European Network Against Racism: anti-racist advocacy ‘wrapped up in nice paper’

This article reviews ENAR’s (European Network Against Racism) history from its inception in 1998 to the present – a development which reflects an increasing need for a professionalised lobby organisation with the ability to respond to Brussels-induced demands. Furthermore, against the backdrop of discussions about intersectionality, the article investigates ENAR´s attention and ability to integrate questions of e.g. gender, sexuality or age in their policy input, given the potentially rigid compartmentalisation of discrimination strands within the European Commission´s system of civil society consultations. The article therefore overall aims to assess ENAR´s position as potentially hemmed in between 1) the Commission vs. member organisations’ expectations for its focus and modus operandi and 2) attention to intersectional discrimination vs. potential compartmentalisation within the Commission. The conclusions are that despite hardships faced along the way, ENAR has been able to successfully straddle such potentially opposing demands. In sum, the organisation has, as phrased by its Director ‘become smarter in ways to get our point across […] you know, wrapped up in nice paper’.