Twenty-three out of 27 member states have so far developed national strategies for combating antisemitism, the European Commission announced on Monday as it presented the first progress report on the European Union strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life announced in 2021.
Of the 23 member states, 14 have developed standalone strategies and nine have included dedicated measures in broader strategies against racism, against extremism or to promote human rights.
Moreover, 25 member states have adopted or endorsed the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) working definition of antisemitism, according to the status report.
The 14 countries that adopted standalone national strategies are Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
The nine countries that have included dedicated measures to combat Jew-hatred as part of broader strategies are Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Slovakia.
In 2021, the European Commission presented the first-ever E.U. Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.
With antisemitism on the rise in Europe and beyond, the strategy sets out a series of measures articulated around three pillars: prevent all forms of antisemitism; protect and foster Jewish life; and promote research, education and Holocaust remembrance.
The strategy proposes measures to step up cooperation with social media companies to curb antisemitism online, better protect public spaces and places of worship, set up a European research hub on contemporary antisemitism and create a network of sites where the Holocaust took place.
The situation for Jews in the E.U. and globally has dramatically worsened since the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noted the commission.
The commission condemned the attacks, expressed full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirmed its full commitment to Israel’s security.
In her statement one year after the Oct. 7 massacre European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there can be no justification for Hamas’s acts of terrorism.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
