Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-211"
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"en.20060614.17.3-211"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, as a matter of principle, the Commission opposes all form of racism and xenophobia and will continue to channel all its efforts into the fight against these phenomena, as laid down in the Treaty.
Today more than ever, this task should be a priority at all levels – international, European, national and local. The Commission is bitterly disappointed that the Member States have yet to adopt the Commission’s 2001 proposal for a Council Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia. The aim of this proposal is to ensure that all forms of racism, including racism on religious grounds, are subject to punishment under criminal law in all Member States. The Commission is once again urging the Council to adopt the proposal without watering down its effectiveness, and is striving to reopen the debate on the proposal, the adoption of which would be a major step forward in combating racist and xenophobic crime. The Commission hopes that the seminar on the fight against racism and xenophobia, organised together with the Austrian Presidency and the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) and to be held on 20 to 22 June, will lead to reopening the debate in the Council under the Finnish Presidency.
The Framework Decision is not the Commission’s only initiative in the fight against racism and xenophobia. For example, the Commission supports the EUMC’s work by gathering data on the extent and development of racism in the EU. The fact that the EUMC is becoming a Fundamental Rights Agency will not have a detrimental impact on current activities, given that the fight against racism and xenophobia will remain a fundamental goal of the new agency. On the contrary, I am convinced that this fight and our efforts will in fact be strengthened. The Commission is also striving to ensure that the Member States fully and correctly implement the anti-discrimination regulations that have been adopted, and it is heading a series of programmes and initiatives such as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007), which will contribute towards the fight against racism and xenophobia.
The Commission has undertaken to continue and step up these activities, and it is determined to extend its future efforts in the fight against racism and xenophobia. The Commission is also firmly opposed to all forms of homophobia. Homophobia runs counter to the principles on which the EU is founded. It is necessary in this regard to point out that the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms expressly forbids any form of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
The Commission would like to mention its statement of January 2006 in Parliament. In the context of its powers, the Commission stands firm in the fight against homophobia. A key element of that fight is combating discrimination and the EU has already taken steps in that direction, for example with the adoption of Directive 2078/EC. The Commission is also aware that the legislative measures must be accompanied by further initiatives aimed at effectively combating discriminatory, derogatory, stereotypical and degrading behaviour. To this end, the Commission is also contributing by means of information campaigns and initiatives such as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007).
All things considered, the Commission is convinced that the EU, which at its core strives for deeper solidarity between nations, must set an example in the fight against discrimination and must take a lead in the fight against all forms of racism, xenophobia and homophobia.
Ladies and gentlemen, I await your debate with interest."@en1
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