In May 2006 the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Decision to designate 2007 as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All – Towards a Just Society (EYEO). In accordance with this Decision, this Communication reports on the results and achievements of the EYEO, assesses the extent to which it met its objectives and examines the results to see if they are sustainable.

In particular, the report focuses on the following areas:

1) Underlying challenges and corresponding objectives which the EYEO was intended to meet : the EYEO Decision set out to address the challenges through four objectives: these were the 'four "R"s', namely 'Rights' (corresponding to the legislative challenges), 'Representation', 'Recognition' and 'Respect' (corresponding to the policy challenges). The co-legislators also set out the three implementation principles: (i) balanced treatment of grounds with the focus on multiple discrimination and an obligation to mainstream gender across all activities; (ii) decentralised implementation through national plans and action taking national, regional and local differences into account; and (iii) close involvement of civil society and social partners.

The results of the EYEO must therefore be assessed in the light of those objectives and principles and in terms of their sustainability.

2) Implementation of the EYEO at national and EU level :

At national level:

30 participating countries; 434 Implemented Actions by around 1 000 Action Leaders and their Partners, which delivered 1 600 outputs, consisting of more than 1 000 meetings and events, circa 440 national-level campaigns and over 120 studies and surveys; over 1700 activities included in the EYEO’s objectives (meetings and events, campaigns and studies, etc).

At EU level:

The EYEO Decision provided for an Advisory Committee to be set up with members from each of the 30 participating countries. It met seven times from June 2006 to July 2008. Through advocacy and awareness-raising activities, organisations representing and defending people exposed to discrimination play a vital role in making anti-discrimination rights effective. Involving civil society in the design and implementation of the EYEO activities was therefore crucial. The Commission held regular discussions with NGOs and social partners within an Advisory Group, which met six times from June 2006 to July 2008.

In addition, both the European Parliament and individual MEPs from a number of committees and political groups played a crucial role in the EYEO. Parliament and the Commission jointly organised a 'European Parliament of Equal Opportunities for All', a forum for dialogue with civil society on eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities for all in employment and outside.

The EYEO also produced inter alia the following:

530 participants in the launching conference in Berlin and over 700 in the closing conference in Lisbon The website was visited by overall 894 934 viewers The stand set up at the Eurovision Village in Helsinki, Finland, during Eurovision week (5-12 May), attracted 320 000 visitors At least 3 611 media clippings, largely in the form of clippings in print, which achieved over at least 370 million contacts altogether 700 deliveries of printed information, promotional material and stands to NIBs, national correspondents, NGOs and public authorities.

Financial implementation : the co-legislators set a global budget for the EYEO of €15 million , of which €7.65 million was allocated to activities at national level. The participating countries had to match the amount received from the EU from public or private sources, bringing the overall estimated budget for the 27 Member States up to €15.30 million. While most of the 30 participating countries decided to match the Commission’s 50% co-funding, some planned to provide even more than the requisite 50%, resulting in a combined estimated budget of around €18.5 million. Ultimately, final expenditure on the 434 actions implemented at national level amounted to €15.9 million, or 86% of the original estimated budget. All 30 participating countries at least matched the EU national grant, with the overall percentage amounting to more than 57%. As a result of overestimating the costs, coupled with delays in the planning phase, in the start of the actions and in the receipt of funding, some countries spent less than the amount budgeted: overall, this was offset by additional resources supplied by seven countries.

3) EYEO's sustainable results at national and EU level to assess how these can be applied to take up the heightened challenges facing the EU : at EU level a firm, practical policy commitment is need. In December 2007, the EPSCO Council adopted a comprehensive Resolution on follow-up to the EYEO, which welcomed the initiatives started and set priorities for the future. The December 2007 European Council endorsed the results of the EYEO and added a specific focus on the need for the EU and the Member States to step up work on promoting Roma inclusion. On 2 July 2008, as part of the renewed Social Agenda the Commission adopted a set of measures to combat discrimination comprising:

a new proposal for a directive on equal treatment prohibiting discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief outside the field of employment; a Communication 'Non-discrimination and equal opportunities: A renewed commitment', which sets out a comprehensive approach to stepping up action against discrimination; a Commission Decision setting up a non-discrimination governmental expert group to examine the impact of national and EU-level non-discrimination measures, validate good practice through peer learning and develop benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of non-discrimination policies; a Commission Staff Working Paper on Community instruments and policies for Roma inclusion.

