In its annual report for 2024 the Council of Europe's anti-racism body, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), has outlined tackling racial profiling by law enforcement officials, addressing the segregation of Roma children at school, ensuring equal rights and dignity for transgender and intersex persons, and strengthening national equality bodies as four key policy challenges for European states. Positive policy developments are also highlighted in the report.
Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, stressed the importance of the ECRI's work for the organisation's New Democratic Pact for Europe: "Racism, intolerance, and discrimination are contrary to the values upheld by the Council of Europe and pose challenges to democratic societies. Addressing these issues requires a renewed commitment from European states to developing and nurturing inclusive societies," he said. "A New Democratic Pact for Europe envisions strengthening democracy across the continent by promoting unity, dialogue and democratic values. Advancing equality and ensuring dignity for all by addressing discrimination in all its forms is central to the mission of the Council of Europe."
Bertil Cottier, Chair of ECRI, said: "We see several areas of concern when it comes to countering racism and intolerance in Europe. But we also see signs of hope: there are also areas where significant policy action is being taken in many different parts of the continent. Preventing the emergence or development of racial profiling practices is vital to reinforce, maintain or restore public trust in law enforcement agencies. Addressing persisting Roma school segregation is crucial to avoid perpetuating structural inequalities for another generation of Roma. Ensuring equal rights and dignity for transgender and intersex people and countering transphobic hate speech are essential to build a genuinely inclusive society. And finally, further work should be done to strengthen the independence and effectiveness of equality bodies at national level".
In the report, ECRI notes that the frequent use of stop-and-search practices by law enforcement officials - based on national or ethnic background, skin colour, religion or citizenship - is indicative of potential racial profiling. ECRI identified such practices in different contexts, including border control, action against terrorism or extremism, or control measures applied by law enforcement agencies in specific geographical areas without any concrete suspicion against a particular individual.
High levels of school segregation of Roma children, resulting in lower quality education, continued to be observed in several Council of Europe member states. ECRI notes that the high concentration of Roma children in certain schools appears to be the result of residential segregation, but also of continuing practices by school authorities to educate Roma children in separate classes or buildings.
Transphobic hate speech remained rife in many European countries, especially during electoral campaigns, according to the report. A recurring trend was the reference to protecting children against so-called "gender ideology".
Intersex persons, whose situation remains largely unknown to the public in Europe, also faced mental health issues and other healthcare-related challenges, according to ECRI.
Despite the adoption of new EU legislation in May 2024 setting binding standards for equality bodies, ECRI continued to identify shortcomings in this field. Many equality bodies lacked adequate resources to carry out their tasks effectively; gaps were also noted as regards the independence of equality bodies and their protection from political pressures. In addition, equality bodies were still not provided with the full range of competences and powers, notably in relation to litigation or legal advice.
Nevertheless, equality bodies continued to make remarkable impact across Europe by often being the first point of contact for victims of discrimination and by providing expert guidance, support, and advocacy on equality issues, including on complex and emerging challenges such as the impact of artificial intelligence and other new or developing technologies.
