EU Elections

EUOBSERVER
“Brussels So White” is not just a hashtag
— it’s the reality of an often inward-looking
Eurocentric mindset. As anyone who
has interacted with the EU institutions
quickly realises: those working ‘for Europe’
are mainly white.
That is because Europe’s definition of
diversity is not very inclusive. It applies,
quite correctly, to the varied geographies,
histories, languages and cultures of the
27 EU member states.
Over the years, after persistent pressure,
‘gender diversity’ has been added to the
list, as has diversity related to sexual orientation
and people with disabilities. In
contrast, a strong commitment to building
an ‘anti-racist’ Europe where black
and brown Europeans can feel at home,
remains just that: a nice promise.
The EU Commission does not keep statistics
on the ethnicity of its staff. We do
know, however, that black and brown
members of the current European Parliament
represent only three percent of
the assembly’s composition even though
racial and ethnic minorities make up at
least 10 percent of the EU population.
Are the June elections to the European
Parliament going to change – or at least
make a dent - in the EU institution’s systemic
problem of inadequate racial representation?
Will they make the EU less
navel-gazing and Eurocentric?
The short answer to both questions is no,
not really. The longer one: it’s going to be
tough, painstaking and complicated – for
several inter-connected reasons.
First, because xenophobic and openly-racist
far-right parties, which are expected
to increase their number, role and
influence in the next EU assembly – and
possibly also send senior officials to the
European commission – are unlikely to
include many Europeans of colour in
their electoral lists. Their worldview can
therefore be expected to be similarly racist
and Orientalist.
Second, while they are not openly-bigoted
in an ‘in your face’ kind of way, Europe’s
centre-right politicians have either
openly — or tacitly — embraced the extremists’
political agenda and xenophobic
view of the world.
We are
reaching out
to community
leaders. But
it is not easy
to convince
everyone to
vote."
Celine Febrequette
Centre-right and far-right
collaboration?
They also seem set on working together.
As the centre-right European People’s
Party (EPP) Spitzenkandidate [lead
candidate], EU commission president,
Ursula von der Leyen, has already publicly
confirmed she will work with the
parliament’s rightwing European Conservatives
and Reformists (ECR) group
— whose members include the French
far-right politician Eric Zemmour.
Third, although they may talk-the-talk
on making Europe more diverse, Europe’s
progressives are not pushing — at
least not collectively, visibly and forcefully
enough — for a more racially-inclusive
EU.
There is yet another very important —
fourth – problem: persuading black and
brown Europeans to go out to vote, stand
as parliamentary candidates and/or apply
for EU jobs.
With few role models for reference, “how
are we going to convince non-white Europeans
that EU institutions are relevant,
credible and an attractive place to work?”
asks Dutch MEP Mohammed Chahim.
The problem is not just restricted to the
EU. Voters are losing confidence in their
mainstream national politicians across
Europe.
The disconnect seems to be particularly
acute for black and brown people.
Research by the Social and Cultural Planning
Office in the Netherlands underlines
that people with a “migration background”
feel excluded from and have less
confidence in national Dutch politics
because “topics they consider important
are downplayed or pushed aside”.
Celine Febrequette of the Diaspora Vote
organisation is trying to change just that
through recently-mandated young “ambassadors”,
tasked with getting more
non-white Europeans to the polling
booths.
“We are reaching out to community
leaders. But it is not easy to convince
everyone to vote,” she admits. “The EU is
just not seen as important to their daily
lives.”
Foreign policy
For Europeans of colour it is not just a
question of wanting more emphasis on
social inequalities and systemic discrimination.
There is also concern about European
foreign policy.
The EU’s belated call in March 2024 for
a ceasefire in Gaza, sanction Israel for
human rights violations, plus the bloc’s