Council of Europe

• Council of Europe
• Democracy
• European Commission against Racism and Intolerance

CRI(2007)21

Annual report on ECRI’S activities covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2006

Strasbourg, May 2007

CONTENTS

Preface
Main trends
ECRI's activities in 2006
1. Country-by-country approach
2. Work on general themes

General Policy Recommendations
Combating racism while respecting freedom of expression
Work on the issue of ethnic data collection

3. Relations with civil society

National specialised bodies
Organisation of national Round Tables in member States
Consultation meeting with international NGOs
Development of a communication strategy

Co-operation with relevant bodies of the Council of Europe and other international organisations
Council of Europe
Inter-Agency Co-operation
United Nations

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
European Union

European Commission
The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)

Appendix I - Membership of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
Appendix II - Secretariat of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
Appendix III - Meetings held by ECRI in 2006
Appendix IV - List of publications

Preface 

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is a mechanism which was established by the first Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member States. The decision to establish ECRI is contained in the Vienna Declaration adopted by the first Summit on 9 October 1993. On 13 June 2002, the Committee of Ministers adopted a new Statute for ECRI and thus consolidated its role as an independent human rights monitoring mechanism specialised in questions relating to racism and intolerance.

ECRI’s task is to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance at the level of greater Europe and from the perspective of the protection of human rights. ECRI’s action covers all necessary measures to combat violence, discrimination and prejudice faced by persons or groups of persons, on grounds of “race”, colour, language, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin.

ECRI's members are appointed on the basis of their in-depth knowledge in the field of combating intolerance. They should have high moral authority and recognised expertise in dealing with racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance. They serve in their individual capacity, are independent and impartial in fulfilling their mandate, and do not receive any instructions from their government.

ECRI’s programme of activities comprises three aspects: the country-by-country approach; work on general themes; and relations with civil society. ECRI’s strategy for constantly enhancing its activities is to take a step-by-step approach, building on the work it has already accomplished by evaluating, consolidating and extending its action.

Main trends 

1. Each year, as an introduction to its Annual Report, ECRI outlines, in the light of the data compiled in the course of its various activities, some of the main trends reflecting the context in which it must continue its efforts and step up its action in the future. The precise characteristics and extent of these trends vary from region to region and from country to country. They are however sufficiently widespread to justify a special mention.

2. The overall picture as regards contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination is complex and worrying. Throughout Europe, these issues assume an increasing level of political and social sensitivity. Intensified manifestations of racism and intolerance can be observed in member States. Faced with this situation, and armed with its experience, ECRI advocates the strengthening of legal protection against racist acts and discrimination on the grounds of “race”, colour, language, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin. However, legal protection must be supported and complemented by a real political will to fight effectively against racism and racial discrimination.

3. ECRI is concerned by the increasing climate of hostility towards persons who are Muslim, or who are believed to be Muslim, and deplores the manifestations of Islamophobia which can be noticed under different guises within European societies. ECRI continues to be concerned by phenomena of antisemitism, more and more frequent in many European countries. It deplores the human rights violations suffered by Roma/Gypsies/Travellers, who are singled out as a particular target for racism throughout Europe. ECRI regrets that racism against Black people is still present in many European countries, while this type of racism is not sufficiently recognised and does not receive sufficient attention from political leaders or the general public.

4. It is of course necessary to be aware of the specificities of different types of racism and deal with them in consequence. ECRI thinks however that the danger of a “fragmentation” of the fight against racism must be avoided. Parallel actions, whose paths never cross, are exposed to the risk of a negative dispersion of efforts. ECRI remains convinced that it is through a common approach and a global, collective and interdependent strategy for combating racism that the best results will be achieved.

5. ECRI is deeply concerned by the negative climate of opinion which plays a key role in the appearance of manifestations of racism or intolerance within society. This climate is fuelled by some media and also by the use of racist and xenophobic arguments in political discourse. Xenophobic discourse currently enjoys a free rein in countries where the transition to a multicultural society arouses fears which find an echo in a context of economic crisis and globalisation, raising for many citizens the issue of national identity. Once again, it is minority groups and different communities which are targeted, including by the traditional political parties of many countries.

6. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are particularly subject to this. On the subject of immigration, the tone of political debate has not only hardened considerably, but has also tended to stigmatise entire communities, notably foreigners. The latter are presented as the persons responsible for the deterioration of security conditions, unemployment and increased public expenditure. This process of stigmatisation provides a breeding ground for racial discrimination towards this part of Europe’s population.

7. A fundamental problem is that posed by the fight against terrorism, which has in some cases resulted in the adoption of directly or indirectly discriminatory legislation as well as discriminatory practices by public authorities. The fight against terrorism has also often resulted in increased levels of racist prejudice and racial discrimination by individuals and organisations.

8. The persistence of discrimination on a daily basis continues to be a crucial problem. Despite the progress in legislation and policies, many people still suffer from discrimination in important fields such as employment, education, housing, health, etc. ECRI would like to recall that it is not sufficient to simply declare discrimination illegal. Discrimination must also be fought in practice. “True equality” is far from being a reality in Europe today.

9. ECRI notes that integration is widely discussed in most member States today. It underlines in this respect that the success of any integration strategy depends on the importance the strategy accords to the issue of combating discrimination. Successful integration is a two-way process, a process of mutual recognition, which has nothing to do with assimilation. Rather than using the term “integration”, ECRI prefers to refer to an “integrated society”, which is equally inclusive of majority and minority groups.

10. The negative trends outlined above should be closely monitored and additional measures taken at local, national and European level to combat manifestations of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance

11. . ECRI draws attention to these trends since, as a Commission with the task of combating racism it has the duty to describe the forms which racism takes today. ECRI wishes nevertheless to stress that not all of the trends are negative, and that there are some encouraging signs at international, European and national level, which indicate that member states and civil society are determined to combat racism and intolerance.

12. ECRI strongly welcomes the entry into force of the Protocol N° 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, providing for a general prohibition of discrimination, which took place on 1 April 2005. ECRI commends the States which ratified it (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Georgia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Ukraine). ECRI calls for states which have signed Protocol N° 12 to ratify it as quickly as possible (Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey). Lastly, ECRI asks States which have neither signed nor ratified Protocol N° 12 to do so rapidly (Andorra, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom).

ECRI's activities in 2006 

1. Country-by-country approach

1. The first aspect of ECRI’s statutory activities is its country-by-country monitoring work. ECRI closely examines the situation in each of the member States of the Council of Europe and draws up, following this analysis, suggestions and proposals as to how the problems of racism and intolerance identified in each country might be overcome. The aim is to formulate helpful and well-founded proposals which may assist governments in taking practical and precise steps to counter racism and intolerance.

2. ECRI’s reports are first transmitted in the form of draft texts to the member States concerned for a brief process of confidential dialogue with the national authorities of these countries. The content of the report is reviewed in the light of this dialogue. The report is then adopted in its final form and transmitted by ECRI to the government of the member State concerned, through the intermediary of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.

3. ECRI’s country-by-country approach concerns all Council of Europe member States on an equal footing. The reports for the first cycle were completed in late 1998. From January 1999 to the end of December 2002, ECRI worked on the second round of its country-by-country approach. ECRI started in January 2003 the third round of its country-by-country approach, which will finish at the end of 2007.

4. In order to obtain as detailed and comprehensive a picture as possible of the situation concerning racism and intolerance in the countries in question, a contact visit is organised before the preparation of each new country report.

5. The visits provide an opportunity for the Rapporteurs to meet officials from the various ministries and national public authorities dealing with issues within ECRI’s remit. They also allow the Rapporteurs to meet representatives of NGOs working in the field, as well as some of ECRI’s other partners and anyone else concerned with matters within ECRI’s remit.

6. In 2006, ECRI published nine reports of the third monitoring cycle. ECRI’s reports on Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Spain and Turkey were published on 21 February 2006. The reports on Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg and the Russian Federation were published on 16 May 2006.

7. The publication of ECRI’s country-by-country reports is an important stage in the development of an ongoing, active dialogue between ECRI and the authorities of member States with a view to identifying solutions to the problems of racism and intolerance with which the latter are confronted. The input of Non-Governmental Organisations and other bodies or individuals active in this field is a welcome part of this process, and should ensure that ECRI’s contribution is as constructive and useful as possible.

