Programme | Speeches | Presentations
ECRI annual seminar with Equality Bodies

EXPOSING RACISM, INTOLERANCE, AND INEQUALITIES

Commemorating 30 Years of ECRI

17-18 October 2024

Room G.03 Agora Building, Strasbourg 

THURSDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2024 (14:00 - 18:00)

 

13:30 – 14:00    Welcoming participants and security clearance

14:00 – 14:45   Opening session

Welcome and moderation by Bertil COTTIER, Chair of ECRI

 Speakers
14:45 – 16:15   Measuring Milestones: 30 Years of ECRI's Monitoring of Racism and Intolerance in Europe

Moderator: Nigel SMITH, Council of Europe

 Panellists

  • Bertil COTTIER, Chair of ECRI
  • Maria Daniella MAROUDA, former Chair of ECRI, member in respect of Greece (2020/23)
  • Jean-Paul LEHNERS, former Chair of ECRI, member in respect of Luxembourg (2018/19)
  • Christian åHlund, former Chair of ECRI, member of ECRI in respect of Sweden (2014/18)
  • Nils MUIŽNIEKS, former Chair of ECRI, member in respect of Latvia (2010/12) 
  • Ivana JELIĆ, Section President, European Court of Human Rights
  • Aoife NOLAN, President of the European Committee of Social Rights
  • Michal BALCERZAK, Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) 
  • Patrick CHARLIER, Chair of the European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET) 

 

16:15 – 16:45  Break

 

16:45 – 17:45   ECRI’s Annual Seminars with Equality Bodies: Looking Ahead

Introduction and moderation by Johan FRIESTEDT, Executive Secretary of ECRI

 Speaker
  •  Robert RUSTEM, Senior Project and Outreach Officer, ECRI Secretariat 

 

 18:30 – 20:00   Cheers to 30 Years: Anniversary Cocktail Celebration  (Salon Bleu – Palais de l’Europe)

Welcome by Bertil COTTIER, Chair of ECRI, and Johan FRIESTEDT, Executive Secretary of ECRI

 

Current and upcoming Presidencies of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Lithuania and Luxembourg)

  • Ambassador Andrius KRIVAS, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the Council of Europe
  • Ambassador Patrick ENGELBERG, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe

Special guests

  •  Frank ORTON, first Chair of ECRI, member in respect of Sweden (1994/97)
  • Isil GACHET, first Executive Secretary of ECRI

Musical interlude by Fuz4tet

Yuliia Vydovska, originally from Cherkassy, Ukraine, founded the Fuz4tet project in 2020 while studying at the Conservatoire in Strasbourg. Inspired by a nostalgic Ukrainian folk song, she and her three friends—Maxime Epp, Nello Dronne, and Lucas Habe—came together to create a jazz fusion arrangement of the melody. This spontaneous collaboration sparked the development of their distinctive repertoire, which blends jazz with traditional music, shaping the unique sound of Fuz4tet.

 

FRIDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2024 (09:00 - 13:00)

 

08:45 – 9:00    Welcoming participants and security clearance

9:00 – 10:30   Special session 1: Addressing Racism and Intolerance in Health Care

Moderator: Maria Daniella MAROUDA, ECRI member in respect of Greece

 Setting the scene
  •  Tomas De JONG, European Public Health Alliance
  •  Tamás KÁDÁR, Co-Director - Operations, Policy & Legal, and Daris LEWIS RECIO, Legal and Policy Officer, European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET)
 Case study
  •  Tatiana PUIU, Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights, challenges faced by vulnerable and marginalised communities in accessing health care services
  • Equality Body Representatives:  Germany:  Ferda ATAMAN, Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination; Monaco:  Sophie LAVAGNA, Head of Division, Office of the High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights; North Macedonia: Marijan PONJAVIC, State Councillor in the Office of the Ombudsman
 New recommendations on countering discrimination in the health sector
  •  Stamatia STAVRINAKI, CERD member and Rapporteur for the General Recommendation No. 37 on Racial discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health

 

Discussion

 

10:30 – 11:00   Break

 

11:00 – 12:30   Special session 2: Tackling Structural Discrimination and Institutional Racism

Moderation: Domenica GHIDEI BIIDU, 1st Vice-Chair of ECRI, member in respect of the Netherlands

 Setting the scene
  •  Ana Rita ALVES, CeiED - Lusófona University, CES - University of Coimbra, Portugal
  •  Niall CROWLEY, Independent equality and human rights expert 
  •  Neža KOGOVŠEK ŠALAMON, Judge, Constitutional Court, Republic of Slovenia and member of ECRI in respect of Slovenia
  •  Nevena PENEVA, Anti-Racism and Non-Discrimination Sector, Equality, Roma and Social Rights Unit, EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Structural and institutional racism: evidence from FRA surveys and research

 Case study

  • Video testimony by Mladen MIKLUC, Serbia 
  • Social Card Law in Serbia:  Jelena SESAR, Amnesty International 
  • Racism within the Fire and Emergency Medical Service (SIAMU) of Brussels Region,  Els KEYTSMAN, Director of Unia and member of ECRI in respect of Belgium

 

Discussion

 

12:30 – 13:00   Council Directive (EU) 2024/1499 on standards for equality bodies

Introduction and moderation by Tena ŠIMONOVIĆ EINWALTER, member of ECRI’s Bureau, member of ECRI in respect of Croatia and Ombudswoman of Croatia

 Speaker
  • Annelisa COTONE, Member of the Cabinet of European Union Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, presentation of Council Directive (EU) 2024/1499 of 7 May 2024 on standards for equality bodies 

Final words from the participants and the organiser

13:00 END OF THE EVENT