Discrimination and Treatment of Population Groups in Europe

This report provides a systematic, academically neutral assessment of the documented treatment of four population groups: asylum seekers and recognized refugees, undocumented economic migrants, established ethnic minorities (Roma and Afro-European communities), and second and third-generation citizens of migrant origin, across the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. Drawing exclusively on institutional monitoring sources, including the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), UNHCR, OSCE/ODIHR, and Eurostat, the analysis maps documented practices against the specific legal obligations each state has voluntarily accepted through ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU asylum directives, and the Race Equality Directive. The report introduces the Country Discrimination Index (CDI), a composite score for 20 Council of Europe states across five analytical dimensions: access to legal procedures, administrative treatment, labor market access, housing and education, and physical safety. Key findings include: systematic non-compliance with the EU Asylum Procedures Directive's processing time requirements in at least six member states; documented pushback practices in violation of Article 3 ECHR at five major border zones; persistent Roma school segregation at 45% despite legal prohibition for nearly two decades; and no measurable improvement in racial harassment rates against Afro-European communities between 2018 and 2023. The report concludes with a strategic posture grid and policy recommendations for EU institutions, Council of Europe bodies, and member state governments. Published by ISDO Economics & Social Affairs Department. CC BY-NC 4.0.