Date: 18-19 March 2025 (without travel days)

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Rationale and context

The 2024 European elections unfolded in a complex and challenging political environment marked by a resurgence of far-right groups, the continued shrinking of civic space, and an increasing emphasis on security and austerity threatening the EU's commitment to social and racial justice. This landscape has been further shaped by serious violations of human rights globally, including conflicts, massacres and the devastating consequences of atrocities such as genocides and ethnic cleansing of racialised groups. Despite the European Commission's promises under the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan (EU ARAP), systemic racism persists across Member States. Structural inequalities remain deeply entrenched, and racialised communities continue to be subjected to intersecting and multilayered discriminations. Black communities in Europe face higher rates of police violence and are disproportionately targeted by stop-and-search policies, Roma communities endure systemic exclusion from housing, education and healthcare and Muslim women wearing headscarves continue facing pervasive workplace discrimination. Migrants and refugees experience dehumanising treatment at Europe's borders, with detention camps, pushbacks, and restrictive migration policies further entrenching racialised injustices. This reflects the EU's broader attitude toward migrants and migration, which has become a new frontier for racism in Europe, perpetuating narratives of fear and securitisation rather than solidarity and inclusion. 

In her political guidelines, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to implement a comprehensive and impactful EU Anti-Racism Strategy, building on the current EU ARAP 2020-20252. This could be a decisive moment for advancing racial justice, provided that civil society organisations, particularly those led by racialised communities, are empowered with the platform to shape and implement this strategy. 

The Anti-Racism and Diversity Week (ARDW)​ is civil society's annual flagship event coordinated by the European Network against Racism (ENAR), with the support of the Anti-racism and Diversity Intergroup of the European Parliament and the European Commission. In 2025, this initiative will serve as a strategic platform to amplify civil society voices, consolidate demands for a transformative EU Anti-Racism Strategy, and mobilise action against systemic racism, building on the momentum and insights from previous editions. Despite the hostile political environment for civil society and human rights defenders, particularly those working on anti-racism, ARDW25 will serve as a powerful testament to the strength of our collective mobilisation, demonstrating resilience and resistance in the face of rising fascism/racism/far right ideologies and groups. In the past two editions, we have brought together approximately 300 activists, people with lived experience, institutions, businesses, and others, engaging in numerous panels and events that spanned from grassroots initiatives to European-level discussions on racial justice . 

Our goal is clear: it is high time for Europe to learn and take decisive action on anti-racism. Inaction or tokenised action will only deepen the challenges, embolden far-right movements and exacerbate the inequities faced by the most marginalised. 

Vision and objectives  

Our vision for ARDW 2025 is to place civil society at the heart of shaping Europe's future anti-racism agendawhile contributing to strengthen the social justice movement in Europe amid an increasingly hostile environment. ARDW25 aims to amplify the voices of racialised communities and organisations, ensuring our perspectives and experiences are central to the development of a transformative EU Anti-Racism Strategy for the post-2025 era. 

The primary objectives of ARDW 2025 are:

1. To centre the lived experiences and amplify the voices of racialised communities, ensuring their insights and realities guide the development of future anti-racism initiatives. 
2. To present actionable proposals for the EU's Anti-Racism Strategy, based on consultation and engagement with civil society, grassroots organisations, and racialised communities.
3. To mobilise public awareness and support, encouraging individuals, civil society organisations and institutions to learn and actively engage in the fight against systemic racism. This will be achieved through a combination of high-profile panels, workshops, and advocacy initiatives.
4. To foster collaboration between stakeholders, including policymakers, activists, and grassroots organisations, to build a united front for racial justice across Europe.

ARDW 2025 will champion the lived experiences and leadership of those most affected by racism, driving advocacy efforts that integrates a decolonial approach, while recognising the intersecting nature of race, gender, class, ethnic background, disability, age, religious background and sexual orientation. ARDW 2025 will be a key-moment for advocating for the mainstreaming of anti-racism across all EU policies and initiatives, with a particular focus on addressing the historical dimensions of racism. This approach seeks to dismantle not only current structures of racism but also colonial continuities that continue to shape European societies today and the lives of racialised communities.

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Tentative Agenda

Monday, 17 March 2025

• 14:30-17:00 | Meeting of ENAR Member Organisations

Tuesday, 18 March 2025

• 9:30-18:00 | Programme at the European Parliament

Wednesday, 19 March 2025

• 9:30-18:00 | Programme at the European Parliament

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Get Involved...(applications are closed)

Those interested in co-creating the ARDW programme are invited to submit their proposals for organising workshops for participants. This is a unique opportunity for civil society organisations (CSOs) to lead discussions on critical issues and contribute to shaping the anti-racism strategy. 

There will be two available slots on both Tuesday, 18 March (16:00-17:30) and Wednesday, 19 March (15:30-17:00) for CSOs interested in leading a workshop. Each day will feature three parallel slots of 90 minutes. The aim of these workshops is to address topics that will inform our anti-racism strategy and highlight the key challenges and solutions facing racialised individuals and communities in Europe. We particularly encourage proposals that focus on areas where racialised people face significant criminalisation and repression, including:

• Migration  
• Artificial Intelligence  
• Civic Space  
• Economic Justice  
• Climate Justice  
• NAPAR  

Please submit your workshop proposals using the online form​ or send them in Word or PDF format to ENAR's Network Development Team at network@enar-eu.org by 9 February 2025 (23:59 CET). Find the word template here​.

Full Members of ENAR will receive a compensation of 300 EUR for leading the workshop, following a selection process. The selection will be communicated to the applicants by 18 February 2025. 

Each session should be planned for 90 minutes accommodating 20-30 participants. The workshops should not follow a frontal presentation format but should use non-formal educational ​principles and methods.

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Register

Registrations for in-person participation are closed. The plenary sessions will also be available for online participation. Stay tuned on our social media for more details. 

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Code of Conduct

If you're having any trouble understanding the questions in the registration forms or if you face any accessibility issues, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at ardweek@enar-eu.org. We're here to help, and your questions are always welcome.

By registering to this meeting, you confirm your agreement with ENAR's code of conduct at ENAR meetings and events.

You can download the full document HERE​​.