Pact for Equality Campaign

Avocats Sans Frontières, European Alternatives and a consortium of civil society and university partners are coming together to promote equality and to fight discrimination affecting specifically migrant communities in Europe. We will work together over this crucial electoral year, and over the coming years to transform Europe’s approach to diversity. 

The European elections are approaching, and people with a migrant background, racialized people, women, LGBTQIA+ and other minorities continue to be used as scapegoats and are subject to hate speech. This reflects systemic discrimination still prevalent in many parts of Europe’s society and politics.

Discrimination in all its dimensions is rising in all European countries, despite the EU’s attempts to address racism, sexism, and homophobia. A recent Eurobarometer survey (n. 535) concludes that discrimination is seen as ‘widespread’ and ‘increasingly prevalent’, particularly based on the basis of being identified as Roma, on the basis of skin colour or ethnic origin, religious belief, gender identity or sexuality.

Current EU border and migration policies risk increasing this discrimination even further. We say: enough!

This is why, in the campaign period and afterwards, the voices and agency of racialized people and people with a migration background must be amplified. Together, we will call on EU election candidates to commit to a Pact for Equality, which will centre anti-discrimination and anti-racism in all EU policies, including migration, and promote regular engagement of parliamentarians with community and migrant-led organisations in Europe and beyond, and promote the upscaling of best practices from local experiences.