A declaration on antisemitism approved today by European Union member states has been lauded as a “significant step forward to make Europe a better place for Jews”.
The Council of the European Union, a decision-making body based in Brussels comprising Government ministers, is expected to formally adopt the declaration later this month.
World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder warned Europe has a “serious and terrifying antisemitism problem, and it’s high time that the European Union, its member states and local authorities direct real resources to it.”
“This declaration is a significant step forward in making Europe a better place for Jews,” he said, calling on member states to apply policies laid out by the EU.
The declaration condemns “any form of antisemitism, intolerance or racist hatred” as “incompatible with the values and aims of the European Union and its member states” and calls for decisive action at a national and European level.
It raises concern about the rise in antisemitic incidents and hate crime and the “resurgence of conspiracy myths, public expressions of antisemitism, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The text also calls for crimes committed online to “be punished just as crimes offline are and must be adequately addressed by means of effective prosecution and other measures.”
“Illegal hate speech and terrorist content online, must be removed promptly and consistently by internet service providers, in accordance with the relevant legal and non-legal framework,” it says.
Maram Stern, executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, said the group had been pushing for the declaration's adoption for about a year.
EU declarations "go through all kinds of ministries, of channels. It's not something which is adopted because nothing else is on the agenda," he told the JC.
"It's a recognition by the European 27 member states that [antisemitism] is a problem and for us it'll make it easier to go to governments and say 'look you adopted it. Now you have to do something'," he added
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said the declaration is a "welcome step in the right direction" but expressed concern over shechitah protections.
“Whilst the fight against extremism and the far-right groups must intensify, we are dismayed that the draft does not protect the customs and practices of religious communities that operate peacefully and true to EU values.
"Without a guarantee of freedom of faith for Jewish communities in Europe, there is no guarantee for a Jewish future,” he said.