8. ECRI attaches considerable importance to this dialogue with government authorities and non-governmental bodies as a means of following up the suggestions made in its country-by-country reports. Adequate dissemination of the results of its work in the member States is part of its strategy in this connection.

9. The nine reports published in 2006 have all been translated into the national language(s) of the country concerned, and national NGOs have been encouraged to organise an event in the country concerned upon publication of the report as a means of raising awareness of its content. Steps have been taken to ensure that the report is circulated as widely as possible among relevant bodies at national level. A “dissemination plan” has been drawn up in conjunction with the relevant national member of ECRI.

10. As far as media coverage is concerned, a press release has systematically been issued and widely distributed each time a report is published. Most of these press releases have served as a basis for articles in the press and radio broadcasts.

11. In 2006, ECRI also carried out nine contact visits and drafted nine new reports in the framework of its country-by-country approach on the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Ireland, Monaco, Portugal and Slovenia.

12. The third round reports focus on “implementation”. They examine if ECRI’s main recommendations from previous reports have been implemented and if so, with what degree of success. The third round reports also deal with “specific issues”, chosen according to the different situations in each country, and examined in more depth in each report.

2. Work on general themes

General Policy Recommendations

13. ECRI’s General Policy Recommendations are addressed to the governments of all member States and cover main important areas of current concern in the fight against racism and intolerance. They are intended to serve as guidelines that policy-makers are invited to use when drawing up national strategies and policies to combat racism and intolerance.

14. On 15 December 2006, ECRI adopted its General Policy Recommendation No. 10 on Combating racism and racial discrimination in and through school education.

15. ECRI recalls in this Recommendation that education is an important tool for combating racism and intolerance, but that it is also an area in which racism and racial discrimination can exist, with harmful consequences for children and society as a whole. ECRI recommends that the governments of member States take a number of measures for: ensuring compulsory, free and quality education for all; combating racism and racial discrimination at school; and training the entire teaching staff to work in a multicultural environment.

16. In 2006, ECRI also worked for the preparation of a future General Policy Recommendation No. 11 on Combating racism and racial discrimination in policing, to be finalised and adopted by ECRI in 2007.

Combating racism while respecting freedom of expression

17. Deeply concerned by the increasingly racist and inflammatory tone of public discourse and confronted with the need to strike the right balance between the repression of racist discourse and the respect to freedom of expression, ECRI organised an expert seminar on these issues on 16-17 November 2006 in Strasbourg.

18. Beginning with the identification of the main challenges related to combating racism while respecting freedom of expression, the seminar explored how racist discourse and other forms of racist expression operate and how they can foster and perpetuate ideologies of racism and racial discrimination. Thereafter, a closer examination of the international and national legal framework for combating racist expression in a selected number of Council of Europe member States helped to identify basic principles to be respected in legal proceedings when striking the balance between the right to be free from racism and freedom of expression. Finally, special emphasis was put on exploring possible legal and policy responses for combating racism while respecting freedom of expression to be adopted by governments and other relevant actors in this field, including the implementation and monitoring of legislative measures against racist and discriminatory speech and expression, the empowerment of minorities, training and awareness-raising and self-regulatory measures.

Work on the issue of ethnic data collection

19. From March 2004 to March 2005, ECRI undertook a consultation and deliberation process on the issue of ethnic data collection. In December 2005, on the basis of the results of this process, ECRI finalised guidelines for dealing with issues related to ethnic data collection in its country-by-country work and its work on general themes.

20. In 2006, ECRI conducted, with the assistance of an outside consultant, a mapping exercise by means of a questionnaire sent to national data protection agencies, institutes for statistics, national specialised bodies and relevant NGOs in order to establish a grid giving an overview of the existing legal and practical framework for ethnic data collection in member States. This study will be completed and published in 2007.

3. Relations with civil society

21. A successful strategy against racism and intolerance depends to a large extent on raising awareness of the threat posed by these phenomena and ensuring that the anti-racist message filters down throughout civil society in general. ECRI attaches increasing importance to this third aspect of its programme of activities and accordingly adopted on 20 March 2002 a programme of action for reinforcing its relations with civil society.

