statutory activities comprise firstly country monitoring work. ECRI closely examines the situation in each of the member States of the Council of Europe and draws up suggestions and proposals as to how the problems it has identified might be overcome. The aim is to formulate helpful and well-founded recommendations, which may assist governments in taking concrete and practical steps to counter racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance.

2.         ECRI’s reports are first sent in draft form to the member States concerned for confidential dialogue. Their contents are reviewed in the light of the national authorities’ comments. They are then finally adopted and transmitted to the governments of the member States concerned, through the intermediary of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. 

3.         ECRI’s country-by-country approach concerns all Council of Europe member States on an equal footing. The reports for the first round were completed in late 1998. From January 1999 to the end of December 2002, ECRI worked on the second round of its country-by-country approach. From January 2003 to the end of December 2007, ECRI worked on the third round of its country-by-country approach. ECRI started its fourth round of reporting in 2008. This round differs from the previous ones in that it introduced the interim follow-up mechanism: ECRI requested priority implementation for up to three recommendations and asked the member State concerned to provide information in this connection within two years from publication of the report. In 2013, ECRI published its conclusions on the implementation of the priority recommendations it had made in its reports on Albania, Austria, Estonia and United Kingdom (published in March 2010), France, Georgia, Poland and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (published in June 2010).

4.         ECRI began its fifth round of country monitoring in 2013. This will focus on certain topics for in-depth analysis in all member States: legislative issues, hate speech, racist and homo/transphobic violence and integration policies. In addition, each report will deal with a certain number of topics specific to each country. These will address any other major “racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism or intolerance” issues in the country concerned. Interim recommendations not implemented or only partially implemented during the fourth cycle will be followed-up as well. Finally, under its mandate to monitor intolerance against vulnerable groups, ECRI may address discrimination against LGBT communities in the section on country-specific issues.

5.         In order to obtain as full a picture as possible, a contact visit is organised before the drafting of each new report. The visits provide an opportunity for ECRI Rapporteurs to meet officials from the various ministries and public authorities dealing with issues within ECRI’s remit. They also allow Rapporteurs to meet representatives of NGOs working in the field, as well as independent experts and other persons concerned by the fight against racism and intolerance.

6.         In 2013 ECRI published seven reports of the fourth monitoring round. The reports on Ireland and Liechtenstein on 19 February, the reports on Finland, Portugal and San Marino on 9 July and the reports on Malta, the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation on 15 October.

7.         All reports published in 2013 have been translated into the national language(s) of the country concerned and steps have been taken to ensure that they are circulated as widely as possible among stakeholders at domestic level. 

8.         ECRI’s reports received considerable media coverage. Reactions to these reports show how the topical the issues discussed therein are and how urgent it is to ensure follow-up to their recommendations.

9.         In 2013 ECRI carried out seven contact visits in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. 

10.        To be able to maintain this rhythm of visits and the quality of the work which is expected of it under its Statute, ECRI needs a Secretariat with sufficient resources and expertise.

2.         Work on general themes

General Policy Recommendations

11.        ECRI’s General Policy Recommendations, the second part of its statutory activities, are addressed to the governments of all member States: they cover important areas of current concern in the fight against racism and intolerance. They are intended to serve as guidelines for policy-makers when drawing up national strategies, programmes and projects.

12.        ECRI set up working groups in 2013 to start the preparatory work for two new General Policy Recommendations on hate speech and on irregular migrants. 

3.         Relations with civil society

13.        Combating racism and intolerance can only be effective if the message filters down to society in general. Awareness-raising and a communication strategy are, therefore, essential. ECRI attaches great importance to this third part of its statutory activities. 

14.        ECRI members regularly participate in and contribute to events organised by NGOs.

Organisation of national round tables in member States

15.        As an important tool to facilitate dialogue between state and non-state actors on issues related to the fight against racism and intolerance, ECRI organises national round tables following the publication of its country-specific monitoring reports. These events are addressed to various actors in civil society as well as to government officials in order to discuss jointly how best to promote the implementation of ECRI’s recommendations.

