The 2007 European Diversity Truck gets rolling in Strasbourg

On April 25 the European Diversity Truck started up its engines for the fourth year in a row. The official launch of the 2007 tour took place in Strasbourg at the European Parliament. Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and numerous Members of the European Parliament, including Elisabeth Schroedter, Harlem Désir and Richard Howitt attended the kick off event and participated in a lively discussion on anti-discrimination policy.

The truck was officially unveiled by Commissioner Špidla, Manuel dos Santos, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Martine Roure, MEP.
Students from Germany and France drew an “Image of Diversity” which they presented to the European Parliament as a symbol of cooperation between European youth and the Parliament.

From Strasbourg, the truck team started out on their 18,000 kilometre tour to the next stops in Nancy (France), Graz (Austria) and Maribor (Slovenia). Over the course of the next seven months, the Diversity Truck will tour through 19 countries and celebrate the European Year of Equal Opportunity for All with over 30 events.

To find out where your nearest truck stop will be visit the Truck Tour website.

Eurovision 2007 brings a voice to diversity

The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All is an official partner of the Eurovision contest, which this year will take place in Helsinki. The song contest which attracts an audience of more than 100 million will be a unique opportunity to inform TV viewers throughout Europe about the Year.
Numerous events have also been organised in the Eurovision village in Helsinki to inform the general public about what the EU is doing to promote equality.

For more information on the Eurovision Song Contest, visit www.eurovision.tv and http://equality2007.europa.eu for the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.

Italy wins 2006 EU Journalist Award

The EU-wide winners of the Journalist Award 2006 were announced at a prize ceremony in Brussels on April 16. The first prize, selected from almost 600 entries, was awarded to the Italian Journalist Fabrizio Gatti for his moving article “I was a Slave in Puglia” which describes the extremely difficult situation foreign workers face in southern Italy. The second prize went to Miklós Hargitai from Hungary, and the third prize to Petra Sjouwerman from Belgium. The Special Young Journalist Prize was awarded to Henna Helne from Finland.

Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities presented the winners with their awards. The award ceremony and the winning articles were given considerable press coverage across the EU.

To find out more about the ceremony and to read the prize-winning articles, click here.

Entries are now being accepted for the 2007 EU Journalist Award.

Brush up on your vocabulary

Check out the new Anti-Discrimination Glossary, now available as part of the "Stop-Discrimination Guide" on the campaign's website. The glossary lists many of the most relevant terms used in the anti-discrimination and equality field. Translations in other official EU languages will follow soon.

To view the new glossary, please click here. 

"Respect" billboard campaign in Germany

From April 17-27, the Stop- Discrimination campaign posted eye-catching billboards with the slogan "Jeder Mensch ist einzigartig" ("Every person is unique") in train stations across Germany. The ten day initiative, organised in cooperation with the German national working group, aims to raise awareness about tolerance and equality among commuters and visitors alike.

Introducing our national partners in Portugal: FENACERCI

FENACERCI, the Portuguese National Federation of Social Solidarity Cooperatives (Federação Nacional das Cooperativas de Solidariedade Social), is a body comprised of cooperatives for people with learning disabilities. Its mission is to defend the interests and rights of these people and their families through the strengthening of its associate members. This organization is the institutional interlocutor between Social Solidarity Cooperatives and other official bodies, promoting dialogue and developing projects with a variety of institutions, such as SNRIPD (Secretariado Nacional para a Reabilitação e Integração das Pessoas com Deficiência).

Every year, Fenacerci holds the Pirilampo Mágico Campaign (literally, "Magic Firefly") in collaboration with the state-run radio station RDP/Antena1. In addition to fund-raising to help alleviate the persistent financial deficit in several CERCIs, this campaign aims to inform the community about the issues surrounding learning disabilities. Its main objective is to change people’s attitudes, thus allowing the successful integration of disabled individuals into society.

For more information, on our national partners in Portugal please click here.