Conclusion : the EYEO managed to fulfil the requirements set in terms of budget execution and material implementation principles (balanced treatment of grounds, decentralisation, involvement of civil society and the social partners and a focus on multiple discrimination and gender mainstreaming) and generated an impressive number of financially and morally supported actions. The most important factor in the EYEO's success was the political commitment of the Member States, the European institutions and civil society. The Commission carried out its task of establishing a framework for implementation with the political backing of the European Parliament and the Council. Civil society at EU and national level fully embraced the project and allocated a significant proportion of their scarce resources to its implementation.

In addition to meeting the overall aim of raising awareness of rights and obligations in the existing legal framework, the EYEO triggered a debate on breaking down the barriers between the discrimination grounds. The debate fed into the Commission's decision to adopt a new proposal for an Article 13 directive to even out the protection afforded across the grounds and fostered a standing debate with the Member States and the stakeholders that will help the EU to develop a policy to achieve equality and allow each individual to realise his or her potential.

COM(2009)0269
EUR-Lex

This Commission Staff Working Document highlights key facts, figures and examples of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (EYEO) at both national and European level.

The evaluation of the EYEO focused on seven areas :

· Relevance : in general, the stakeholders believed that the type of intervention represented by the EYEO was an appropriate way of addressing the challenges of equal opportunities;

· Complementarity : the EYEO both complemented well and mutually reinforced other EU initiatives in the field of equal opportunities;

· Implementation : overall, the implementation process and delivery mechanisms fully supported the attainment of the objectives of the EYEO;

· Effectiveness : 434 Actions were successfully implemented involving 556 additional partner organisations. 1 710 further implemented activities received moral support across the 30 Participant Countries. The 434 Actions produced more than 1 600 concrete outputs, consisting of more than 1 000 meetings and events, circa 440 information and promotion campaigns and over 120 studies and surveys;

· Efficiency : the expected outputs of the EYEO were achieved at a reasonable cost. Moreover, all the Participant Countries matched the EU grant at the national level and some supplied additional funding;

· EU-added value : the EYEO produced a number of results, which could not have successfully evolved through national initiatives alone. However, the EU-wide information and promotional campaign contributed the least added value to the EYEO implementation at the national level;

· Sustainability : overall, the results obtained by the EYEO were sustainable and likely to continue beyond 2007. In fact, according to the Action Leaders, almost 75% of the 434 Actions were expected to be sustained following the end of the EYEO.

SEC(2009)0781
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE : to designate the Year 2007 as the "European Year on Equal Opportunities for All" (the European Year).

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Decision 771/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) - towards a just society.

CONTENT : this Decision designates 2007 as the “European Year of Opportunities for All’. The objectives of the European Year are as follows:

Rights : Raising awareness of the right to equality and non-discrimination and of the problem of multiple discrimination. The European Year will highlight the message that all people are entitled to equal treatment, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. It will make groups that are at risk of discrimination more aware of their rights and of existing European legislation in the field of non-discrimination.

Representation : stimulating debate on ways to increase the participation in society of groups that are victims of discrimination and a balanced participation of men and women. The European Year will encourage reflection and discussion on the need to promote their greater participation in society, and their involvement in actions designed to combat discrimination, in all sectors and at all levels.

Recognition : facilitating and celebrating diversity and equality. The European Year will highlight the positive contribution that people, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, can make to society as a whole, in particular by accentuating the benefits of diversity.

Respect : promoting a more cohesive society. The European Year will raise awareness of the importance of eliminating stereotypes, prejudice and violence, promoting good relations between all in society, and, in particular, among young people, and promoting and disseminating the values underlying the fight against discrimination.

Content of actions: the actions designed to meet the objectives may entail support for, in particular: meetings and events; information, promotional and educational campaigns; Community or nationwide surveys and studies. Details of the actions are set out in the Annex.

Gender mainstreaming: the European Year must take into account the different ways in which women and men experience discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Cooperation and implementation at national level : each Member State must designate a national implementing body to organise its participation in the European Year, and inform the Commission of its choice by 17 June 2006. That national implementing body will be responsible for defining the national strategy and priorities for the European Year and for selecting the individual actions to be proposed for Community funding.