16.        Two round tables were organised in 2013. The first took place in Montenegro on 7 October and was organised in co-operation with the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms (Ombudsman). A second round table was organised in Sweden with the Swedish Equality Ombudsman on 6 November. These events brought more visibility to ECRI’s work and ensured greater impact for its recommendations in Montenegro and Sweden.

Communication strategy

17.        Activities such as the publication of ECRI’s country reports, country visits, its seminar with national Specialised Bodies, and its round tables in Montenegro and Sweden attracted considerable media attention.

4.         Cooperation with national Specialised Bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination

18.        National Specialised Bodies are strategic partners for ECRI. A seminar of national Specialised Bodies was held from 30-31 May 2013 in Strasbourg. It focused on challenges faced in the current institutional and budgetary environment, in particular independence and efficiency of national Specialised Bodies. The seminar’s participants represented almost all member States’ national Specialised Bodies, as well as national Ombudsmen and a number of international organisations.

5.         Other activities

19.        At the request of the Georgian authorities, ECRI reviewed the Draft Law of Georgia on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination and provided its opinion in October.

20.        Mexico submitted in 2013 a request to become an observer to ECRI. ECRI decided in December to ask the Committee of Ministers to give a favourable response. ECRI’s Secretariat participated in the International Conference for Social Inclusion and Non-Discrimination, organised by the National Council for Prevention of Discrimination of Mexico (CONAPRED), in Mexico City in June.

21.        ECRI’s Vice-Chair participated in a conference on the fight against racism organised by the European Coalition of Cities against Racism in Nancy on 17-18 October, while ECRI’s Secretariat attended the first IDAHO (International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia) Conference organised by the Government of the Netherlands in the Hague on 15-17 May.

22.        At its 62nd plenary session on 3-6 December, ECRI held elections to the posts of Chair, two Vice-Chairs and two Bureau members. Mr Christian Ahlund (member in respect of Sweden) was elected Chair for two years; Ms Barbara John (member in respect of Germany) was elected 1st Vice-Chair for one year and Mr Marc Leyenberger (member in respect of France) was elected 2nd Vice-Chair for the same term. Mr Jean-Paul Lehners (member in respect of Luxembourg) and Mr Daniel Thürer (member in respect of Switzerland) were elected members of the Bureau for two years. They assume their functions on 1 January 2014.

*   *   *

Co-operation with relevant bodies of the Council of Europe and other international organisations

Council of Europe

1.         The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Language (ECRML), the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ACFC) and ECRI had a joint meeting in Strasbourg in June 2013. This helped to strengthen coordination between the three monitoring mechanisms in terms of joint country visits and follow-up events such as round table conferences. For example, a delegation of ECRI and a delegation of the ACFC conducted a joint visit to Bulgaria from 10 to 15 November as the first step in the preparation of respective monitoring reports. Furthermore, the timing of the plenary meetings of the three monitoring bodies was harmonised to enable joint discussions and exchange of views. An Antidiscrimination Standards and Policies Department coordinates the Secretariats of ECRI, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the ECRML.

2.         The Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (the Congress) are represented at ECRI’s plenary meetings and contribute to its work. Similarly, ECRI contributes to the work and events organised by these bodies, such as the hearing of the PACE Committee on equality and non-discrimination organised in Strasbourg in June. ECRI holds regular exchange of views with the Commissioner for Human Rights and his Office contributed to ECRI’s seminar with national Specialised Bodies held from 30-31 May in Strasbourg.

3.         ECRI’s Chair and members contributed to a High Level Conference on Combating Racism in Europe, which took place in Yerevan in November in the context of the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. Furthermore ECRI’s Vice- Chair contributed to a Committee of Ministers’ thematic debate on addressing the rise of extremisms, held in Strasbourg on 17 September 2013.

4.         In general, ECRI is regularly updated on the work of other Council of Europe bodies dealing with issues related to racism and intolerance. ECRI’s Secretariat provides these bodies with information on ECRI’s activities.

UnitedNations

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

5.         In 2013 ECRI contributed to the 19th Universal Periodical Review with its country reports. In January an ECRI member contributed to a side event of the 15th session of the UPR on the issue of the social integration of vulnerable groups.

