The declaration, formally adopted by the 27 EU leaders under the German presidency of the Council, makes the fight against antisemitism a priority of the European Commission, the  EU’s executive branch. It calls antisemitism “an attack on European values. ‘’“Any form of antisemitism, intolerance or racist hatred is incompatible with the values and aims of the European Union and its Member States and must be addressed through decisive action at European and national level,” reads the text.

 

EU leaders have condemned ‘’all forms of attacks on the freedoms of expression and religion or belief, including antisemitism, racism and xenophobia,’’ in their conclusions issued following a two-day summit meeting in Brussels.

They underlined the importance of combating incitement to hatred and violence, as well as intolerance and welcomed the adoption last week by the Council of Ministers of a Declaration on mainstreaming the fight against antisemitism across policy areas.

The declaration, formally adopted by the 27 EU leaders under the German presidency of the Council, makes the fight against antisemitism a priority of the European Commission, the  EU’s executive branch. It calls antisemitism “an attack on European values. ‘’“Any form of antisemitism, intolerance or racist hatred is incompatible with the values and aims of the European Union and its Member States and must be addressed through decisive action at European and national level,” reads the text.

The declaration states: ‘’Judaism and Jewish life have contributed considerably to shaping European identity and enriching Europe’s cultural, intellectual and religious heritage. We are grateful that 75 years after the Holocaust, Jewish life, in all its diversity, is deeply rooted and thriving again in Europe. It is our permanent, shared responsibility to actively protect and support Jewish life.’’

It acknowledges the increasing prevalence of various forms of antisemitism in Europe, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘’The increase in threats  to Jewish persons in Europe including the resurgence of conspirary myths, public expressions of antisemitism, and an increase of antisemitic incidents and hate crimes is  a cause of great concern,” the declaration said.

Ensuring the security of Jewish communities and institutions need to be given utmost priority in all member states which must ‘’engage in continuous dialogue with the Jewish community with a view to ensuring appropriate levels of security awareness, specific training for security staff and law enforcement officers, exchange of best practices and thorough implementation of appropriate measures to ensure the security of Jewish institutions.”

Regarding the growth of antisemitic hate speech, particularly its dissemination online, “crimes committed online should be punished just as crimes offline are and must be adequately addressed by means of effective prosecution and other measures,” the declaration reads.

“Illegal hate speech and terrorist content online must be removed promptly and consistently by internet service providers, in according with the relevant legal and non-legal framework.”

The declaration calls for the systematic collection of data on antisemitic incidents so as to “develop, implement and monitor progress on tailored comprehensive strategies and education instruments,” and for increased Holocaust education as “one of the most important tools to prevent antisemitic prejudices.”

It also acknowledges the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as a guiding tool for better identifying and addressing this scourge. So far, 18 EU member states have adopted the non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism, which the Commission has been using as basis of its work since 2017.

The Declaration invites member states that have not yet endorsed the working definition to do so ”as soon as possible.”

‘’The Commission is determined to continue addressing antisemitism holistically. To this effect, we will present a comprehensive EU Strategy on combating against antisemitism in 2021, to complement and support Member States’ efforts,” said Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of  Promoting our European Way of Life.