European Multicultural Foundation

About us
The European Multicultural Foundation (EMF) is a pan-European umbrella association of non-governmental organisations and persons active in the struggle against exclusion, discrimination and racism. We are therefore committed to promoting the positive aspects of multiculturalism and cultural diversity.

EMF was established in 1996 as a reaction against the persistence in Europe of hostility towards minorities and immigrants. Our approach is not political. Instead, it concerns human relationships and how to foster more positive attitudes in our multicultural society.

Centuries of migration have enriched Europe with many languages, peoples and customs. Our continents achievements in science, philosophy, industry, literature, music and visual arts all owe a debt to this creative contact between different ideas and cultures. Present-day migration brings with it an even richer diversity.

Todays technological advances, sophisticated political structures, and higher levels of general education have improved daily life beyond the dreams of our ancestors, yet minorities and new arrivals still experience incidents of hostility, prejudice, discrimination and occasional violence.

In the EMFs view, the attitudes which lead to such incidents are self-defeating. Europes recent past offers too much evidence of the devastation and cruelty caused by extreme nationalism. We are committed to building a social Europe based on the acceptance of diversity and the values of mutual respect.

Aims and Functions

Our Mission is: To promote and support ways of bringing together people from diverse cultures to appreciate, respect and value the positive advantages of cultural and ethnic diversity in empowering and enriching our communities.

Our Objectives are to:

promote appreciation and a sense of pride in the multicultural nature of European identity;

advocate the needs and concerns of minority ethnic communities and facilitate their active participation in public life at the policy-making level;

raise awareness and understanding of the creative potential of cultural diversity; develop strategies for tackling racial and community tensions at the grass roots level by working together with its member organisations and others in developing appropriate educational techniques;

act as an infrastructural development agency to support our member organisations

Our Strategic Directions:

strengthen the voice of the civil society to make a strategic impact at national and international level in promoting multicultural nature of European identity;

establish a structure to consult and facilitate the effective participation of grass roots ethnic minority organisations in informing and influencing relevant policies affecting the quality of life of their people;

provide strategic level training to raise awareness and understanding of the creative potential of cultural diversity;

act as a forum to facilitate strategic NGO alliances, partnerships and collaborations within and between countries in Europe to increase learning and

develop strategies for tackling racial and community tensions; support our member organisations through infrastructural development programmes including organisational development, resource mobilisation and organisation representation

The European Multicultural Foundation (EMF) works for the development of European policies

which have a positive impact on social justice, equality and community cohesion. Our philosophy is based on acceptance of the key values of modern democracy: namely, the promotion of mutual respect and understanding between all persons, communities and cultures, whatever their ethnic roots or faith. In our view, only by means of this positive approach can we defeat the evils of racism and prejudice, thereby ensuring peace and goodwill on our continent. We therefore aim, through public education and other activities, to foster equality and good relations between all people regardless of race, religion or origin. The EMF maintains a network of NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and other associations and individuals in the fight against racism and related forms of discrimination.

We therefore invite all persons and organisations sharing these aims to join with us in our work.

What can we do for you? We can help you achieve your objectives by:

giving you a voice at the European level lobbying and assisting you in applying for funding putting you in touch with similar organisations in other countries working together with you through joint activities in your country of residence

What can you do for us? You can help us by:

representing the EMF in your own country when necessary spreading our message that the best way to defeat racism is not by legislation alone but by changing peoples attitudes

participating in activities aimed at discovering new approaches to conflict resolution and prevention

helping us to convince the public that the ethnic diversity of Europe today is a valuable asset and a source of strength

Board Members
Dr. Tara Mukherjee, Chairman (United Kingdom) Confederation of Indian Organisations

Dr. Marie-Jose Minassian, Deputy Chairman (France) Elele Migrations et Cultures de Turquie

Peter imkovi, Secretary General (Slovakia) ANNWIN Centrum na podporu a rozvoj udskho potencilu

Jagdish Patel, Treasurer (United Kingdom) Bandhani Samaj

Zaka M. Sheikh, Director of Development (United Kingdom) First Asian Support Trust

Ovagem Agaidyan (Austria) Verein Multikulturell

Miguel Benito (Sweden) Immigrant-institutet

Thomas Bergman (Finland) Pakolaisneuvonta ry

Lucia Presber (France) Roma, Sinte and Kolewomen

Dr Harold Roseval (The Netherlands) Stichting Landelijke Federatie van Welzijnsorganisaties voor Surinamers

Jolana Ntherov (Slovakia)

