91999E2793

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2793/99

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission

(18 January 2000)

Subject: Anti-xenophobia project

In my home region of Vorarlberg, Austria, a project is being planned under the title: Love, war and adventure: tracing your roots!.

Attitudes towards foreigners in our society are in many ways influenced by fear. A way of countering these feelings is to trace the roots of the local population. The origins of the current inhabitants can be shown by the example of actual families.

The aim of the project is to show the many ways in which former foreigners have contributed to the development of a community or town and to show how the descendants of former immigrants have quite naturally now become indigenous people. Many families have ancestors who were immigrants or relations who emigrated abroad. Knowledge of their own family history should awaken people's understanding and tolerance for today's foreigners.

Has the Commission to date supported any similar projects?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(22 February 2000)

The Commission has already financed a plethora of measures to integrate immigrants and to combat racism and xenophobia, some of which concerned the contribution and the positive role of ethnic minorities in the Union. But it has not supported any projects like the one described by the Honourable Member.

Since ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty, Community action in the field of racism has come under the more general framework of implementing the new Article 13 (ex Article 6a) of the EC Treaty, which concerns discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. In the context of preparing an action programme in this area, the Commission published calls for proposals in 1999, and will publish more in 2000, with an eye to funding projects in the context of transnational partnerships covering at least two of the types of discrimination mentioned in Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which are of interest to the Community and which can significantly contribute to the further development and implementation of Community policy in this field, within the limits set by the available resources.