[21.12.2007] - Winner of the European Union and MTV’s creative competition promoting diversity and equality announced

Creative competition: winning picture

19-year-old Elena Bezborodova, a Russian student living in Limerick, Ireland, has been selected by the public as the winner of the creative competition promoting Diversity and Equality.  Her picture has been chosen from among more than 500 entries from all over the EU which ranged from photographs and posters to collages and videos.

Elena impressed the voters with a fresh, young and visually appealing design depicting apples, all different in colour, taste and origin, but which are in fact all equally crunchy and tasty.  Elena wins a trip for two valued at € 4.000 to her favourite European city and a digital camera to register the most memorable moments of this journey. A selection of the twenty best entries will be used in awareness-raising initiatives throughout the EU and will be featured on the competition’s website (www.eudiversity.com) throughout 2008.

The European Union launched this competition to raise awareness on equality and the fight against discrimination with a 30-second advertisement spot on MTV, the world’s largest youth channel.  The ad called on viewers to enter visual artwork on the theme of diversity and equality.  As part of the competition, a DiverseCity webpage was launched.  Here visitors could upload their artwork between 22 October and 8 December, after which they could promote their favourite entry during an online voting from 9 until 16 December.

The competition was part of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, an EU-wide action year that ran in parallel with the five-year 'For Diversity, Against Discrimination' campaign.  Part of its mission was to inform the public that there are laws to protect people that are discriminated against because of their gender, racial and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability.

[18.12.2007] - Portuguese journalist wins this year's 'For Diversity. Against Discrimination' EU press award

The first prize in this year's 'For Diversity. Against Discrimination' Journalist Award has today been awarded to a Portuguese journalist writing about the discrimination faced by migrant workers in the Netherlands. The second and third prizes went to entries from France and the United Kingdom respectively. The special award to mark the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All has been won by an Austrian journalist. A prize-giving ceremony to present the awards will take place in Brussels this evening.

[18.10.2007] - Creaţi o Lume a Diversităţii

Competition to depict diversity and equality

Uniunea Europeană şi MTV invită tinerii Europei să ilustreze diversitatea şi egalitatea

Uniunea Europeana lansează astăzi o competiţie cu scopul creşterii conştientizării asupra egalităţii între oameni, cât şi asupra luptei împotriva discriminării, printr-un spot TV de 30 de secunde, ce va rula la MTV, cel mai mare post TV pentru tineri din lume. Spotul îndeamnă privItorii sa îşi înscrie lucrările, încluzând fotografii, filme sau colaje, ilustrând tema diversitaţii şi egalităţii.

Comentând lansarea competiţiei, Comisarul European pentru Relaţiile cu Munca, Afaceri Sociale şi Egalitate în Oportunităţi, Vladimir Špidla, a subliniat faptul că “eliminarea discriminării si promovarea tratamentului egal pentru toţi, reprezintă scopuri majore pentru Uniunea Europeană. Această competiţie este un mod ideal de a promova aceste mesaje, şi de a da tinerilor ce privesc MTV Europe o şansă de a-şi face auzite vocile şi de a-şi arăta viziunile si talentele în toata Europa. Aşteptăm cu nerăbdare primele înscrieri!”

 To read more download the press release here (pdf 348 KB)

[18.10.2007] - Anunţarea Câştigătorilor Concursului de Fotografii “Ruperea Stereotipurilor” iniţiat de Uniunea Europeană

Winner: Krzysztof Goluch, Poland

© EU information campaign "For Diversity. Against Discrimination"

[04.07.2007] - Commission launches public consultation on new anti-discrimination measures

The European Commission has today launched an online consultation on combating discrimination in the Member States and at EU level. The public consultation will help the Commission plan new measures to tackle discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in areas beyond the job market. It comes as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All – which aims to raise people's awareness of their rights to equal treatment and promote a broad debate on the benefits of diversity to society – enters full swing.

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[27.06.2007] - Decade of Roma Inclusion Photo Contest

Under the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the Open Society Institute (OSI) and OSA Archivum announce an international photography contest entitled “Chachipe.” The aims of the contest are to help combat visual stereotypes associated with Roma and to present Roma people and Roma culture sensitively and artistically. The intention is to authentically portray Roma as an integral part of their broader national communities.

