Saturday

1st Apr 2023

Political groups pledge to conduct hate-free campaigns

The majority of mainstream parties in the European Parliament on Wednesday (19 March) signed a pledge to conduct election campaigns free from discrimination and intolerance.

“The [European Parliament] elections are taking place at a time that is marked by crisis and the rise of extremism in different parts of Europe,” said Evelyne Paradis, executive director at the Brussels-based Ilga-Europe, the EU umbrella organisation for the rights of LGBTI people.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • More MEPs from far-right groups are likely to enter the European Parliament following the elections in May (Photo: European Parliament)

The pledge, drafted jointly by Ilga-Europe and the Brussels-based European Network Against Racism (Enar), calls upon the groups to refrain from any message that would foster prejudice and discrimination in the lead-up to the elections in May.

It asks them to use “inclusive language” when referring to minorities, contribute to debates in a responsible manner, and reject anything that insights hostility towards different communities.

Both NGOs will monitor the political parties to make sure they follow the commitments.

The liberals (Alde), the centre-left (S&D), the European Green Party, and the European Left have all signed the appeal.

The parliament’s largest group, the centre-right EPP, did not.

“We have decided not to sign the declaration,” said EPP’s deputy secretary-general Christian Kremer.

Kremer said the group instead sent a letter to Ilga-Europe and Enar with points similar to those highlighted in the declaration.

“It was merely a technical decision because we were receiving a number of declarations from different NGOs,” he said.

He pointed out that the EPP presidency is not signing declarations from any external organisation.

Kremer said the group is committed to fighting discrimination, inequality “and everything that regards discrimination.”

Lousewies van der Laan, a former Dutch MEP and current vice-president of the European Liberal Democrats, said the space for homophobia and racism needs to be limited.

“Every time you don’t expose it or counter it, you allow the discourse to become more vulgar,” she told this website.

“This is not about not having certain discussions, it is about putting limits … you don’t want people to incite hatred, you don’t want them to be racist, you don’t want them to be homophobic,” she said.

The joint pledge will also be sent to the different parties at the national level.

“It is really good that we have this large commitment so that we can try to have a cleaner campaign this year,” said Enar’s director Michael Privot.

Opinion

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Opinion

Turkey's election — the Erdoğan vs Kılıçdaroğlu showdown

Turkey goes to the polls in May for both a new parliament and new president, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided against a post-earthquake postponement. The parliamentary outcome is easy to predict — the presidential one less so.

Latest News

  1. EU to press South Korea on arming Ukraine
  2. Aid agencies clam up in Congo sex-for-work scandal
  3. Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?
  4. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  5. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  6. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  7. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  8. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us