ABSTRACT
Sex equality has been a central aspiration of the European Community since its formation. In the United Kingdom the development of anti-discrimination law owes much more to the United States than to any shared experience with other European countries. The Commission made recommendations for institutional changes within the structures of the Community, in particular the establishment as an independent body, attached to the European Commission, of a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. Within the European Union the problems of racial discrimination, incitement, and violence have given rise to a series of Committees of Inquiry into Racism and Xenophobia in Europe. In 1991 the Council of the European Community adopted a Declaration calling for intensification of efforts in the struggle against racism and xenophobia and strengthening legal protection for third-country nationals. The Intergovernmental Conference formally opened on the occasion of the European Council meeting at Turin on 29 March 1996.
