The EU's Racial Equality Directive and the Evolution of Discourse in the Field of the Fight against Discrimination. a Comparison between France,the UK and Spain

This paper assesses the extent of the convergence of public policies purporting to combat racial discriminations in Europe by focusing on the cases of France, the UK and Spain. It shows that the influence of ‘national models’ remains powerful even when the implementation of a common policy instrument such as a European directive is at stake - in this instance the Racial Equality Directive of 29 June, 2000. Having outlined the reasons for focusing on this directive, we propose a synthesis of sociological and political science studies on the subject and present our comparative methodological approach in detail. We focus on the language employed to present the discrimination problem in all three countries under study. We first examine the French case and retrace the progressive evolution of the rhetoric used, from an emphasis on the fight against racism to equal opportunities and the promotion of diversity. Having thus observed the medium-term impact of national socio-political dynamics on a European frame of reference for action, we introduce a comparison with Spain and the UK, relying on documents produced by European institutions.