Commission rejects call for statistics on ethnic staff

Date: 23/05/02

By Laurence Frost

THE European Commission has hit back at criticism by EU Ombudsman Jacob Söderman after he accused the institution of adopting a 'passive attitude' towards possible racism when it recruits staff.

The Commission has flatly rejected a demand by the watchdog for statistics on ethnic minority candidates and their chances of success at each stage of the selection process.

In a letter to Söderman, Secretary-General David O'Sullivan said the Commission had 'not received a single complaint from a candidate' alleging racism.

The ombudsman gave the Commission until this month to supply the information after a Dutch citizen complained the institution has few ethnic minority staff.

Earlier this year, Söderman said the Commission's failure to provide more information since the inquiry was launched last July 'discloses a passive attitude towards the under-representation of ethnic minorities'.

But Personnel Commissioner Neil Kinnock's spokesman Eric Mamer said: 'It should be absolutely obvious that there is no definition of what an ethnic minority is and, therefore, the Commission doesn't have any statistics on that,' said.

The ombudsman's office said Söderman would not comment on the Commission's response until the complainant, Sears Appalsamy, had submitted his own observations.

The European Commission has rejected criticism by EU Ombudsman Jacob Söderman after he accused the institution of adopting a 'passive attitude' towards possible racism when it recruits staff.