OZ Ndej deom

Christos Zavros (Cyprus) Parents Association of Panagias Theoskepastis Gymnasium

Ionut Tutea (Romania) ARCA Forumul Romn Pentru Refugiai i Migrani

Hass Dellal OAM (Australia) Australian Multicultural Foundation

Prof. Barbara John (Germany) Senatsverwaltung fr Bildung, Jugend und Sport, Koordinatorin Sprach- und Bildungsmanahmen fr Migranten, Berlin

Prof. Olavi Koivukangas (Finland) Siirtolaisuusinstituutti

Peter Luff (United Kingdom) One World Trust

Projects
EMF is fulfilling its aims through various projects and activities:

2004: Slovakia - part of a Multicultural Europe in partnership with ANNWIN (Slovakia) and CFOR (UK)

2005: Social Inclusion in Action in partnership of 7 organisations from 6 European countries (EU Grundtvig project) VIP-School in partnership of 4 partners from 4 European countries (EU INTI project)

2006: Social Inclusion in Action in partnership of 7 organisations from 6 European countries (EU Grundtvig project) TANDEM Mentoring and Vocational Assistance for Migrant Youth in partnership of 6 partners from 6 European countries (EU INTI project)

2007: Europe Matters - Europe Works, a week-long international seminar, that focused on building equal opportunities, understanding among diverse communities of various nationalities, ethnicities and cultures, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, social status and other issues in Europe.

Third Way Communique

Why Third Way?

The last 50 years of the 20th Century have seen the spread of democracy in Europe together with a commitment to respect human rights. Yet ethnic prejudice, discrimination and violent incidents continue to mar this process.

As a first step towards solving such problems, governments have reacted with stricter border controls and tightened immigration and asylum laws which in some cases have in themselves led to violation of human rights. Moreover the victims of discrimination are by no means always migrants. People whose families have been long-established in their country of residence have also suffered. Certain enlightened governments have sought a solution in

passing laws to make ethnic or racial discrimination a punishable offence; and the Amsterdam Treaty includes a clause to provide a legal base for antidiscrimination legislation at the EU level. But there is a third way of tackling these problems, namely the multicultural approach. That is, by promoting activities aimed at fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding among our diverse peoples. Europe today is home to many people of many varied backgrounds, including some from other continents. Most live peaceably with their neighbours, however, different their outlook on life may be. They may practice other religions or speak other languages. Yet, far from being a threat, this diversity enriches the cultural and economic life of our continent. Where there are problems, promoting positive action to foster better personal and community relations is a matter of practical politics. The aim of THIRD WAY magazine is to act as a forum in which those who believe in the importance of developing this multicultural approach can report their experiences and discuss their principles and practices.

EU CITIZENSHIP IN AN INTER-CULTURAL UNION by John Parry Secretary, European Multicultural Foundation Over past decades, Europe has seen the development of two apparently contradictory trends. The first is the realisation that countries can more effectively defend their own interests and prosperity if they work much closer together than in the past, to the point, in fact, of merging some of their national competences within a supranational political structure: namely, the European Union, a body which has progressed to a level of integration at which it has abolished border controls between its member states, established a common currency and a common citizenship. The second trend would seem to take the opposite direction. It stresses the need for decisions to be taken as close as possible to the people affected by them, which means strengthening smaller political units such as regional authorities or even breaking up big states into smaller but more coherent ones. As examples of such moves we might cite the recent establishment of regional parliamentary assemblies in the United Kingdom, the pressures in the Basque region of Spain, the secession of Slovakia, and the bitter experiences in South-East Europe. These examples vary considerably in detail and motivation; but seen from a long-term, historical viewpoint, the underlying message is remarkably similar1. Although these two trends may appear contradictory they are in fact complimentary and must be considered as important elements in developing an innovative, multi-layered political structure for Europe. All these new states and regions , while emphasizing their own separate identities and in several