22. This programme falls within the framework of the global approach of the Council of Europe to promote tolerance. It is complementary to actions implemented in fields such as education and culture, as well as human rights awareness raising. It also constitutes the basis for ECRI’s contribution to the implementation of the Conclusions of the European and World Conferences against racism, which stressed the importance of involving civil society in the fight against racism and intolerance.

National specialised bodies

23. National specialised bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination are strategic partners for ECRI in the fight against racism and intolerance. On 16-17 February 2006, ECRI organised in Strasbourg a seminar with national specialised bodies on the issue of mediation and other forms of dispute resolution in cases of racism and racial discrimination.

24. The seminar provided the specialised bodies with the theoretical and methodological framework in the field of mediation. At the same time the seminar addressed other methods of dispute resolution in order to provide specialised bodies with further tools to make informed decisions on which method of dispute resolution is the most effective and appropriate when they are confronted with cases of racism and racial discrimination. Special emphasis was put on the exchange of good practices, including concrete case studies in this field.

Organisation of national Round Tables in member States

25. The objective of ECRI’s national Round Tables is to contribute in a positive way to the debates on combating racism and intolerance and encourage reflection in the relevant governmental and non-governmental circles. These events are also the occasion for raising awareness among the general public about problems related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

26. ECRI’s Round Table in Spain was held in Madrid on 19 April 2006. The main themes which were discussed were: ECRI’s report on Spain; minority groups as victims of racism and racial discrimination; the legislative and institutional framework for combating racism and racial discrimination; and the reception of refugees and asylum seekers in Spain.

27. ECRI’s Round Table in Croatia was held in Zagreb on 5 July 2006. The main themes which were discussed were: ECRI’s report on Croatia; the situation of ex-Yugoslav minority groups in Croatia; the legislative and institutional framework for combating racism and racial discrimination; and problems faced by the Roma community in Croatia.

28. ECRI’s Round Table in Denmark was held in Copenhagen on 10 October 2006. The main themes which were discussed were: ECRI’s report on Denmark; racism and xenophobia in political and public discourse; the legislative and institutional framework for combating racism and racial discrimination; and immigration and integration policies and practices in Demark.

Consultation meeting with international NGOs

29. A consultation meeting with international NGOs was organised on 17 November 2006 and its results were integrated into ECRI’s work programme. The consultation meeting allowed for reviewing recent developments concerning ECRI and its work, and discussing priorities for future action and co-operation between ECRI and international NGOs.

Development of a communication strategy

30. Different communication and information initiatives were implemented in 2006. Press releases were drafted and distributed to coincide with the publication of ECRI’s country-by-country reports. An electronic Listserve informed ECRI’s main partners of the latest developments in its activities. Country-specific lists of national journalists particularly interested in ECRI’s activities have been drawn up and used at the time of publication of ECRI’s reports.

31. In 2006, ECRI’s Secretariat identified 208 articles concerning ECRI and the results of its activities in the national media. The Secretariat has prepared press reviews containing these articles, which come to a total of 255 pages (published 2 times a year: 100 pages in March 2006 and 155 pages in June 2006).

Co-operation with relevant bodies of the Council of Europe and other international organisations 

Council of Europe

1. ECRI is kept regularly informed of the work of other Council of Europe bodies dealing with issues related to racism and intolerance. Its Secretariat regularly provides information on ECRI’s work to these bodies.

2. In 2006, ECRI co-operated in particular with the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and the Experts’ Committee on Roma, Gypsies and Travellers (MG-S-ROM). The Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe are represented with ECRI and contribute to its work.

Inter-Agency Co-operation

3. The third annual Inter-Agency Meeting took place on 12 September 2006 in Vienna. The participants at this meeting were representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the United Nations, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE, two Personal Representatives of the Chairman in Office of the OSCE, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), and ECRI.

4. The meeting allowed for exchange of information concerning recent developments in the field of combating racism within each organisation and for discussion on specific lines of action for future co-operation. The participants in the meeting exchanged views on the complementarity of the work of the respective bodies and ways to improve their co-operation in the following areas: information and data management; policy recommendations and their impact and implementation; communication and awareness-raising.

5. On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, ECRI, EUMC and ODIHR published, on 21 March 2006, a joint statement entitled “Unity in the fight against racism and intolerance”.

