EU agency urges Malta to step up anti-discrimination efforts

Malta was indicated as one of the EU member states that need to step up their efforts in order to make sure no racial or xenophobic discrimination is allowed to take place.

A report on Racism And Xenophobia In The Member States Of The EU During 2006, issued by the Vienna-based EU Agency For Fundamental Rights (FRA), criticises Malta for "being slow in adopting the necessary legislation in compliance with the Racial Equality Directive" of the EU and for not setting up the "necessary specialised body" to deal with the implementation of this directive.

The report also criticises Malta for the "limited quality of criminal justice data collection on racist crime violence". It notes that the Malta police reported - for the first time - three offences regarding incitement to racial hatred last year.

"In Malta, there was no development during 2006 on the draft Bill Equality Act 2005, intended to transpose the Racial Equality Directive. No specialised body has existed at the time of writing this report."

According to the FRA, which is represented in Malta by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, "the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), set up in 2004, works only in the promotion of gender equality".

Malta was applauded by the agency for initiatives on the education side, intended to raise more awareness on the issue.

Citing it as one of the EU's good practices during 2006, the agency highlighted the fact that the Malta police continued providing training on racism and xenophobia, on the relevant Maltese legislation and on how trainees, members of the police force, should deal with incidents of racism. The course, it noted, was repeated seven times in 2006 as part of the Police Corps' in-service training.

An in-service course for social studies teachers, with specific emphasis on human rights, was also highlighted in the report as a positive move.

Malta was not the only member state criticised in the report. Similar treatment was given to other member states, particularly Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Portugal.

According to the EU agency, an increase in recorded racist crimes was noted in eight of the 11 EU member states that collected adequate criminal justice data on racist violence and crime over a period of several years.

"Yet, FRA is unable to present a full picture for all EU countries due to a severe lack of national data. Differences and gaps in recording systems make it impossible to compare numbers between countries. Five of the EU's 27 member states did not publish any national criminal justice data on racist crime in 2006," the report said.

It says that, by the end of 2006, quite a few EU countries had still not fully implemented the EU's racial equality rules. In addition, no sanctions had been applied against offenders in about half of the EU member states.

"The very low level of complaints recorded in some countries during 2006 suggests that victims are unaware of the existing legal protection against discrimination," the report remarks.

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, on average, only one third of EU citizens (32 per cent) claim to know their rights should they become victims of discrimination or harassment.

The agency said member states must therefore intensify their efforts to raise awareness and disseminate information, in particular among potential victims of discrimination.

"This is important because the protection offered under the EU racial equality rules rests on the awareness and initiative of victims and the application of dissuasive sanctions," the agency said.