The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), a Council of Europe independent monitoring body, and Monaco’s High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation, the national equality body, organised a round table on 25 April 2023 in Monaco to discuss the follow-up to the recommendations made by ECRI in its 2022 report on Monaco.

In its report, ECRI addressed a series of recommendations to the authorities of Monaco, recommending:

• to pass legislation governing the fight against all forms of discrimination;
• to strengthen the High Commissioner’s powers, particularly with regard to inquiries;
• to enable the judicial authorities to tackle online hate speech more effectively;
• to eliminate any unjustified differences in treatment between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples;
• to include in domestic law a procedure for processing asylum claims in accordance with international law;
• to establish clear norms governing the right to family reunification and residence permits;
• to prohibit termination of employment without a prior valid reason for foreign residents.

The main findings of ECRI, including on the national equality body and action to counter hate speech, were at the heart of the discussions, which involved representatives of national and local authorities and civil society.

The round table was opened by Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Department of External Relations and Cooperation of Monaco, Bertil Cottier, Vice-Chair of ECRI, Johan Friestedt, Executive Secretary of ECRI, and Marina Ceyssac, High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Freedoms and Mediation of Monaco. ECRI's report on Monaco was presented by Kristina Pardalos and Bertil Cottier, ECRI members and co-rapporteurs.