Call for Proposals - Minority rights in EU accession countries
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Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 16:51:07 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Call for Proposals - Minority rights in EU accession countries
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Stephen Humphreys <[email protected]>
Call for Proposals - Minority rights in EU accession
countries
Please find attached a Call for Proposals from the Centre for Policy
Studies at the Central European University, seeking authors to write
country reports on minority rights in ten EU accession countries. Also
enclosed is a draft outline of the envisaged report. For circulation
to anyone who may be interested.
Replies and queries can be addressed to:
Stephen Humphreys
Centre for Policy Studies
1525 Budapest
P.O. Box 10/27
Hungary
Tel: +36 1 327 3104 #2279
Fax: +361 327 3105
Email: [email protected]
-------------------------
Centre for Policy Studies - Central European University
Project: Monitoring the EU Accession Process
Call for Proposals: Country Reports on Minorities
The Project
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), a new creation of the Soros
Foundation Network housed at the Central European University, has
initiated a project to monitor selected issues related to the EU
accession process in ten central and eastern European countries. The
project focuses on (1) progress made in meeting the Copenhagen
political criteria, and (2) efforts made by the EU to promote
adherence to the criteria. The criteria state that in order to enter
the EU countries must have achieved stability of institutions
guaranteeing "democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the
respect for and protection of minorities". The project will monitor
three aspects of these criteria highlighted by the EU Commission in
the "Progress Reports" of 1999: (1) protection of the rights of
minorities, (2) corruption, and (3) independence of the judiciary. The
object will be to produce high quality reports in these areas in each
country, to raise awareness of the importance of independent
monitoring in giving objective meaning to the Copenhagen criteria, and
to stimulate public debate about the accession process in candidate
countries.
The CPS is currently looking for partner organisations or individuals
with expertise and experience in the field of minority rights in all
ten EU candidate countries in central and eastern Europe (Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania,
Slovakia and Slovenia). The CPS therefore announces a Call for
Proposals to expert individuals and organisations to write Country
Reports on the rights of minorities in each country, with particular
attention to the most vulnerable minority in each country. Please
note, proposals may envision reports on more than one of the ten
candidate countries - all else being equal, these will be preferred.
Purpose
The purpose of the country reports will be to give a thorough and
in-depth profile of the state of minority rights and discrimination,
concentrating on the most vulnerable minority group in each country.
Reports will be concise, approximately 10,000 words per country
(excluding bibliographies, annexes, etc.), and cover in detail:
1) The legal framework addressing discrimination, minority rights and
racially-motivated violence.
2) The existence and competence of institutions protecting and
promoting the rights of minorities, including the government, civil
society and the media.
3) The situation in practice, in terms of law enforcement, public
education, patterns of discrimination, the existence of yardsticks,
and instances of hate speech.
4) EU policy with regard to national minorities - (i) public
statements and (ii) projects initiated by the EU: amount of funding,
appropriateness and impact.
A more elaborate outline of issues to be addressed is attached with
this document.
Budget
The CPS will pay for the production of the country report(s) on the
basis of a budget proposed by the partner and agreed with CPS. Given
the highly variable conditions from country to country, in terms of
size and situation of minorities, availability of information, etc.,
even a rough figure cannot be proposed in advance. In extreme cases, a
ceiling of US$ 5,000 per country might be envisaged. In the case of
proposals which cover more than one country, the budget will be
negotiated with CPS.
Eligibility
The call for proposals is open to all individuals, group of
individuals or organisations who can demonstrate significant expertise
in minority issues in the given country, and who have a proven record
of high quality writing and editing in English. Preference will be
given to candidates from the central and eastern European EU candidate
countries.
Criteria for the Evaluation of Proposals
In selecting proposals, CPS will take into consideration:
� The experience and expertise of the proposal author(s) in minority
rights issues.
� The quality of the proposal and its adherence to the purpose
outlined above.
� Evidence of competence and experience in quality report writing and
editing.
