Communautés ethniques minoritaires et politiques européennes : le cas de la Grande-Bretagne

Abstract

Ethnic Minority Communities and the Politics of Europe: the Example of Great Britain John KING Migrants and minority groups in Europe are concerned about the way in which changes in European legislation could affect them. The paper looks at the position in Britain, and focuses on concerns voiced by members of British migrant and minority groups. For migrants the problems are legal and administrative, as well as the problem of xenophobia. Minority groups also suffer from xenophobia and from the way they are identified with migrant groups. British ethnic minorities, including both European citizens and migrants, would like to see European legislation against racism and xenophobia. The attitudes of the national governments of the Union's member states is unsympathetic, based as it is on « realistic » considerations, and influenced by electoral concerns. But equality for migrants and minority community members is favoured by institutions at the European level, both because of the intrinsic desirability of social equality and also because of the disturbance to the single market represented by the presence of individuals in the population whose status is anomalous.