asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the meaning of (a) "racism" and (b) "xenophobia" in Article 29 (formerly Article K1) of the Treaty of Amsterdam. [HL 1147]

Article 29 of the Treaty of the European Union, as amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam, sets "preventing and combating racism and xenophobia" as an element in achieving the objective of providing citizens with "a high level of safety within an area of freedom, security and justice". The Treaty provides for no definition of the terms "racism" and "xenophobia". In the view of the United Kingdom Government, the terms are to be given their ordinarily accepted meaning, having regard to the context in which they are used. In Article 29, the terms are used more particularly in connection with the prevention and combat of crime.