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[25.04.2007] - Camionul european al diversităţii porneşte la drum

Astăzi, în Strasburg, camionul european al diversităţii va porni la drum şi va demara turul său prin Europa. Pornind din faţa sediului Parlamentului European, camionul va promova diversitatea şi egalitatea de şanse pentru toţi traversând 19 ţări şi parcurgând peste 18 000 de km. Prezentă în centrele oraşelor, universităţi, târguri de locuri de muncă şi la festivaluri publice, platforma mobilă de informare va oferi informaţii cu privire la drepturile de tratament egal şi va promova Anul european al egalităţii de şanse pentru toţi - 2007.

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 Please click here to download press photo (JPEG-file, 774 KB): Commissioner Vladimir Špidla and MEPs on the Truck

[16.04.2007] - Journalist Award 2006 Prize Ceremony celebrated in Brussels

Commissioner Špidla and Journalist Award 2006 winners join at prize ceremony

The jury selected the following print and online articles as winners:

1st place: Fabrizio Gatti, Italy: "Io schiavo in Puglia" ("I was a slave in Puglia"), L'Espresso

2nd place: Miklós Hargitai, Hungary: "A mi cigánylányunk" ("Our very own gipsy daughter"), Népszabadság Online

3rd place: Petra Sjouwerman, Belgium: "Bedrijf werft enkel autisten aan" ("Company recruits autistic people only"), De Morgen

The Young Journalism Special Award highlighted the role young journalists can play in creating awareness of discrimination and diversity issues in the EU. The entrants provided a fresh and vibrant approach to communicating the important topics of their articles. The EU-wide winning article of the Special Award came from:

Henna Helne, Finland: "Äidit opettelevat lastensa kieltä" ("Mothers learning their children's language"), Anna Magazine

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[01.03.2007] - UE lansează Concursul European de Fotografie pentru Diversitate

Studenţii de la artă fotografică din Uniunea Europeană au şansa de a face o declaraţie artistică în favoarea diversităţii şi de a-şi prezenta lucrările publicului european, participând la concursul de fotografie „Breaking Stereotypes” 2007. Concursul se va desfăşura în perioada 1 martie - 30 iunie 2007, în cadrul campaniei UE „pentru Diversitate. Împotriva Discriminării.” şi al Anului European al Şanselor Egale pentru Toţi.

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[19.02.2007] - Concursul Jurnalistul European continua sa lupte impotriva discriminarii

Datele Eurobarometrului publicat in ianuarie arata ca 64% din populatia Europei crede ca discriminarea este foarte raspandita in tara lor. Mai mult, 50% cred ca nu sunt depuse destule eforturi pentru a combate discriminarea. Informarea asupra drepturilor celor discriminati, descrierea aspectelor negative ale discriminarii si a aspectelor pozitive ale deversitatii sunt mai mult decat importante, chiar vitale pentru ca egalitatea de drepturi sa devina realitate.

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[27.11.2006] - FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES – “For Diversity. Against Discrimination” EU Journalist Award 2006

Print and online journalists have until 31 December 2006 to send their entries for the "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." EU Journalist Award 2006. The Award is open to journalists from all 25 EU Member States and aims to award those who, through their writing, contribute to a better public understanding of the benefits of diversity and the fight against discrimination.

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[19.10.2006] - Art students bring the European Commission and Europe's young people “Together”

From 19 October to 30 November 2006 the esplanade in front of the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels will play host to an outdoor exhibition of artwork submitted by students to the EU-wide “Breaking Stereotypes” Poster Competition. Today, Vladimir Špidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, will honour the competition winner Aleksandra Woldańska from Poznań, Poland for her poster, “Together”, and unveil the exhibition of the 34 short-listed posters. More than 750 students from 270 different academies and universities took part in the competition, representing all 25 EU Member States.

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[29.09.2006]- Europe takes action to promote non-discrimination and diversity in small and medium-sized enterprises

Limassol, 29.09.2006 - For two days in September, Limassol is to become the centre of the promotion of diversity in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). On 29th and 30th September, representatives from over 140 enterprises and business associations from all 25 EU Member States will meet for the “EU Conference – The Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses 2006”. It will be opened by the Cypriot Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, H.E. Antonis Vassiliou, and Lenia Samuel, Deputy Director General, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission. This conference offers a unique platform for exchanging experiences in implementing diversity and non-discrimination initiatives within SMEs.

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