On Wednesday September 16, Ursula von der Leyen outlined her priorities for the future of European member states. As the first woman at the head of the Commission, she did not fail to stress that the European Union will not compromise on the aid to be given to migrants, and neither on the Europe of tomorrow which will be “truly anti-racist”.
Health, work, climate, Turkey, Brexit … were some of the other key points, including an “action plan” for an anti-racist Europe.
According to information reported by Le Soir, Ursula von der Leyen’s “action plan” will target racism and “hate crimes, whether based on race, religion, gender or sexuality”.
Thus, during her speech, she asserted that “it is now time to build a truly anti-racist Union – by condemning racism, but also by taking action”. According to her speech reported by Le Soir, she maintained that “laws on racial equality” would be strengthened “where gaps remain”.
She promised to use the EU budget “to fight discrimination in areas such as employment, housing or healthcare”. Finally, the President of the European Commission guaranteed that “education and knowledge about the historical and cultural causes of racism” would be updated.
The EU will stand up to “unconscious prejudices, whether they come from citizens, institutions or even algorithms”. She also announced a new posting within the EU: the “very first anti-racism coordinator” to be appointed by the Commission “in order to give this issue priority attention”.
As for the issue of migrants, she remained intransigent: “Saving lives is not optional,” the president of the European Commission declared.