Malta is among five European Union Member states which did not provide data on discrimination and racist violence for an annual report by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Greece, Spain, Italy and Cyprus also failed to provide the relevant information to Vienna-based centre. The centre revealed that although there is a lack of objective data on discrimination and racist violence in several EU member states. However it also suggests that racism has increased in Europe, particularly towards the Roma community, Muslims, Jews and immigrants.
In turn, EUMC director Beate Winkler said the lack of data provision by the five EU members of the bloc "means ignoring the problem,” reported EUObserver.
Only two EU countries, namely the United Kingdom and Finland, have a sufficient mechanism in place for collecting data on xenophobia and intolerance-related incidents. These two countries, along with Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Slovakia have recorded a rise in racist crimes or violence. On the other hand, the Czech Republic, Austria and Sweden "experienced a general downward trend in recorded racist crime", according to the study.
The report underlined the July 2005 terrorist attacks in London and violent urban disturbances in the suburbs of French cities later during the same year as two events that particularly contributed to rising racial tensions among some countries' citizens.
See also:
President says many Maltese have racist element
By MaltaMedia News
Apr 22, 2006, 11:10 CET
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