Financial arrangements: Community-wide measures may be subsidised up to 80 % or give rise to procurement contracts financed from the general budget of the European Union. Local, regional or national measures may be co-financed from the general budget of the European Union up to a maximum of 50 % of the total consolidated costs of the actions implemented at local, regional or national level, and in accordance with the procedure set out in the Annex.

Consistency and complementarity: the Commission will decide on the selection of beneficiaries. The Commission together with the Member States will ensure that the measures provided for in the Decision are consistent with other Community, national and regional action and initiatives. They must ensure that the European Year fully complements other existing Community, national and regional initiatives and resources, where they can help to attain the objectives of the European Year.

Participation of non-Member States: participation in the European Year will be open to non-Member States, including countries with which the EU has signed a Treaty of Accession, candidate countries, EFTA States that are parties to the EEA Agreement, the countries of the western Balkans, and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries.

Budget: the financial framework for the implementation of the actions for the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007 shall be EUR 15 000 000, of which EUR 6 000 000 shall be for the period until 31 December 2006. For the period following 31 December 2006, the amount is indicative and shall be deemed to be confirmed if it is consistent, for this phase, with the multi-annual financial framework in force for the period commencing on 1 January 2007.

Monitoring and evaluation: by 31 December 2008, the Commission must submit a report on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the actions provided for in the Decision.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 20/06/2006.

Decision 2006/771
OJ L 146 31.05.2006, p. 0001-0007

03676/2/2005

The Council adopted a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European year of equal opportunities for all (2007), reflecting an agreement reached at first reading with the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The European year of equal opportunities for all is an occasion for Member States and other countries concerned to step up their efforts to implement legislation on equal treatment and non-discrimination.

SP(2006)0053

CES1507/2005
OJ C 065 17.03.2006, p. 0070-0073

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Martine ROURE (PES, France) and made some amendments to the Commission’s text:

-the financial framework is now EUR 15 000 000, of which EUR 6 000 000 is for the period until 31 December 2006. For the period following 31 December 2006, the amount is indicative and shall be deemed to be confirmed if it is consistent for this phase with the multi-annual financial framework in force for the period commencing on 1 January 2007. The Commission’s text had a figure of EUR 13 600000 .

-Parliament sought to lay some emphasis on addressing issues of multiple discrimination, defined as discrimination on the basis of two or more grounds listed in Article 13 of the Treaty. It added that the European Year will make groups who are at risk of discrimination more aware of their rights and of existing European legislation in the area of non-discrimination.

-educational campaigns were added to eligible actions and cooperation with media, business and enterprise deleted;

-a new article was added on gender mainstreaming, so that the European Year shall take into account the different ways in which women and men experience discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

-Each Member State shall designate a National Implementing Body to organise its participation in the European Year. It shall inform the Commission of its choice within one month of the adoption of the Decision. This Body shall be responsible for defining the national strategy and priorities for the European Year as well as for selecting the individual activities to be proposed for Community funding. The national strategy and priorities for the European Year shall be set out in accordance with the objectives listed and will seek to ensure a balanced treatment of all grounds of discrimination. The procedure for awarding Community funding for national level activities is set out in Part II of the Annex, which has been amended by Parliament.

T6-0489/2005

Debate in Parliament

A6-0366/2005

A6-0366/2005

CDR0226/2005

PE364.685

PE362.731

PE362.823

PURPOSE: to designate the Year 2007 as the "European Year on Equal Opportunities for All". PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Commission's Communication on the Social Agenda for the period 2005-2010, emphasised the importance of promoting equal opportunities for all in order to achieve a more cohesive society. It announced the Commission's intention to develop a new framework strategy on non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all. 2007 will be a significant year for the European legislative framework in the area of antidiscrimination given that the extra time accorded to some Member States to transpose both the disability and age provisions of Directive 2000/78/EC will have expired. Thereafter, all individuals, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation, will be entitled to uniform protection against discrimination throughout the EU. In addition, by 31 December 2007, Member States will have to transpose the provisions of the Gender Equality Directive 2004/113/EC into their national legal orders.

