Germany found to be the most discriminatory in a study on “Being Black in the EU”

According to the study "Being Black in the EU", a study by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights in Vienna, Black people in Europe are affected daily by racism, and Germany performed worst in a survey.

The study surveyed 7,000 migrants from Africa to find out whether they experience racism in society in EU countries. They were asked about all aspects of their lives, such as working life and looking for an apartment.

The surveys covered the period from October 2021 to October 2022 in various EU countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Spain.

Back in November 2018, the FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights) published a report on the experiences of Black people in the European Union, based on data from 2016.

At that time, 52 percent of those surveyed in Germany said they had been verbally or physically discriminated against due to their ethnic background or migration history in the last five years.

In the current study, 76 percent of those surveyed said they had been discriminated against because of their skin colour, origin or religion in the last five years—a worrying increase.

This is the highest percentage among the 13 EU states, with only Austria having similarly poor values. The average for all countries was 45 percent.

The study also found that racially motivated attacks are widespread in Germany, with 54 percent of respondents saying they had experienced such harassment, the highest among the 13 countries.

Additionally, Black people in Germany reported more frequent experiences of discrimination in the workplace compared to other countries surveyed, with 46 per cent having experienced discrimination in the workplace, while the average was 31 percent.

When looking for a job, 56 percent of those surveyed in Germany said they had had negative experiences.

In addition, 69 percent of those who were stopped by the police in the last twelve months said it was because of the color of their skin.

The study "Being Black in the EU" was based on responses from a total of 7,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and people with at least one parent from this region living in different EU countries.

The latest results show that the problem of racism is particularly pronounced in Germany and has worsened in recent years.

Therefore, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights calls on the EU and its member states to take measures to ensure that people of African descent can exercise their rights without racism and discrimination.

This includes deterrent penalties for discrimination and racism as well as the prevention of discriminatory practices in institutions and authorities.

The agency's director described the survey results as "shocking" and emphasized that racism should have no place in society.