UN Conventions

6.         ECRIreports make regular reference to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). ECRI also calls upon states that have not yet made a declaration under Article 14 of ICERD, enabling individuals and groups of individuals to file petitions before the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), to do so. A CERD member contributed to the round table on combating racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance against asylum-seekers and refugees in Europe mentioned in paragraph 8.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

7.         ECRI is regularly invited to participate in various meetings organised by the OHCHR and to submit contributions based on its monitoring and thematic work. Similarly OHCHR staff are regularly invited to ECRI’s events. ECRI’s Chair contributed to an expert group meeting on the issue of racism on the Internet and social media, organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in New York in November. The Chief of the Anti-Discrimination Section of the OHCHR participated in ECRI’s seminar with national Specialised Bodies in Strasbourg in May and in the November round table on asylum-seekers and refugees. ECRI’s Secretariat took part in the seventh OHCHR/Council of Europe coordination meeting in Strasbourg in November 2013.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

8.         ECRI has a close working relationship with UNHCR, facilitated by the UNHCR Representation to the European Institutions in Strasbourg. ECRI regularly receives input from UNHCR concerning its country visits, round tables and various legal issues. In November, ECRI and UNHCR, jointly with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, organised a round table in Strasbourg on combating racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance against asylum seekers and refugees in Europe. 

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

9.         ECRI and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) continued to involve each other in their conferences and meetings. OSCE/ODIHR is systematically invited to and attends ECRI’s national round tables.

10.        OSCE/ODIHR and ECRI continue to attach particular importance to the fight against hate crime, an area of common interest also in the context of ECRI’s fifth monitoring cycle, which focuses inter alia on hate speech and racist violence. The two bodies co-operate and benefit from each other’s expertise and initiatives in this area: ECRI’s country reports and General Policy Recommendations and ODIHR’s compilation of data in annual reports entitled Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region – Incidents and Responses.

11.        ODIHRcontributed to the organisation of the round table mentioned in paragraph 8. 

European Union

EuropeanCommission

12.        The Directorate of Equality and the Directorate of Fundamental Rights and Union Citizenship of the Directorate General - Justice of the European Commission and ECRI’s Secretariat keep each other informed of important developments in their work and exchange information on subjects of common interest. A representative of the Directorate of Fundamental Rights and Union Citizenship presented to ECRI the most recent developments concerning the Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law. ECRI’s Secretariat contributed with comments to the draft EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief, which were adopted in June.

Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)

13.        Cooperation between ECRI and FRA continued in 2013. ECRI’s reports make regular reference to FRA’s work, in particular the MIDIS survey. Co-operation also included exchange of information and participation in events. In particular, FRA’s representatives participated in and contributed to ECRI’s seminar with national Specialised Bodies. ECRI’s Secretariat participated in the Fundamental Rights Conference on Combating Hate Crime in the EU organised by FRA in Vilnius in December.

Joint statement

14. ECRI, FRA and the OSCE/ODIHR issued a statement on 21 March to mark the international day for the elimination of the racial discrimination.

Other

15.        In 2013 ECRI continued co-operation with the European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET). ECRI reports make regular reference to EQUINET studies. The Chair and the Executive Director of EQUINET participated in ECRI’s seminar with national Specialised Bodies.

Appendix I^[3]