cases their new nationality, see their future as being within the European Union and voluntarily accept the merging of sovereignty in certain key areas, including aspects of citizenship. Citizenship The question of citizenship is particularly sensitive. Most states are jealous of their right to provide for their own nationals. But the idea of a supra-national code of individual rights, binding on all signatory states, is not new. In modern Europe the first step came in 1950 with the Council of Europes Convention on Human Rights backed up by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg which gave citizens the right to appeal against rulings made by their own government. At roughly the same period the treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community2 was being negotiated, setting up the supranational institutions with which we are still familiar today in the European Union. Its immediate task was the coordination of an important but limited range of economic activities but its long-term purpose, as stated in the treatys Preamble was to create the basis for a broader and deeper community among peoples long divided by bloody conflicts. It outlawed discrimination between nationals of the member states employed in the coal and steel industries and thereby, perhaps unwittingly, took the first step towards a European citizenship. Six years later in the Treaty of Rome these provisions were extended to cover employment in all occupations, including the self-employed, thereby making Page 2 of 4 freedom to work without discrimination on nationality grounds available for all member states citizens. In addition, the Rome treaty banned discrimination between men and women in the matter of equal pay for equal work. A series of rulings by the Court of Justice subsequently extended this principal to cover retirement age, pensions and equality of treatment in other, work-related respects. In effect, the roots of this embryo European citizenship, though that term was not yet used, lay in the concept of non-discrimination. It was not until the Maastricht Treaty [1992] that EU citizenship was formally introduced as a legal concept. All nationals of a member state are also automatically EU citizens who shall enjoy the rights imposed by this Treaty and shall be subject to the duties imposed thereby 3. This is not, we note, a citizenship based on ethnicity but purely on a persons legal status. It gives EU citizens the legal right, subject to enabling legislation, to move freely and reside in any member state within the territory of the Union. In other words, freedom of movement was no longer confined to economic activities but became a general right to be enjoyed by students, pensioners, and indeed anyone with adequate financial means. They may take employment or run a business, and vote or even stand as a candidate in municipal and European parliamentary elections in the member state where they now live, though not in national elections. When EU citizenship was first introduced many people feared it was an attempt to replace national citizenship and would undermine their national identity. A later treaty amendment therefore made it clear that "Citizenship of

the Union shall complement and not replace national citizenship. Legally,therefore, we enjoy a multi-layered citizenship. Identity The question of identity is more complex. A persons identity is easier to recognise than to define, involving as it does questions of language, culture, religion and a whole range of other factors. Whe n shared, it can bring with it a sense of confidence, and of belonging to a group. Many different identities may co-exist happily within the same country though there is always the danger of discrimination which in times of crisis can lead to open conflict. One thinks not only of events in South-East Europe, but also of Northern Ireland and of the riots which recently took place in certain industrial cities in England as well as the frequency of racial attacks in many parts of Europe and elsewhere. The bitterness and residual hatred which result from such conflicts are not easy to heal. In the modern, industrial world attempts to maintain ethnically pure and culturally monotone societies have usually been associated with dictatorships, mostly short-lived. Democracy, in its essence, allows people to develop as individuals, therefore accomodating a potentially wide variety of opinions, faiths, and ways of life. This variety is most noticeable in the European Union which by its very nature is faced with the challenge of providing security for people with very different traditions and cultures. This multicultural aspect of the EU is evident in the many different languages we speak, and in the great diversity of religious faiths ranging from several versions of Christianity Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran or Calvinist to Judaism, Islam and several others. Enlargement will further increase the Unions diversity. Page 3 of 4 Multicultural citizenship In recognition of this diversity the European Union has in recent years placed an increased emphasis on what are best described as citizenship values. They are broadly the common values of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law4. Recent directives express these values in more concrete terms. To the earlier legislation banning discrimination on the grounds of nationality and gender the new directives now in force add a guarantee of equal treatment in employment and access to services regardless of racial or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age or sexual orientation, and also a ban religious discrimination in employment. This legislation applies to all persons legally resident in the EU, whether nationals of member states or not. The full panoply of such rights is now codified in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. In addition, certain rights available to EU citizens only, such as the freedom to seek work or reside in any other member state, may soon also be extended to any third country nationals who have lived legally in the EU for a qualifying period of time. The underlying message is clear. The European Union today offers the world a vision of how people of many different cultures, countries and regions can live together in mutual respect5. But there is still a long way to go, for the structure is

far from perfect. In particular, what started as an agreement between governments must now involve the citizens more directly in their own future, hence the Laeken Summit decision that the next round of EU reforms should be prepared by a convention of citizens representatives both from the member states and from the European level, including observers from the applicant countries. Whereas, at the beginning, closer economic integration provided the means for a closer union between peoples, the emphasis today lies equally on involving the citizens in the debate. The author James Joyce wrote in one of his letters that, Our civilisation is an immense woven fabric in which very different elements are mixed. That combination of experience, faith and the genetic characteristics which make up each persons identity also contributes to the formation of group identities. Through its citizenship legislation the European Union has established a framework within which these different identities can exist peacefully side by side in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The European vision, therefore, is not of a new continent-wide nation but of a different kind of political and social structure from any we have known in the past: a multilayered, multi-national, multi-regional and multicultural democracy organised on federal principles and based on mutual respect between its diverse peoples and cultures. Of course there will continue to be many problems. The key question is how to deal with them. For this new European Union to function properly citizens and their organisations will need to maintain a constant watch on what is being done in their name, but this is the true meaning of a citizens Europe. It is not simply a matter of rights but also of participation. [ends]