CONTENT: a considerable body of European legislation has been put in place over the past thirty years in an effort to tackle sex discrimination related to pay, working conditions and social security. However, despite the enactment of far-reaching EU anti-discrimination and equality legislation, discrimination and inequality continues to be a feature of everyday life in the EU. The background to this proposal speaks of persistent inequalities for women and migrants. Large-scale surveys conducted by the International Labour Organisation in some EU countries have shown that with equal qualifications, personal characteristics such as ethnicity, disability and age have a bearing on the prospects of finding a job. In addition, Europe's population is ageing as a result of the decline in fertility and mortality rates and this will have huge consequences for the labour market. Europe will see its working age population decline by over 20 million during the next 25 years. This development clearly underlines the need for offsetting the demographic effects on labour supply by raising the participation rates of those excluded, for whatever reason, from the labour market. In many EU countries, international migration and increased mobility have accentuated the trend towards more ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. The enlargement of the Union has drawn more attention to the situation of Roma people, who constitute the most disadvantaged ethnic minority group in Europe.

The European Year of Equal Opportunities for all will provide an opportunity to promote a more cohesive society that celebrates differences within the framework of EU core values, such as gender equality. It will seek to raise awareness of the substantial EU acquis in the field of equality and non-discrimination, as well as stimulating debate, dialogue and exchanges of good practice.

The specific objectives of the European Year are rights, representation, recognition and respect.

Rights - raising awareness on the right to equality and non-discrimination : there is a need to improve public awareness about EU legislation on equality and non discrimination. The EU has one of the most advanced legislative frameworks in the world in these areas but there appears to be limited public awareness of the rights and obligations that this legislation confers. The European Year will seek to highlight the message to the public at large that all people, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation are entitled to equal treatment.

Representation - stimulating debate on ways to increase the participation in society : debate and dialogue should be engaged as appropriate to promote greater participation of under-represented groups in all sectors and at all levels of society. Equal opportunities policy is not simply limited to the elimination of discrimination. It also means promoting full and equal participation of all. The disadvantages experienced by some communities e.g the Roma are so wide-scale and embedded in the structure of society that positive action may be necessary to remedy the nature of their exclusion. In this regard, the European Year will seek to highlight the need to promote and develop policies and initiatives to increase the participation of groups that are under-represented in society.

Recognition- Celebrating and accommodating diversity : the European Year will aim to raise awareness of the positive contribution that people, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation make to society as a whole. It will seek to engage the wider public in an open debate on what diversity means in today’s Europe and how to create a positive climate in which differences are valued and in particular the right to protection against discrimination is respected. The European Year will acknowledge the diversity of Europe as a source of socioeconomic vitality which should be harnessed, valued and enjoyed because it enriches the social fabric of Europe and is an important component of Europe’s economic prosperity.

Respect and tolerance – Promoting a more cohesive society : the European Year will seek to raise awareness about the importance of promoting good relations between the various groups in society, and in particular among young people. It will also seek to bring different people or groups together in an effort to promote and disseminate the values of equal treatment and fight against discrimination. Key to this will be to work on eliminating stereotypes and prejudices.

The actions designed to meet these objectives entail the development of or the provision of support for:

- meetings and events;

- information and promotional campaigns;

- cooperation with media, business and enterprise;

- surveys and studies on a Community or a nation- wide scale.

Participating countries will be requested to :

- designate a national coordination body including representatives of the Government, social

partners, targeted communities and other segments of civil society;

- establish a broad partnership with a view to integrating equal opportunities issues into all relevant policy areas, including in the employment and educations sector, the media, and the business and policy-making sectors.

Complementarity : the Commission will ensure that the activities financed during the Year will be complementary to other relevant Community action. Coordinating mechanisms will therefore be put in place to avoid overlap and to channel support towards promoting the key messages of the Year.

Budget : the financial framework for implementing the activities for the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007 will be EUR 13.6 million .

The financial arrangements are as follows:

- measures which are Community-wide in nature may be subsidised up to 80% or give rise to procurement contracts financed from the general budget of the European Communities;

- measures which are local, regional or national may be co-financed from the general budget of the European Communities up to a maximum of 50% of the total consolidated costs of the actions implemented at local, regional or national levels.

For a more detailed assessment of the budgetary implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2005)0225
EUR-Lex

COMMISSION’S IMPACT ASSESSMENT

For further information concerning the background to this issue, please refer to the summary of the Commission’s initial proposal COM(2005)0225 of 1 June 2005 concerning the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) Towards a Just Society.

1- POLICY OPTIONS AND IMPACTS: The Commission examined three policy options.

