Portuguese journalist wins “For Diversity Against Discrimination” press award 2007

The first prize in this year’s ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ Journalist Award has been awarded to a Portuguese journalist writing about the discrimination faced by migrant workers in the Netherlands. The European Commission honoured those journalists who helped foster, through their writing, a better understanding of the benefits of diversity and who encouraged readers to consider more closely issues of discrimination and inequality. “These journalists have helped to bring to light stories which offer people across Europe an insight into some of the major issues facing our society today,” says Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The winning article, “Portugueses alimentam nova escravatura da Europa” [Portuguese contribute to a new kind of slavery], was written by the Portuguese journalist Maria do Céu Neves, who works for the newspaper Diario de Noticias. The article looks at the issue of discrimination in the labour market, particularly from the point of view of Portuguese and Polish migrant workers in the Netherlands. The second prize went to a French article “Discrimination: les solutions qui marchent” [Discrimination: Solutions that work] by Marie-Madeleine Péretie and Adeline Trégouët, published in Courrier Cadres. The article highlights the challenges job candidates throughout Europe have to face and criticises discriminatory recruitment practices.