United Nations

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

6. The Secretariat of CERD and ECRI’s Secretariat keep each other informed of important developments in the work of the respective bodies. More specifically, ECRI takes into account CERD’s recommendations in the preparation of its country-by-country reports, and also transmits its own reports to CERD on the countries to be examined during a CERD session.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

7. ECRI’s Secretariat maintains relations with the Anti-Discrimination Unit of the OHCHR. ECRI contributes, through its own programme of activities, to the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference against racism held in Durban in September 2001.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

8. ECRI’s Secretariat and the UNHCR’s liaison Office in the Council of Europe keep each other informed of important developments in the work of the respective bodies. More specifically, ECRI takes into account information transmitted by UNHCR in the preparation of its country-by-country reports.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

9. ECRI and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) have set up a special mechanism for bi-lateral co-operation aiming to ensure complementarity between the recommendations made by ECRI and ODIHR’s “tolerance and Non-Discrimination” programme. In this context, a number of fields where the activities of ODIHR’s work programme can support the implementation of ECRI’s country-specific recommendations have been identified. These include legislation, law enforcement, data collection, the fight against antisemitism, training and support of civil society and intercultural and inter-religious education. Furthermore, informal working level meetings have been held between ODIHR and ECRI to explore the development of a joint list of keywords and main topics to be used in connection with the data management projects currently being undertaken by both organisations.

10. The Chair of ECRI was one of the Moderators of the OSCE conference for the promotion of intercultural, interreligious and interethnic understanding, held in Almaty on 12-13 June 2006. ECRI actively participated at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on 12 October 2006 as part of the special day on the topic “promotion of tolerance, non-discrimination and mutual respect and understanding”. The former Chair of ECRI attended a working session on Human Dimension Activities (with special emphasis on project work) in order to demonstrate how structural co-operation and complementarity of mandates between ECRI and the ODIHR has served to increase the effectiveness of project activities. During the OSCE expert-level meeting on hate crime data collection, which was organised on 9-10 November 2006, ECRI provided a presentation on data collection as an effective tool for improving policy responses aimed at combating hate crime.

European Union

European Commission

11. The European Commission is invited to participate in ECRI’s work without the right to vote. ECRI’s Secretariat maintains relations with the Anti-Discrimination, Fundamental Social Rights and Civil Society Unit of the Directorate General for Employment, and social Affairs of the European Commission. ECRI’s Secretariat and the Anti-Discrimination Unit keep each other informed of important developments in their work and exchange information on subjects of common interest.

The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)

12. The EUMC’s Management Board is invited to be represented in ECRI without the right to vote. In accordance with the Agreement signed on 21 December 1998 between the European Community and the Council of Europe for the purpose of establishing close co-operation between the EUMC and the Council of Europe, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe appoints, among members of ECRI, a person to serve on the EUMC’s Management Board.

13. ECRI’s Bureau and EUMC’s Executive Board held a joint meeting in Vienna on 16 March 2006. The Bureaux exchanged information on recent developments in ECRI and in the EUMC and assessed co-operation between the two organisations. The meeting made a number of recommendations for future co-operation.

Appendix I - Membership of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance  

(31 December 2006)

Deputies to the members of ECRI (31 December 2006)

Observers (31 December 2006)

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Mr Boriss CILEVIČS
Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Mr Mehboob KHAN

Holy See
Professor Jean-Pierre MACHELON

European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)
Professor Naina PATEL
Deputy: Professor Jenny GOLDSCHMIDT

European Commission
Ms Deirdre HODSON
Deputy: Mr Alvaro OLIVEIRA

ECRI’s Bureau

(31 December 2006)

Professor Eva SMITH ASMUSSEN
Chair 
member in respect of Denmark

Mr Baldur KRISTJANSSON
Vice-Chair
member in respect of Iceland

Ms Winnie SORGDRAGER
Vice-Chair
member in respect of the Netherlands

Mr Fernando FERREIRA RAMOS
Bureau member
member in respect of Portugal

Professor Raluca BESTELIU
Bureau member
member in respect of Romania

Professor Adila KRESO
Bureau member
member in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina

(1^st January 2007)

Professor Eva SMITH ASMUSSEN
Chair 
member in respect of Denmark

Mr Nils MUIZNIEKS
Vice-Chair
member in respect of Latvia

Professor Adila KRESO
Vice-Chair
member in respect of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr Fernando FERREIRA RAMOS
Bureau member
member in respect of Portugal

