Two renowned professors will speak at the event on March 10
By Thomas Ansell
City Central and the University of Groningen law faculty study associations Nexus, JFV and Elsa are to host an online panel discussion on March 10 at 15:00 about Dutch diversity policy and EU anti-discrimination law.
University of Utrecht professor Mark Bovens will join RUG assistant professor of Public International Law Aikaterini Tsampi (who previously contributed to the United Nations Human Rights Committee as an independent researcher). The two will be joined by Law student Judith Frens, and will discuss diversity in the Netherlands and combatting discrimination on the part of the EU.
The discussion is particularly prescient for a number of reasons: not least due to a Dutch advisory council report calling the Netherlands a ‘Migration Society’ in December 2020.
The council report called upon the government to adopt integrated policy to help new migrants navigate Dutch society. What are the needs of the modern, diverse migrant population in the Netherlands, and how can local and national Dutch governments be held accountable for helping newcomers feel at home and genuinely welcome in the Netherlands.
Additionally, a number of features of Dutch and EU approaches that seem to live a double life in terms of discrimination.
The Netherlands is thought of (both internally and internationally) as a bastion of Human Rights defence, however recent events including the toeslagenaffaire, and far-right parties becoming the second largest in the Dutch parliament have problematised this view. Additionally, on an EU level, one could view overall EU migration policy as generally discriminatory on the principle of rights being conveyed based upon where a person is born. This is before we even consider the treatment of migrants blocked from entering the EU.
In any case, the event is sure to be an interesting delve into migration policy and human rights discussions in Europe! Sign-up and attendance is free for everyone, and attendees are invited to submit questions to the panel via the same form.
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