ECRI’s Membership

Name	Member in respect of	Term of office expires
Mr Christian ÅHLUND	Sweden	24 May 2015
Mr Jovan ANANIEV	“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”	5 February 2018
Ms Raluca BESTELIU	Romania	31 December 2017
Mr Sinisa BJEKOVIC	Montenegro	9 December 2018
Mr Thomas BÜCHEL	Liechtenstein	18 May 2014
Mr Tonio ELLUL	Malta	17 November 2014
Ms María ELOSEGUI ITXASO	Spain	31 December 2017
Mr Vitaliano ESPOSITO	Italy	31 December 2017
Mr Michael FARRELL	Ireland	23 November 2016
Mr Gilberto FELICI	San Marino	11 June 2018
Mr Fernando FERREIRA RAMOS	Portugal	31 December 2017
Mr Lauri HANNIKAINEN	Finland	31 December 2017
Ms Nadejda HRIPTIEVSCHI	Republic of Moldova	15 September 2018
Ms Vasilika HYSI	Albania	31 December 2017
Mr Rovshan ISMAYILOV	Azerbaijan	31 December 2017
Mr Dalibor JÍLEK	Czech Republic	31 December 2017
Ms Barbara JOHN	Germany	31 December 2017
Mr Imre JUHÁSZ	Hungary	31 December 2017
Mr Vigen KOCHARYAN	Armenia	31 December 2017
Mr Baldur KRISTJÁNSSON	Iceland	31 December 2017
Ms Kristine KRUMA	Latvia	12 June 2017
Ms Mojca KUCLER DOLINAR	Slovenia	31 December 2017
Mr Volodymyr KULYK	Ukraine	10 December 2018
Mr Gün KUT	Turkey	31 December 2017
Mr Jean-Paul LEHNERS	Luxembourg	8 February 2016
Mr Marc LEYENBERGER	France	21 April 2014
Mr Šarūnas LIEKIS	Lithuania	31 December 2017
Ms Ülle MADISE	Estonia	31 December 2017
Mr Dejan PALIĆ	Croatia	30 June 2014
Mr Andreas PASCHALIDES	Cyprus	31 December 2017
Mr Stelios E. PERRAKIS	Greece	31 December 2017
Ms Vesna RAKIC-VODINELIC	Serbia	6 November 2017
Mr Predrag RAOSAVLJEVIC	Bosnia and Herzegovina	10 December 2018
Mr Jacint RIBERAYGUA CAELLES	Andorra	26 September 2016
Mr Jean-Charles SACOTTE	Monaco	6 December 2015
Ms Hendrika SAMSON	Netherlands	31 December 2017
Mr François SANT’ANGELO	Belgium	31 December 2017
Mr Gerald SCHÖPFER	Austria	27 February 2015
Ms Eva SMITH ASMUSSEN	Denmark	31 December 2017
Mr Sergey SOKOLOVSKIY	Russian Federation	31 December 2017
Mr Aslak SYSE	Norway	31 December 2017
Mr Daniel THÜRER	Switzerland	31 December 2013
Mr George TUGUSHI	Georgia	31 December 2017
Mr Michal VAŠEČKA	Slovakia	31 December 2017
Mr Blagoy VIDIN	Bulgaria	31 December 2017
Mr Michael WHINE	United Kingdom	17 September 2018
Mr Mirosław WYRZYKOWSKI	Poland	2 May 2017

Deputies to ECRI members

Name	Deputy in respect of	Term of office expires
Ms Doris ANGST	Switzerland	31 December 2013
Ms Cecilia CARDOGNA	San Marino	11 June 2018
Mr Patrick CHARLIER	Belgium	31 December 2017
Mr Stanislav DANIEL	Slovakia	31 December 2017
Mr Régis DE GOUTTES	France	21 April 2014
Mr Saša GAJIN	Serbia	6 November 2017
Ms Carolina HADJIATHANASIOU-SHIAMPTANI	Cyprus	31 December 2017
Ms Dženana HADŽIOMEROVIĆ	Bosnia and Herzegovina	10 December 2018
Ms Ketevan KHUTSISHVILI	Georgia	31 December 2017
Mr Oleksiy KRESIN	Ukraine	10 December 2018
Mr Paul Aarre LAPPALAINEN	Sweden	24 May 2015
Mr Alexis MARQUET	Monaco	6 December 2015
Ms Merja PENTIKÄINEN	Finland	31 December 2017
Ms Carmen QUESADA ALCALÁ	Spain	31 December 2017

Observers to ECRI

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Mr Boriss CILEVICS

Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN

Mr André SCHNEIDER

Holy See

Mr Jean-Pierre MACHELON

European Commission

Ms Pia LINDHOLM

ECRI’s Bureau

Ms Eva SMITH ASMUSSEN

Chair, member in respect of Denmark

Ms Barbara JOHN

Vice-Chair, member in respect of Germany

Mr François SANT’ANGELO

Vice-Chair, member in respect of Belgium

Mr Marc LEYENBERGER

Bureau member, member in respect of France

Mr Jacint RIBERAYGUA CAELLES

Bureau member, member in respect of Andorra

Mr Jean-Charles SACOTTE

Bureau member, member in respect of Monaco

Mr Mirosław WYRZYKOWSKI

Bureau member, member in respect of Poland

Appendix II^[4]