1.1- Option 1 - No change scenario – sole reliance on the continuation of the existing Community action programmes to alter attitudes and behaviour and promote a just society, free from discrimination. This option is not likely to produce expected impact. The above-mentioned Programmes scheduled to run to 2013 do not adequately respond to the identified problems and needs as developed above. They are mainly concerned with improving understanding of the extent and impact of discrimination and inequalities, monitoring the application of Community legislation, supporting training activities addressed to practitioners and raising awareness among European level stakeholders on key challenges and policy issues in relation to non-discrimination and equality.

1.2- Option 2 - Action coordinated and centralised by the Commission on the basis of a limited incentive measure over a fixed period. This would provide a unique opportunity and platform to raise awareness on the necessity to create a more cohesive society that celebrates differences within the framework of EU core values and fosters the respect of the substantial EU acquis in equality and non-discrimination. This option is likely to put unnecessary burden on the Commission while not being capable of meeting the concerns and specificities of Member States. This option will fall short in acknowledging and accommodating the various national sensitivities and cultural contexts. It will not be able to take account of the varying level of progress achieved by Member States in promoting non-discrimination and equality. It is likely to encounter political opposition from the Member States as this option would seem disproportionate to the objective to be achieved.

1.3- Option 3 - Same action as Option 2 with the difference that the implementation of activities will be decentralised to the Member States under the supervision of the Commission to ensure consistency with the policy objectives of the European Year.

CONCLUSION: Option 3 would seem the most appropriate to create the momentum needed in 2007 to make actors and beneficiaries sensitive to the necessity to tackle the barriers to the participation in society and create a climate where Europe’s diversity is seen as a source for the socio-economic vitality of Europe.

IMPACTS: Option 3 is likely to achieve significant political impact at the national level in raising awareness and in stimulating an open debate and dialogue on policy strategic issues linked to the diversity of European society. It will allow the objectives of the Year to penetrate more easily and reach out interested and concerned stakeholders at national, regional and local levels. It will imply a greater participation and a more active involvement of national authorities in support to the implementation of the Year. In turn, taking a shared responsibility for the Year will ensure that national authorities are active players. It will ensure that the policy objectives of the Year defined at the European level are translated in a way that adequately matches the national contexts.

The competences concerning the fight against discrimination on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation are shared with Members States and cover several EU policy fields. This implies broad objectives to be reached in a European Year. To achieve concrete impacts in a limited period, the operational objectives should be focussed on the most needed actions linked with the specific objectives. The European added value will depend on the capacity to create the awareness on concrete issues and the conditions to transfer the experiences between MS.

The substantial differences among Member States, in terms of cultural context, sensitivities and progress achieved in the areas of the fight against all forms of discrimination weighs in favour of giving the Member States a large role in the implementation of the Year. This said, definition of policy priorities at the national level should be made under the supervision of the Commission with the view of guaranteeing no deviations from the agreed strategic objectives as established by the Year. Exchanges at EU level should be limited and elaborated on the basis of good practices at MS level.

2- FOLLOW-UP: The Commission and Member States should ensure the consistency of the measures financed. Monitoring should facilitate the quality of the activity financed and the consistency with the objectives of the Year. The monitoring should therefore be implemented in order to ease the exchanges of experiences between Member States and capitalisation of results achieved at EU level.

The design of the monitoring framework will be mainly the responsibility of the Commission in consultation with the Member States. The implementation of monitoring systems will be in accordance with the responsibilities for the financing of activities. Reporting on objectives and results achieved will be included in the conditions to receive financing.

An external evaluation will be launched in Year n-1 of the Year in order to follow the monitoring of the year and provide interim results if needed. The evaluation results should be available mid-2008. This arrangement will allow the Commission to report to the EU Institutions end of 2008 on the results achieved.

EUR-Lex
SEC(2005)0690

PURPOSE: to designate the Year 2007 as the "European Year on Equal Opportunities for All". PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Commission's Communication on the Social Agenda for the period 2005-2010, emphasised the importance of promoting equal opportunities for all in order to achieve a more cohesive society. It announced the Commission's intention to develop a new framework strategy on non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all. 2007 will be a significant year for the European legislative framework in the area of antidiscrimination given that the extra time accorded to some Member States to transpose both the disability and age provisions of Directive 2000/78/EC will have expired. Thereafter, all individuals, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation, will be entitled to uniform protection against discrimination throughout the EU. In addition, by 31 December 2007, Member States will have to transpose the provisions of the Gender Equality Directive 2004/113/EC into their national legal orders.

