Anti-Racism at the EU Level

Abstract

At the European Union (EU) level, anti-racism is characterised by a long history of declarations of principle in which its character as a transnational norm and definition as a human right has been enthusiastically supported and reiterated by a range of political actors – notably in the European Parliament (EP). However, concrete policy initiatives in this area were absent for many years (Ford 1992). This changed with the proposal and then the approval of article 13 of the EU Treaty, which emerged as the outcome of pressure exerted by a composite advocacy coalition, which included a variety of institutional actors and networks of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which like other activist networks successfully engaged in a project of institutionalisation of anti-racist norms within international institutions (Keck and Sikkink 1998). Several public interest lobbies and social movement organisations addressed the EU institutional context and had a prominent role in advocacy activities in anti-racism and related areas.While the support of non-state actors was important, without the support of EU-level institutional actors they would not have been able to achieve policy change. In addition to their moral commitment to the cause of anti-racism their impact was strongly related to the istinctive features of the process of EU construction, with its myths, its mix of policy actors and distinctive policy practices.