� All else being equal, preference will be given to proposals
demonstrating the capacity to undertake reports in more than one
country.
Formal Requirements of Proposals
The Proposal must be in English and must include:
1) Cover page
- Name(s) and address of the author(s) - including street, P.O. Box,
city/town, postal code, country, telephone, fax, e-mail.
- Information about the organisation, if relevant.
- Signature of the applicant.
- Date.
2) The proposal, in 1,500 words or less, consisting of:
- A short summary of the status of minorities in the country.
- Identification of the most vulnerable minority in the country
together with a justification and outline of the key issues with
regard to the minority.
- A summary of proposed data collection methods, available contacts
and other methodological instruments for completing the report.
- A budget for completing the report.
3) Curriculum Vitae and selected bibliography of the author(s), and/or
track record of the organisation.
Applications that do not meet these formal requirements will be
returned without further consideration.
Procedure
1. Submission of Proposals
Submissions will be accepted by fax or e-mail attachment (preferably
MS Word, version 97 or below). The deadline for submissions is June
19, 2000.
2. Review and selection
Submissions will be registered by the CPS upon reception. Submissions
will be reviewed by CPS and evaluated in terms of formal criteria and
quality. The CPS may contact authors of proposals for further
information or to make recommendations.
3. Feedback
Given the anticipated number of proposals, we regret that not all
proposal authors will be contacted by CPS. Only authors of proposals
under serious consideration will be contacted. Notification of
selection will take place by July 6 2000. Authors not contacted by
that date are not under serious consideration by CPS. All submissions
that meet the formal requirements will be included in the CPS database
with reference to the contact person.
4. Completing the Report
� Authors of selected proposals will be contracted to complete one or
more country reports in accordance with the timeline given below.
� The partner will maintain contact with the CPS and other relevant
partners during the completion of the report(s).
� CPS will provide a basic template for the report.
� The report will be in English, with a translation into the language
of the country concerned. CPS will retain final editorial control of
the report(s).
5. Publication
The country report will be published in whole or in part in a form to
be determined by the CPS. Copyrights will remain with CPS. A
translation into the national language of the country will be
published together with the report.
Timeline
The cycle of events is foreseen as follows:
Date Deadline
June 19, 2000 Deadline for proposal submission
July 6, 2000 Deadline for notification of selection
September 30, 2000 Submission of final country reports in English
October 31, 2000 Submission of final country reports in language
of country
Deadlines will be strictly observed.
Applications should be submitted to:
Centre for Policy Studies
1525 Budapest,
P.O. Box 10/27
Hungary
Tel:+361.327.31.04
Fax: +361.327.31.05
e-mail: [email protected]
Contact Person: Stephen Humphreys
---------------
EU Accession Project - Draft Report Outline on Minorities
The following is a draft outline. Intended as a guide to prospective
researchers, the outline is not designed to be exhaustive, but rather
to serve as an essential starting point for further elaboration and
detail. Wherever possible, illustrative examples should be included.
Examples should be as recent as possible. The report will address one
minority specifically - the most vulnerable in the given country. Roma
are given as an example in the draft outline below.
A. Introduction/Summary of Findings
B. Number of Roma, Numbers of Other Minorities, Total Population
C. Legal Framework
1. Addressing racial and ethnic discrimination -
a) Ratification of relevant international instruments - including
European Convention on Human Rights, International Convention on
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (including declaration re:
individual complaints under Article 14), International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (including First Optional Protocol),
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights,
UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, ILO Convention
No. 111.
b) Existence of comprehensive domestic anti-discrimination and related
legislation implementing international standards and providing for
administrative and judicial remedies for breach.
2. Addressing the rights of minorities -
a) Ratification of relevant international instruments - including
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities,
European Charter on Regional and Minority Languages, etc.
b) Existence of relevant national implementing laws guaranteeing the
rights of minorities, including the right to use minority languages,
the right to minority culture, the right to education, etc.
