The President of the European Jewish Congress Dr Ariel Muzicant alongside the Presidents of affiliated communities from across the EU, joined elected officials, and leaders of Jewish and non-Jewish organisations in signing a letter urging the European Union leadership to prioritise the fight against antisemitism in this new mandate.
The letter calls for this issue to be central to the agenda for the European Council meetings on 19 December and stresses the need for a comprehensive response as a key priority for the new European Commission.
“Specifically, we ask the European Council to make the fight against antisemitism a strategic priority for Europe and to task the European Commission, under the leadership of President Ursula von der Leyen, with developing and implementing urgent measures to address this crisis at the EU level,” the letter states. “The time for complacency has passed; decisive leadership is required. Europe must act swiftly and decisively to stem this crisis before it is too late.”
As highlighted in the letter, this call comes at a time when antisemitic incidents have surged by 1,000% in France in 2023, 250% in Germany, 245% in the Netherlands, alongside similarly alarming spikes across Europe.
Signatories include former French Prime Ministers Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve, former President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev, interim Attorney General of Bulgaria Borislav Sarafov, Italian MP Marco Scurria, and the Mayor of Pescara (Italy) Carlo Masci, alongside representatives from major Jewish organisations such as the American Jewish Committee, the European Jewish Congress, the World Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith International, the European Union of Jewish Students, and European Jewish communities.
The letter also calls for the deployment of adequate resources, means, and political support to assist the work of the European Commission’s antisemitism coordinator and the promotion of Jewish life. Supporting and expanding this role is crucial to developing and implementing urgent measures to address this crisis at the EU level.
