Good afternoon,
Bonjour,
Le sujet dont nous allons parler me tient à cœur, alors permettez-moi de mexprimer avec ma langue : le français.
La toute première langue avec laquelle jétais en contact était le kabyle — la langue « tamazigh ».
Mais quand mes parents sont venus en België, voor reconstrueren van Europa na de oorlog, is het Frans mijn moedertaal geworden. Een taal doordrenkt met invloeden uit het Engels, Italiaans, Spaans, Arabisch…
Une langue qui chante sa diversité.
Alors quelle plus belle manière de commencer une conférence de presse sur la stratégie européenne de lutte contre le racisme?
Car louverture à lautre nest pas une faiblesse. Cest une force. Cest au cœur même du projet européen : unis dans la diversité.
Et ceux qui veulent nous faire croire le contraire — les extrémistes qui sèment la peur, le rejet de lautre et lexclusion, sattaquent à un idéal : une Europe qui donne à chacun les mêmes chances de réussir et de trouver sa place.
Le racisme ne se manifeste pas seulement par des insultes. « Lintégration dun racisme devenu inconsciente est plus insidieuse que les insultes que jai entendues étant jeune » Comme la dit le chanteur Abd el Malik, il devient le plus dangereux quand il devient invisible.
Le racisme structurel est au cœur de notre stratégie, parce quil est plus insidieux et plus destructeur. Parce quil se retrouve à chaque étape de la vie : des soins à la maternité, à lécole, dans les quartiers-ghettos, sur le marché du travail.
Il érige des barrières, des plafonds de verre… Il rompt lespoir et, in fine, la cohésion sociale nécessaire à toute société démocratique saine.
À un moment où les valeurs européennes sont sous pression, cette stratégie est un choix, une nécessité.
The consequences of racism are real.
Roma people live around 8 years less than the average European. And almost half the people of African descent working in the EU are overqualified for their jobs.
Racism doesnt just hurt people. It weakens our economies.
Racial and ethnic discrimination costs Europe nearly 13 billion euros every year in lost growth. That is a mountain of skills and talent left on the table.
We cannot afford that.
And history gives us no excuse. In Europe, we have seen where racism and intolerance lead. We know how this dark story ends. And we refuse to walk that road again.
Thats why we are fighting racism in all its forms — anti-Black racism, antigypsyism, antisemitism, anti-Asian racism, and anti-Muslim hatred.
And we are fighting it where it lives: in our systems, in everyday decisions, and in the barriers that quietly shut people out.
Our strategy is built on three priorities: enforcing the law, breaking down barriers, and building partnerships.
First, our laws must work in real life, not just on paper.
For 25 years, the Racial Equality Directive has been Europes shield against discrimination in schools, hospitals, housing, and at work.
But a shield only protects if it is used.
Too often, sanctions are outdated or symbolic. Too often, discrimination goes unpunished.
That has to change.
We will take a close look at how the Racial Equality Directive is applied across Member States. And we will present a report aimed at strengthening national sanctions.
We will also share what works: effective sanctions like fines, exclusion from public procurement, community service, and professional disqualification.
Another challenge is artificial intelligence. AI brings enormous opportunities for people, businesses, and our societies. But it also brings new risks.
Its complexity and lack of transparency make discrimination harder to spot and harder to prove.
We have already seen exam software struggle to recognise students with darker skin tones. And online car insurance prices changing based on place of birth or citizenship, factors closely linked to ethnic origin.
Our AI Act bans the most harmful practices, like racial profiling or promoting violence against protected groups.
But discrimination today is often quieter. More hidden. More vicious.
Thats why we must make sure new technologies do not repeat yesterdays prejudice. And that our anti-discrimination laws apply to algorithms too.
We will also strengthen equality bodies across Europe, the places people turn to when discrimination happens.
They will be better equipped to help victims understand their rights and get justice.
The second focus of this Strategy is breaking down invisible barriers.
Racism is not always shouted. Often it is quiet, but devastating.
A child told, this track is not for you.
A CV never opened because of a name.
A family turned away, again and again, while looking for a home.
These are not isolated incidents. These are doors closing, one after another. And over a lifetime, like drops of water on stone, they wear people down.
The data confirms it. People of African, Asian, or Middle Eastern descent are twice as likely to be denied a job interview.
This is not coincidence. This is discrimination. And we are acting.
Later this year, we will launch a joint project with UNESCO to strengthen anti-racism education. We will train teachers and school leaders to recognise bias, stereotypes, harassment, and hate.
At work, we are partnering with companies through EU Diversity Charters to promote fair hiring and inclusive workplaces.
And in housing, we will propose a Council recommendation to fight housing exclusion and homelessness.
We also know that words matter. Images matter. Narratives matter. More than ever.
So we will work with journalists and civil society to promote fair, inclusive storytelling, both online and offline. Focusing on unconscious bias, ethical reporting, avoiding stereotypes, and using responsible language.
Our third priority is partnerships.
This fight cannot be won from Brussels alone.
We are working closely with Member States to push for strong national and local anti-racism action plans across Europe.
Today 14 Member States have such plans, double the number since 2020. But our goal is all 27!
And civil society is at the heart of this work.
No one knows better the reality of racism than the people working on the frontlines. They see discrimination first. They respond first. They sound the alarm.
We will continue to support their work.
In the next EU budget, we propose to double funding for equality. Up to €3.6 billion euros to support equality, fight discrimination, and strengthen democracy.
And we are working closely with our anti-racism coordinator, Michaela Moua, to make sure this strategy delivers real change.
Today we are making a promise to all Europeans.
A promise that the law will be enforced. That systems will be fixed. And that no child will ever be told, this is not possible because of who you are.
Europe moves forward when we are honest with ourselves. When we look clearly at where we fall short, and choose to do better.
That is our strength.
And that is why I can stand before you today, as a proud European, with my curly dark hair, to present Europes first-ever Anti-Racism Strategy.
Thank you.