Publications

The European Commission is developing a post-2025 EU Anti-racism Action Plan (EU ARAP), one of the first initiatives announced by President von der Leyen to advance a Union of Equality as outlined in her political guidelines. In preparation for this new EU ARAP, the Commission conducted a targeted online stakeholder consultation to reflect on the lessons of the past five years. Based on the work done through the ‘DisQo Stakeholder Network: anti-discrimination and health equity,’ in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for Europe, the European Public Health Alliance has provided a detailed response based on crucial considerations on anti-racism, anti-discrimination and health equity. 

The response is structured around a series of civil society consultations conducted by DisQo – one in June and one in November – and a report with recommendations already handed over to the Commission. Crucially, these recommendations are informed by civil society organisations, communities and individuals representing marginalised groups directly. They cover health specifically but are highly relevant for all other sectors, and to the design, monitoring and evaluation of the Action Plan. In its first part, the consultation covered the design of the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025 with targeted questions on specific topics. The second part focused on the lessons learned, ending with conclusions on the main recommendations. 

EPHA and the DisQo Stakeholder Network have been providing input from the health perspective on the EU Anti-racism Action Plan and will continue to do so as the post-2025 plan takes shape. In doing so, it tries to ensure that the voices of affected communities stand at the center of that process. As the Union of Equality Strategies are developed, civic space should be open to incorporate these voices. They should be developed in close cooperation with the communities and individuals they impact, with a focus on concrete action on the ground that drives long-term change.