New move to combat racism

Date: 14/12/1995

By Michael Mann

SOCIAL Affairs Commissioner Pádraig Flynn is pushing for a specific anti-discrimination clause to be included in all relevant legislative proposals coming out of the Commission, at least until after next year's Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

The suggestion was made in a ground-breaking communication this week on measures to combat racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism - the Commission's first-ever coherent policy statement dealing specifically with racial discrimination.

Apart from reiterating Flynn's determination to “press for specific powers to combat racial discrimination to be included in the treaty”, the paper proposes to designate 1997 as “European Year against Racism”.

Officials pointed out that the Reflection Group preparing the way for the IGC had expressed virtually unanimous support for a more specific reference to the fight against discrimination to be written into the treaty. But there were suggestions last night that Flynn's ideas met a degree of resistance from a number of heavyweight Commissioners, including Sir Leon Brittan, Hans van den Broek, Yves-Thibault de Silguy, Marcelino Oreja and even Commission President Jacques Santer.

The final version of the document no longer includes a specific list of areas in which the Commission wishes to concentrate its efforts. Instead, it states that the initiative is inspired by Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which refers to “sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or all other opinions, national or social origin, membership of a national minority, financial situation, birth or any other situation”.

Meanwhile, Flynn will hail the social dialogue's first success under the Maastricht Treaty's Social Protocol today (14 December), with the signing of the framework agreement on the reconciliation of professional and family life. The deal, negotiated by employers' organisation UNICE, union confederation ETUC and public enterprises body CEEP, allows for a basic period of parental leave of at least three months in all member states except the UK.

It provides for a high degree of flexibility for the member states or social partners to fit national agreements to local circumstances, on condition that the minimum standards are respected.

The Commission will begin work on preparing legislation to implement the agreement. If approved, member states have two years to transpose it into national legislation, with a possible extra year in special circumstances. Any of the social partners may request a review of the measures once they have been in force for five years.