ECMI Issue Brief on ethnic data and public services in the Eastern European area begins by outlining the importance of minority civil service inclusion in the general discussion of minority participation in public life. Secondly, it provides an analysis of how legal norms and policies regarding bureaucratic recruitment and promotion affect the availability of data on minority representation in civil service. Finally, the paper discusses the options and strategies available to the researcher in situations of limited availability/poor quality of official data.

Migration is a fact of life, a helpful boost to ageing populations, but also a source of division. This study of the King Baudouin Foundation explores the identity of the different Turkish communities in Belgium. While emphasizing the potential of Belgian-Turks as “intercultural ambassadors” between communities, it sheds light on the lack of integration of some categories of migrants, like married women and the young. It suggests the development of inclusion policies directed towards migrants associations and civil society organisations working with migrants.

In this statement of core principles for the World Conference against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) follow-up, signatories pledge to work on a positive Durban review process without hate or misuse of Human Rights terminology. Up to now it has been signed by 47 NGOs.

This biannual magazine of the Roma Education Fund aims to provide a platform for discussion, exchange and learning to all involved and interested in the education of Roma children. The journal does not retain academic ambitions but hopes to bring academics, activists, community development experts, education specialists, people involved in day to day education of Roma, Roma and non Roma, together in exchanging around concrete experiences and ideas. It focuses first on what works and on the progress, as well as on the stories of success in the education of Romani children.

A group of Arabs in Europe, likely Iraqi expatriates, have launched a petition to stop Al-Jazeera TV broadcasts in Europe. They accuse the channel of fostering extremism among European Arab youth and supporting terrorism. Iraqi exile Joseph Shallal meanwhile urged a boycott of Al-Jazeera on the Arab left-liberal Modern Discussion website.

Romani women networks and human rights activists participating in the conference on Romani Women’s Rights, "Our Voices Heard", 3-4 December 2007 issued a joint declaration to address the European Union, Council of Europe and United Nations Member States as well as other international institutions regarding the situation of Romani women and their families. They expressed their concern over the persistent discrimination and exclusion of the Romani communities and called upon governments to adopt appropriate policies and measures to effectively address the multiple discrimination faced by Romani women, ensuring the full implementation of international norms and standards.

The European Commission’s High Level Group (HLG) Report on the Integration of Ethnic Minorities produced the report “An Urgent Call for Better Inclusion”. The report concentrates on the overlap between membership in an ethnic minority and a social disadvantage. It is aware that ethnic minorities are heterogeneous groups composed of individuals who might have different problems and different outcomes; moreover, these problems and outcomes differ from country to country. While it is not a report focusing merely on the Roma, it does give ample attention to the specific challenges of Roma inclusion and has a set of Roma-specific policy recommendations.

This publication consists of 10 articles that elucidate issues as diverse as criminal justice, environmental threats and sports and culture policy in South Eastern Europe, as well as subjects like visa regimes, labor flows and the politics of transport. The authors are 10 journalists selected from throughout the region to participate in the 2007 program of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence. Initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, this program aims to foster quality reporting, encourage regional networking among journalists and advance balanced coverage on complex reform issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.

This book looks into the phenomenon of political Islam in countries neighbouring the European Union. Evaluating the political movements with Islamist backgrounds in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, as well as discussing the Palestinian Hamas and Hezbollah, the book uses interviews with their members to arrive at a set of conclusions. It states that the time is ripe for the EU, its institutions and member states to undertake an explicit review of its current policy of ‘benign neglect’ towards the broad collection of ‘Muslim democrat’ parties. This study was carried out in the context of the broader work programme of CEPS on European Neighbourhood Policy.

A statement issued by the European Roma Information Office (ERIO), in which it expresses its concerns about recent racist aggression targeting Romanian Roma in Italy, and about the lack of effective action by the Italian authorities to counter it. It calls on the authorities to convict the perpetrator of a recent murder of an Italian woman without accusing the whole Roma community in Italy. It expresses its concerns regarding the decree adopted in the wake of the murder by the Italian government that gives local authorities and the interior ministry the power to expel citizens of other EU countries, and stresses that it does not comply with the EU human rights principles and other international human rights instruments.