Professor Raluca BESTELIU
Bureau member
member in respect of Romania

Ms Winnie SORGDRAGER
Bureau member
member in respect of the Netherlands

Professor Stelios PERRAKIS
Bureau member
member in respect of Greece

Appendix II - Secretariat of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance 

Mme Isil GACHET, Direction Générale des Droits de l'Homme – DG II, Secrétaire exécutive de la Commission européenne contre le racisme et l'intolérance / Directorate General of Human Rights, Executive Secretary to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Conseil de l'Europe, 67075 STRASBOURG CEDEX, France
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 23 48
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: isil.gachet@coe.int

Mme Claudia LAM, Juriste / Lawyer
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 23 49
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: claudia.lam@coe.int

M. Giancarlo CARDINALE, Juriste / Lawyer
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 42
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: giancarlo.cardinale@coe.int

Ms Aline USANASE, Juriste / Lawyer
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 23 17
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: aline.usanase@coe.int

Ms Heike KLEMPA, Responsible for external relations
Tel: + 33 (0) 3 90 21 51 55
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: heike.klempa@coe.int

Ms Paula ECK-WALTERS, Documentaliste / Documentalist
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 33 99
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: paula.eck-walters@coe.int

Mme Sylvia LEHMANN, Assistante / Assistant
Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 29 64
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: sylvia.lehmann@coe.int

Ms Jennifer POINSOT, Assistante / Assistant
Tel: +33 (0) 3 90 21 53 96
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 39 87
E-mail: jennifer.poinsot@coe.int

Appendix III - Meetings held by ECRI in 2006 

Plenary sessions
- 21-23 March 2006
- 27-30 June 2006
- 12-15 December 2006

Bureau meetings
- 20 March 2006
- 26 June 2006
- 11 December 2006

Meetings of CBC Working Groups
- CBC 1: 3 February 2006
- CBC 2: 20 January 2006
- CBC 3: 13 July 2006
- CBC 4: 3 February 2006
- CBC 5: 10 July 2006
- CBC 6: 11 July 2006
- CBC 7: 11 July 2006
- CBC 8: 20 January 2006
- CBC 9: 19 January 2006

Meeting of the Working group on school education and combating racism
- 23 February 2006
- 29 May 2006
- 27 November 2006

Meetings of the Working Group on racism and racial discrimination in policing
- 24 February 2006
- 7 July 2006
- 13 November 2006

Meetings of the ad hoc Working Group entrusted with the task of preparing the fourth round of CBC work
- 13 January 2006
- 5 May 2006
- 21 November 2006

Consultation meeting with the national liaison officers
- 21 November 2006

Meetings of the Working Group on relations with civil society
- 23 March 2006
- 4 May 2006
- 26 June 2006
- 20 October 2006

National Round-Tables
- Spain: 19 April 2006
- Croatia: 5 July 2006
- Denmark: 10 October 2006

Seminar with national specialised bodies to combat racism and racial discrimination
- 16-17 February 2006

Expert Seminar on combating racism while respecting freedom of expression
- 16-17 November 2006

Joint meeting of the Bureau of ECRI and the Executive Board of the EUMC
- 16 March 2006

Contact Visits
- Iceland: 26-30 March 2006
- Portugal: 2-7 April 2006
- Armenia: 3-7 April 2006
- Georgia: 16-20 April 2006
- Slovenia: 22-26 April 2006
- Monaco: 24-27 September 2006
- Finland: 24-29 September 2006
- Azerbaijan: 24-29 September 2006
- Ireland: 1-6 October 2006