3. Addressing racially-motivated violence -
a) Laws expressly prohibiting racially-motivated violence; laws
providing sentencing enhancements for crimes motivated by racial
hatred; disciplinary regulations concerning misconduct by law
enforcement personnel in cases of racially motivated abuse
D. Institutions for Protection of the Rights of Roma
1. Government Bodies
What government bodies are responsible for the protection of the
rights of Roma? Is there an ombudsman with responsibility for these
matters? If so, what are the ombudsman's powers and competencies? Is
there a specialized body with the power to investigate and/or
prosecute violations of anti-discrimination law and/or laws protecting
the rights of minorities? Are there prosecutors with special
responsibility for enforcement of laws prohibiting racial
discrimination and racially-motivated violence, and of laws protecting
the rights of minorities?
2. Civil Society
What organizations exist to promote the interests of Roma? Does the
government promote or hinder their activities, and in what ways? What,
if any, other restrictions limit their activities in practice?
3. Media
To what extent does the media promote stereotypical and/or negative
images of Roma? Do media publicize non-discrimination legal standards,
cases of abuse, and/or good practices? Are there Roma media? Other
minority media? What if any restrictions exist on the ability of Roma
or other minorities to form media?
E. Practice
1. Law Enforcement
a) Discrimination
In practice, how many complaints of racial/ethnic discrimination have
been reported? How many acted upon by any government body, including
but not limited to the courts, the prosecution and the police? With
what result? How many sanctions for discrimination and what kind -
civil, criminal, administrative - have been imposed in such cases?
b) Minority Rights
In practice, how many complaints of violations of the rights of
minorities have been reported? How many acted upon by any government
body, including but not limited to the courts, the prosecution and the
police? With what result?
c) Racially-Motivated Violence
In practice, how many incidents of racially-motivated violence against
Roma have been reported? How many prosecutions have been undertaken of
perpetrators of violence against Roma? How thorough are law
enforcement authorities in investigating complaints brought by members
of minority groups? What, if any, proactive measures have law
enforcement authorities undertaken to prevent and/or forestall racist
crimes against Roma before they occur?
2. Patterns of Discrimination/Representation
a) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in education?
b) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in access to
health care?
c) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in access to
housing?
d) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in access to
commercial enterprises, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, sports
stadiums, discos, and other public accommodations?
e) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in access to
citizenship?
f) What is the extent of discrimination against Roma in access to
employment? In the sphere of public employment, to what extent are
Roma proportionately represented at all levels of government, as well
as the judiciary, the police, the prosecution? What governmental
policies are in place to promote increased access for Roma to all
forms of public employment? How are such policies implemented in
practice?
3. Official Hate Speech
Have public officials at any level incited violence and/or
discrimination against Roma through public anti-Roma statements? With
what response from the government and/or political parties?
4. Existence of Yardsticks
What efforts have governments made to monitor the frequency of
discrimination and violence against Roma? What other statistics or
other objectively verifiable indices exist to measure the extent to
which Roma are adequately represented in schools, in employment, and
in other spheres of public life?
5. Public Education and Awareness
a) What efforts have governments made to publicize anti-discrimination
norms and combat racist attitudes against Roma?
b) What efforts have governments made to undertake training of
teachers, law enforcement officers, and other relevant public
officials in non-discriminatory norms and practices?
c) What efforts have government leaders made to speak out against
racism toward Roma and to make clear that racist attitudes and actions
toward the Roma are unacceptable?
d) What efforts has the government made to link the protection of the
rights of Roma to EU accession in the public understanding?
F. EU Policy
Has the European Union (or any of its representatives) spoken publicly
on the question of the condition of the Roma in this country, and/or
on the issue of minority rights, racially-motivated violence, and/or
racial discrimination? If so, what has been said? What, if any,
projects has the EU funded in the country concerning the Roma? Please
describe for each project levels of funding and overall impact.
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