10. 6. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 151/1 I (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1035/97 of 2 June 1997 establishing a European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Commission stressed ‘the prime importance they attach to the protection of fundamental rights’ and Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European declared that ‘in the exercise of their powers and in Community, and in particular Article 213 and Article 235 pursuance of the aims of the European Communities thereof, they respect and will continue to respect those rights’; Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- (5) Whereas on 11 June 1986, the European Parliament, Hament (3, the Council, the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council and the Commission Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social adopted a Joint Declaration on racism and xeno- Committee (), phobia () stressing the ‘importance of adequate and objective information and of making all citizens aware of the dangers of racism and xenophobia, and the need to ensure that all acts or forms of discrim- ination are prevented or curbed’; Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions, (1) Whereas the Community must respect fundamental rights in formulating and applying its ‘policies and (6) Whereas on 29 May 1990 the Council and the repre- the legal acts which it adopts; whereas, in particular, compliance with human rights constitutes a condi- tion of the legality of Community acts; (2) Whereas the collection and analysis of objective, reli- able and comparable information on the phenomena of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism are there- fore necessary at Community level to provide full information to the Community on those phenomena so as to enable the Community to meet its obligation to respect fundamental rights and to enable it to take account of them in formulating and applying whatever policies and acts it adopts in its sphere of competence; (3) Whereas the importance of respect for human rights has been stressed on many occasions by the Community institutions and the Member States; (4) Whereas in a Joint Declaration of 5 April 1977 () the European Parliament, the Council and the sentative of the governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, adopted a Resolution on the fight against racism and xenophobia (¥); (7) Whereas on § October 1995 the Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, adopted a Res- olution on the fight against racism and xenophobia in the fields of employment and social affairs () and on 23 October 1995 they adopted a Resolution on the response of educational systems to the problems of racism and xenophobia (*); (8) Whereas on 15 July 1996 the Council, acting on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, adopted a Joint Action concerning action to combat racism and xenophobia (%) () OJ No C 158, 25. 6. 1986, p. 1. () OJ No C 78, 12. 3. 1987, p. 15. () OJ No C 157, 27. 6. 1990, p. 1. () OJ No C 132, 28. 4. 1997. () OJ No C 296, 10. 11. 1995, p. 13. () OJ No C 158, 26. 5. 1997, p. 9. () O] No C 312, 23. 11. 1995, p. 1. () OJ No C 103, 27. 4. 1977, p. 1. () O] No L 185, 24. 7. 1996, p. 5.