ECRI’s Secretariat

Mr Stephanos STAVROS, Executive Secretary to ECRI             

Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 30 62                      

Mr Pierre MASSON, Programme Adviser

Tel: + 33 (0) 3 88 41 30 08

Mr Stefano VALENTI, External Relations Officer

Tel: +33 (0) 3 90 21 43 28                                              

Ms Camilla TESSENYI, Lawyer

Tel: + 33 (0) 3 88 41 30 29

Mr Thobias BERGMANN, Programme Adviser

Tel: +33 (0) 3 90 21 46 19

Mr Wolfram BECHTEL, Lawyer

Tel: + 33 (0) 3 90 21 58 44

Ms Paula ECK-WALTERS, Documentalist

Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 33 99                                              

Ms Sylvia LEHMANN, Assistant

Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 29 64                                              

Ms Lia TSITSUASHVILI, Assistant

Tel: +33 (0) 3 90 21 44 66

Ms Irida VARFI-BOEHRER, Assistant

Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 31 57                                              

Secretariat’s address

Directorate General II - Democracy

Directorate of Human Rights and Antidiscrimination

Council of Europe

67075 STRASBOURG CEDEX

France

E-mail Secretariat:[email protected]

Fax Secretariat: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87

Appendix III

Meetings held by ECRI in 2013

Plenary sessions ·   20-22 March 2013 ·   18-21 June 2013 ·   3-6 December 2013 Meetings of the Working Group on relations with civil society ·   19 March 2013 ·   18 June 2013 ·   27 September 2013 ·   2 December 2013	Bureau meetings ·   19 March 2013 ·   17 June 2013 ·   2 December 2013 Meeting of the Working Group on Irregular Migrants ·   28 October 2013
Meeting of the Working Group on Hate Speech ·   13 December 2013	National round tables ·   Montenegro: 7 October 2013 ·   Sweden: 6 November 2013

Seminar with national Specialised Bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination on “Challenges faced in the current institutional and budgetary environment”

·   30-31 May 2013

Joint ECRI/UNHCR/ODIHR Round Table: “Combating racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance against asylum-seekers and refugees in Europe” ·   19 November 2013 Meetings of CBC Working Groups
Preparation of contact visits: ·   CBC 1:           18 January 2013 ·   CBC 1:           19 July 2013 ·   CBC 2:           25 January 2013 ·   CBC 4:           6 September 2013 ·   CBC 5:           17 September 2013
Amendments: ·   CBC 1:           19 June 2013 ·   CBC 2:           20 March 2013 ·   CBC 2:           18 June 2013 ·   CBC 3:           3 December 2013 ·   CBC 7:           20 March 2013 ·   CBCadhoc2:   3 December 2013	Interim follow-up: ·   CBC 2:           3 December 2013 ·   CBC 3:           21 March 2013 ·   CBC 3:           4 December 2013 ·   CBC 4:           19 June 2013 ·   CBC 5:           4 December 2013 ·   CBC 6:           19 June 2013 ·   CBC 7:           4 December 2013 ·   CBC 8:           20 June 2013 ·   CBC 9:           19 June 2013 ·   CBC 9:           21 June 2013

Contact Visits

·   Belgium:        11-15 March 2013

·   Bulgaria:        11-15 November 2013

·   Germany:       10-15 March 2013

·   Romania:       3-8 March 2013

·   Slovakia:        3-8 November 2013

·   Slovenia:        21-26 April 2013

·   Switzerland:    20-25 October 2013

Appendix IV

List of publications^[5]