CONTENT: a considerable body of European legislation has been put in place over the past thirty years in an effort to tackle sex discrimination related to pay, working conditions and social security. However, despite the enactment of far-reaching EU anti-discrimination and equality legislation, discrimination and inequality continues to be a feature of everyday life in the EU. The background to this proposal speaks of persistent inequalities for women and migrants. Large-scale surveys conducted by the International Labour Organisation in some EU countries have shown that with equal qualifications, personal characteristics such as ethnicity, disability and age have a bearing on the prospects of finding a job. In addition, Europe's population is ageing as a result of the decline in fertility and mortality rates and this will have huge consequences for the labour market. Europe will see its working age population decline by over 20 million during the next 25 years. This development clearly underlines the need for offsetting the demographic effects on labour supply by raising the participation rates of those excluded, for whatever reason, from the labour market. In many EU countries, international migration and increased mobility have accentuated the trend towards more ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. The enlargement of the Union has drawn more attention to the situation of Roma people, who constitute the most disadvantaged ethnic minority group in Europe.

The European Year of Equal Opportunities for all will provide an opportunity to promote a more cohesive society that celebrates differences within the framework of EU core values, such as gender equality. It will seek to raise awareness of the substantial EU acquis in the field of equality and non-discrimination, as well as stimulating debate, dialogue and exchanges of good practice.

The specific objectives of the European Year are rights, representation, recognition and respect.

Rights - raising awareness on the right to equality and non-discrimination : there is a need to improve public awareness about EU legislation on equality and non discrimination. The EU has one of the most advanced legislative frameworks in the world in these areas but there appears to be limited public awareness of the rights and obligations that this legislation confers. The European Year will seek to highlight the message to the public at large that all people, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation are entitled to equal treatment.

Representation - stimulating debate on ways to increase the participation in society : debate and dialogue should be engaged as appropriate to promote greater participation of under-represented groups in all sectors and at all levels of society. Equal opportunities policy is not simply limited to the elimination of discrimination. It also means promoting full and equal participation of all. The disadvantages experienced by some communities e.g the Roma are so wide-scale and embedded in the structure of society that positive action may be necessary to remedy the nature of their exclusion. In this regard, the European Year will seek to highlight the need to promote and develop policies and initiatives to increase the participation of groups that are under-represented in society.

Recognition- Celebrating and accommodating diversity : the European Year will aim to raise awareness of the positive contribution that people, irrespective of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation make to society as a whole. It will seek to engage the wider public in an open debate on what diversity means in today’s Europe and how to create a positive climate in which differences are valued and in particular the right to protection against discrimination is respected. The European Year will acknowledge the diversity of Europe as a source of socioeconomic vitality which should be harnessed, valued and enjoyed because it enriches the social fabric of Europe and is an important component of Europe’s economic prosperity.

Respect and tolerance – Promoting a more cohesive society : the European Year will seek to raise awareness about the importance of promoting good relations between the various groups in society, and in particular among young people. It will also seek to bring different people or groups together in an effort to promote and disseminate the values of equal treatment and fight against discrimination. Key to this will be to work on eliminating stereotypes and prejudices.

The actions designed to meet these objectives entail the development of or the provision of support for:

- meetings and events;

- information and promotional campaigns;

- cooperation with media, business and enterprise;

- surveys and studies on a Community or a nation- wide scale.

Participating countries will be requested to :

- designate a national coordination body including representatives of the Government, social

partners, targeted communities and other segments of civil society;

- establish a broad partnership with a view to integrating equal opportunities issues into all relevant policy areas, including in the employment and educations sector, the media, and the business and policy-making sectors.

Complementarity : the Commission will ensure that the activities financed during the Year will be complementary to other relevant Community action. Coordinating mechanisms will therefore be put in place to avoid overlap and to channel support towards promoting the key messages of the Year.

Budget : the financial framework for implementing the activities for the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007 will be EUR 13.6 million .

The financial arrangements are as follows:

- measures which are Community-wide in nature may be subsidised up to 80% or give rise to procurement contracts financed from the general budget of the European Communities;

- measures which are local, regional or national may be co-financed from the general budget of the European Communities up to a maximum of 50% of the total consolidated costs of the actions implemented at local, regional or national levels.

For a more detailed assessment of the budgetary implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2005)0225
EUR-Lex