Embracing Europe’s cultural diversity

In the European Year of Inter-Cultural Dialogue, local authorities must lead the way in creating cohesive societies drawn from every ethnic group, says the Fundamental Rights Agency

On 3 March, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions, launched a report entitled ‘Community Cohesion at local level: addressing the needs of Muslim communities’. The report results from the work of the Local Communities Network (LCN), which brings together policy officers from cities, the FRA and the CoR in policy-focused dialogue to exchange good practice in addressing racism and discrimination, as well as on issues specific to the situation of Muslim communities.

The phenomena of racism, discrimination and Islamophobia impact directly at the local level – whether it be in the provision of services, community relations or broader political issues. Disentangling the truly local issues from the national or international context remains a challenge to local authorities within the EU. They have to deal with the day-to-day issues related to local employment, public service provision, education and a host of issues surrounding community cohesion. As we are all too aware, local events can have repercussions far beyond city limits or national borders. This ‘globalisation’ of local events provides the opportunity for local authorities to demonstrate that local solutions can have Europe-wide application.

The report looks at the situation of Muslim communities not because Muslims require particular attention or a special set of policies, but rather because Muslim communities require mainstreaming of their needs within the wider scope of integration, equality, anti-discrimination and social/community cohesion policies.  European cities have moved from a policy of integrating immigrants to a policy concept of addressing the needs of city residents, from whatever cultural background they come. Each resident of a city is seen as having rights and responsibilities and an important role to play in improving inter-community relations and thus strengthening social cohesion. With the change in policy direction, strategy and vision, cities have showed a strong political commitment by developing a sense of citizenship, participation and mutual trust.

As the report demonstrates, mainstreaming certainly does not mean a one-size-fits-all model of service provision; rather, the awareness of different needs, and consequently of different models of service provision, becomes central to the operational priority of the local authorities. Local authorities should take the lead in developing an equality strategy that is aimed at combating racism and discrimination, with the active involvement of all ethnic communities concerned, including Muslim communities, civil society and other relevant key partners. The basis for such a strategy should be a strong commitment to non-discrimination, equality and social cohesion and to ensuring that all are able to participate in the social, economic, cultural and political life of the city.

In the area of education, the report proposes the principles of equity and efficiency as these help both to create and support mixed schools and to reduce the drop-out rate by making all pupils, from whatever ethnic background, feel like part of the school community. In the area of employment, meanwhile, the report suggests that local authorities take the lead in promoting non-discrimination and supporting a diverse workforce, facilitating company traineeships, fast-tracking qualified employees with a diverse background and other relevant measures.

As for public services, the report draws specific attention to care for the elderly and the need for language provisions. In the area of consultation with self-help organisations, the report proposes close cooperation with Muslim organisations and highlights the benefits that can derive from engaging in consultation and co-operation with civil society. Examples in the report further highlight a pragmatic approach with regard to dress-code and religious needs. In the area of access to health care, meanwhile, issues such as communication difficulties due to language barriers, better targeted information, as well as dietary, burial and religious needs of people of Muslim background are recognised.

Equality policies and policies promoting diversity must be accompanied by rigorous and on-going monitoring and evaluation procedures, the report notes. Unless data is disaggregated by as many categories as necessary, the data gathered will not provide insights into how effective a policy has been and what needs to be improved. While providing equal access to various areas of life remains a challenge for cities, there is a role for local government in developing a dialogue with all communities about the consequences of integration for everyone.

Moreover, local authorities and their institutions should openly acknowledge if there are structural or institutional issues related to racism as a first step, and then examine their policies and practices to assess how these may be reinforcing inequalities in order for them to take remedial action. This should be a collective exercise. Racial and ethnic inequality, as well as religious prejudice, cannot be tackled in isolation: it requires the efforts of all of the key institutions to work together to ensure long-term change.