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 1: Combating racism, xenophobia antisemitism and intolerance (Strasbourg, 4 October 1996)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 2: Specialised bodies to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance at national level (Strasbourg, 13 June 1997)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 3: combating racism and intolerance against Roma/Gypsies (Strasbourg, 6 March 1998)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 4: National surveys on the experience and perception of discrimination and racism from the point of view of potential victims (Strasbourg, 6 March 1998)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 5: Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims (Strasbourg, 27 April 2000)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 6: Combating the dissemination of racist, xenophobic and antisemitic material via the Internet (Strasbourg, 15 December 2000)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 7: National legislation to combat racism and racial discrimination (Strasbourg, 13 December 2002)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 8: Combating racism while fighting terrorism (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 9: The fight against antisemitism (Strasbourg, 9 September 2004)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 10: Combating racism and racial discrimination in and through school education (Strasbourg, 21 March 2007)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 11: Combating racism and racial discrimination in policing (Strasbourg, 4 October 2007)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 12: Combating racism and racial discrimination in the field of sport (Strasbourg, 19 March 2009)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 13: Combating anti-Gypsyism and discrimination against Roma (Strasbourg, 19 September 2011)

§  ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 14: Combating racism and racial discrimination in employment (Strasbourg, 25 September 2012)

§  ECRI’s country-by-country approach:

àFirst round:

Ÿ  Volume I (Strasbourg, September 1997)

Ÿ  Volume II (Strasbourg, March 1998)

Ÿ  Volume III (Strasbourg, 15 June 1998)

Ÿ  Volume IV (Strasbourg, 26 January 1999)

Ÿ  Volume V (Strasbourg, 13 March 1999)

Ÿ  Volume VI (Strasbourg, 24 May 1999)

Ÿ  Volume VII (Strasbourg, 9 November 1999)

àSecond round:

Ÿ  Albania (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)

Ÿ  Andorra (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  Armenia (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)

Ÿ  Austria (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)

Ÿ  Azerbaijan (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  Belgium (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)

Ÿ  Bulgaria (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)

Ÿ  Croatia (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)

Ÿ  Cyprus (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)

Ÿ  Czech Republic (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)

Ÿ  Denmark (Strasbourg, 3 March 2001)

Ÿ  Estonia (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)

Ÿ  Finland (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)

Ÿ  France (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)

Ÿ  Georgia (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)

Ÿ  Germany (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)

Ÿ  Greece (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)

Ÿ  Hungary (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)

Ÿ  Iceland (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)

Ÿ  Ireland (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)

Ÿ  Italy (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)

Ÿ  Latvia (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)

Ÿ  Liechtenstein (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  Lithuania (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  Luxembourg (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)

Ÿ  Malta (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)

Ÿ  Republic of Moldova (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  The Netherlands (Strasbourg, 13 November 2001)

Ÿ  Norway (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)

Ÿ  Poland (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)

Ÿ  Portugal (Strasbourg, 4 November 2002)

Ÿ  Romania (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)

Ÿ  Russian Federation (Strasbourg, 13 November 2001)

Ÿ  San Marino (Strasbourg, 4 November 2003)

Ÿ  Slovakia (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)

Ÿ  Slovenia (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)

Ÿ  Spain (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)

Ÿ  Sweden (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)

Ÿ  Switzerland (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)

Ÿ  “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)

Ÿ  Turkey (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)

Ÿ  Ukraine (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)

Ÿ  United Kingdom (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)

Ÿ  Compilation of second round reports (Strasbourg, February 2004)

àThird round:

Ÿ  Albania (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)

Ÿ  Andorra (Strasbourg, 12 February 2008)

Ÿ  Armenia (Strasbourg, 13 February 2007)

Ÿ  Austria (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)

Ÿ  Azerbaijan (Strasbourg, 24 May 2007)

Ÿ  Belgium (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)

Ÿ  Bosnia and Herzegovina (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)

Ÿ  Bulgaria (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)

Ÿ  Croatia (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)

Ÿ  Cyprus (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)

Ÿ  Czech Republic (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)

Ÿ  Denmark (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)

Ÿ  Estonia (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)

Ÿ  Finland (Strasbourg, 24 May 2007)

Ÿ  France (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)

Ÿ  Georgia (Strasbourg, 13 February 2007)

Ÿ  Germany (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)

Ÿ  Greece (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)

Ÿ  Hungary (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)

Ÿ  Iceland (Strasbourg, 13 February 2007)

Ÿ  Ireland (Strasbourg, 24 May 2007)

Ÿ  Italy (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)

Ÿ  Latvia (Strasbourg, 12 February 2008)

Ÿ  Liechtenstein (Strasbourg, 29 April 2008)

Ÿ  Lithuania (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)