Appendix IV - List of publications 

• ECRI and its programme of activities (Strasbourg, September 2005)
• Legal measures to combat racism and intolerance in the member States of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, January 1998 and revised versions)
• Legal measures to combat racism and intolerance in the member States of the Council of Europe (revised version: Strasbourg, 2000)
• Examples of “Good practices”: Specialised bodies to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance at national level (Strasbourg, January 2006)
• Examples of "Good practices" to fight against racism and intolerance in the European media (Strasbourg, April 2000)
• Practical examples in combating Racism and Intolerance against Roma/Gypsies (Strasbourg, October 2001)
• Legal instruments for combating racism on Internet (Strasbourg, August 2000)
• Compilation of ECRI's general policy recommendations (Strasbourg, September 2004)
• ECRI general policy recommendation n°1: Combating racism, xenophobia antisemitism and intolerance (Strasbourg, 4 October 1996)
• ECRI general policy recommendation n°2: Specialised bodies to combat racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance at national level (Strasbourg, 13 June 1997)
• ECRI general policy recommendation n°3: combating racism and intolerance against Roma/Gypsies (Strasbourg, 6 March 1998)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°4: National surveys on the experience and perception of discrimination and racism from the point of view of potential victims (Strasbourg, 6 March 1998)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°5: Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims (Strasbourg, 27 April 2000)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°6: Combating the dissemination of racist, xenophobic and antisemitic material via the Internet (Strasbourg, 15 December 2000)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°7: National legislation to combat racism and racial discrimination (13 December 2002)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°8: Combating racism while fighting terrorism (8 June 2004)
• ECRI general policy recommendation N°9: The fight against antisemitism (9 September 2004)
• ECRI's country-by-country approach:
• First round:
• Volume I (Strasbourg, September 1997)
• Volume II (Strasbourg, March 1998)
• Volume III (Strasbourg, 15 June 1998)
• Volume IV (Strasbourg, 26 January 1999)
• Volume V (Strasbourg, 13 March 1999)
• Volume VI (Strasbourg, 24 May 1999)
• Volume VII (Strasbourg, 9 November 1999)
• Second round:
• Albania (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)
• Andorra (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• Armenia (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)
• Austria (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)
• Azerbaijan (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• Belgium (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)
• Bulgaria (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)
• Croatia (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)
• Cyprus (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)
• Czech Republic (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)
• Denmark (Strasbourg, 3 March 2001)
• Estonia (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)
• Finland (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)
• France (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)
• Georgia (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)
• Germany (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)
• Greece (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)
• Hungary (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)
• Iceland (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)
• Ireland (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)
• Italy (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)
• Latvia (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)
• Liechtenstein (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• Lithuania (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• Luxembourg (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)
• Malta (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)
• Moldova (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• The Netherlands (Strasbourg, 13 November 2001)
• Norway (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)
• Poland (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)
• Portugal (Strasbourg, 4 November 2002)
• Romania (Strasbourg, 23 April 2002)
• Russian Federation (Strasbourg, 13 November 2001)
• San Marino (Strasbourg, 4 November 2003)
• Slovakia (Strasbourg, 27 June 2000)
• Slovenia (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)
• Spain (Strasbourg, 8 July 2003)
• Sweden (Strasbourg, 15 April 2003)
• Switzerland (Strasbourg, 21 March 2000)
• “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)
• Turkey (Strasbourg, 3 July 2001)
• Ukraine (Strasbourg, 23 July 2002)
• United Kingdom (Strasbourg, 3 April 2001)
• Compilation of second round reports (Strasbourg, February 2004)
• Third round:
• Albania (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)
• Austria (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)
• Belgium (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)
• Bulgaria (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)
• Croatia (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)
• Cyprus (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)
• Czech Republic (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)
• Denmark (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)
• Estonia (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)
• France (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)
• Germany (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)
• Greece (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)
• Hungary (Strasbourg, 8 June 2004)
• Italy (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)
• Lithuania (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)
• Luxembourg (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)
• Norway (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)
• Poland (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)
• Romania (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)
• Russian Federation (Strasbourg, 16 May 2006)
• Slovakia (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)
• Spain (Strasbourg, 21 February 2006)
• Sweden (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)
• Switzerland (Strasbourg, 27 January 2004)
• “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)
• Turkey (Strasbourg, 15 February 2005)
• United Kingdom (Strasbourg, 14 June 2005)
• Activities of the Council of Europe with relevance to combating racism and intolerance (Strasbourg, February 2004)
• Recommendations adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in the field of combating racism and intolerance (Strasbourg, September 1998)
• Recommendations adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the field of combating racism and intolerance (Strasbourg, September 1998)
• Texts of international instruments relevant to the work of ECRI (Strasbourg, October 1999)