EUobserver.com

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Although there is a lack of objective data on discrimination and racist violence in several EU member states, a new study suggests that racism has increased in Europe, particularly towards the Roma community, Muslims, Jews and immigrants.

According to the 2006 Annual Report by the Vienna-based European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), published on Tuesday (28 November), only two EU countries - the UK and Finland - have a sufficient mechanism in place for collecting data on xenophobia and intolerance-related incidents.

Five countries - Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Malta - provided no such information to the centre, which EUMC director Beate Winkler says not only makes it difficult to analyse the trends and compare member states, but also "means ignoring the problem."

"Victims remain invisible, often without support," she said, adding that neglecting this phenomenon also prevents the development of effective policies for tackling the issue.

"Roma are a particular target for racist violence and crime, both at the hands of the general public and public officials. Members of the Jewish community continue to experience anti-Semitic incidents. Rising Islamophobia is an issue of particular concern," noted Anastasia Crickley, chair of the EUMC management board.

"In effect, in spite of some heartening examples of good practice, I stand here today unable to say that there has been a substantial improvement with regard to racism and xenophobia in the EU member states," she added.

Within the countries that have filed data on the issue, eight countries - Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and UK - have recorded a rise in racist crimes or violence.

On the other hand, the Czech Republic, Austria and Sweden "experienced a general downward trend in recorded racist crime", according to the study.

Historic pressure
The report highlighted two events last year that particularly contributed to rising racial tensions among some countries' citizens – the July terrorist attacks in London and violent urban disturbances in the suburbs of French cities.

"The situation in general is influenced by fear and suspicion, the feeling and experience of not belonging," noted the study's authors.

They suggested that "there has never been such an urgent need for implementation of concerted action" which should however not lead to taking "advantage of such violent incidents as a means of making short-term political capital."

Discrimination has also been reported in the labour market, mainly in case of the younger generations of immigrants to the EU, as well as ethnic minorities, such as Roma citizens.

The study referred to the situation in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Finland where the unemployment rates for immigrants or minorities were "significantly higher" than those of the countries' nationals.

According to statistics collected in France, not only are people of foreign origins more likely to be jobless but the job prospects are "notably worse for young people of north-western African origins than their equivalent counterparts from southern Europe."

Similar cases in other countries suggest that employment conditions for the most vulnerable groups is also linked with their education and housing - all areas where cases of segregation and discrimination have been reported.

Racism on the rise in Europe, new study says