Ÿ  Luxembourg (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)

Ÿ  Malta (Strasbourg, 29 April 2008)

Ÿ  Republic of Moldova (Strasbourg, 29 April 2008)

Ÿ  Monaco (Strasbourg, 24 May 2007)

Ÿ  Netherland (Strasbourg, 12 February 2008)

Ÿ  Norway (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)

Ÿ  Poland (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)

Ÿ  Portugal (Strasbourg, 13 February 2007)

Ÿ  Romania (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)

Ÿ  Russian Federation (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)

Ÿ  San Marino (Strasbourg, 29 April 2008)

Ÿ  Serbia (Strasbourg, 29 April 2008)

Ÿ  Slovakia (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)

Ÿ  Slovenia (Strasbourg, 13 February 2007)

Ÿ  Spain (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)

Ÿ  Sweden (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)

Ÿ  Switzerland (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)

Ÿ  “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)

Ÿ  Turkey (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)

Ÿ  Ukraine (Strasbourg, 12 February 2008)

Ÿ  United Kingdom (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)

àFourth round:

Ÿ  Albania (Strasbourg, 2 March 2010)

Ÿ  Andorra (Strasbourg, 22 May 2012)

Ÿ  Armenia (Strasbourg, 9 February 2011)

Ÿ  Austria (Strasbourg, 2 March 2010)

Ÿ  Azerbaijan (Strasbourg, 31 May 2011)

Ÿ  Belgium (Strasbourg, 26 May 2009)

Ÿ  Bosnia and Herzegovina (Strasbourg, 8 February 2011)

Ÿ  Bulgaria (Strasbourg, 24 February 2009)

Ÿ  Croatia (Strasbourg, 25 September 2012)

Ÿ  Cyprus (Strasbourg, 31 May 2011)

Ÿ  Czech Republic (Strasbourg, 15 September 2009)

Ÿ  Denmark (Strasbourg, 22 May 2012)

Ÿ  Estonia (Strasbourg, 2 March 2010)

Ÿ  Finland (Strasbourg, 9 July 2013)

Ÿ  France (Strasbourg, 15 June 2010)

Ÿ  Georgia (Strasbourg, 15 June 2010)

Ÿ  Germany (Strasbourg, 26 May 2009)

Ÿ  Greece (Strasbourg, 15 September 2009)

Ÿ  Hungary (Strasbourg, 24 February 2009)

Ÿ  Iceland (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  Ireland (Strasbourg, 19 February 2013)

Ÿ  Italy (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  Latvia (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  Liechtenstein (Strasbourg, 19 February 2013)

Ÿ  Lithuania (Strasbourg, 13 September 2011)

Ÿ  Luxembourg (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  Malta (Strasbourg, 15 October 2013)

Ÿ  Republic of Moldova (Strasbourg, 15 October 2013)

Ÿ  Monaco (Strasbourg, 8 February 2011)

Ÿ  Montenegro (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  Netherlands (Strasbourg, 15 October 2013)

Ÿ  Norway (Strasbourg, 24 February 2009)

Ÿ  Poland (Strasbourg, 15 June 2010)

Ÿ  Portugal (Strasbourg, 9 July 2013)

Ÿ  Russian Federation (Strasbourg, 15 October 2013)

Ÿ  San Marino (Strasbourg, 9 July 2013)

Ÿ  Serbia (Strasbourg, 31 May 2011)

Ÿ  Slovakia (Strasbourg, 26 May 2009)

Ÿ  Spain (Strasbourg, 8 February 2011)

Ÿ  Sweden (Strasbourg, 25 September 2012)

Ÿ  Switzerland (Strasbourg, 15 September 2009)

Ÿ  “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Strasbourg, 15 June 2010)

Ÿ  Turkey (Strasbourg, 8 February 2011)

Ÿ  Ukraine (Strasbourg, 21 February 2012)

Ÿ  United Kingdom (Strasbourg, 2 March 2010)

§  Proceedings of the Seminar “Combating racism while respecting freedom of expression”, 16‑17 November 2006 (Strasbourg, July 2007)

§  “Ethnic” statistics and data protection in the Council of Europe countries, by Patrick Simon, Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques (Strasbourg, November 2007)