4. The Committee notes with satisfaction the recent adoption of the National Action Plan against Racism, dealing with the issues of the living environment, awareness-raising and equal treatment in the labour market, in accordance with the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

5. The Committee welcomes the progress made towards the full implementation of article 4 of the Convention through the adoption of further amendments to the Criminal Code increasing the maximum penalties for structural forms of systematic racial discrimination.

6. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the bill of 10 February 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.

7. The Committee commends the fact that foreigners who have been legally resident in the Netherlands for five years are entitled to vote and to stand for local election.

8. The Committee also notes with satisfaction the establishment in 2001 of the Committee on the Employment of Women from Ethnic Minority Groups aimed at promoting participation of ethnic minority women in society and in the labour market.
9. The Committee notes with appreciation that the State party has ratified the amendments to article 8, paragraph 6, of the Convention.

The Committee encourages the State party to continue monitoring all tendencies which may give rise to racist and xenophobic behaviour and to combat the negative consequences of such tendencies. The Committee further recommends

that the State party continue to promote general awareness of diversity and multiculturalism at all levels of education, paying particular attention to respect

for the cultural rights of minorities, and pursue the effective implementation of measures to facilitate the integration of minority groups in Dutch society.

The Committee encourages the State party to continue its efforts to combat this contemporary manifestation of racial discrimination and wishes to be informed of measures taken in this regard.

In the light of its general recommendation XIX on the prevention, prohibition and eradication of racial segregation and apartheid, the Committee recalls that racial segregation can also arise without any initiative or direct involvement by the public authorities and encourages the State party to continue monitoring all trends which may give rise to racial or ethnic segregation and take measures to minimize the resulting negative consequences. Furthermore, the Committee invites the State party to provide in its next periodic report information on any action taken to address this issue.

The Committee recommends that the State party take adequate policy measures to ensure proper representation of ethnic minority groups in the labour market.

The Committee requests the State party to ensure that its asylum procedures are in full conformity with international standards and, when proceeding with the return of asylum-seekers to their countries, to respect the principle of non-refoulement when there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a risk to their lives or physical integrity, as well as the principles of family unity and appropriate treatment of minors.

The Committee encourages the State party to continue promoting the effective implementation of measures aimed at ensuring that the ethnic composition of the police appropriately reflects the ethnic composition of Dutch society and invites the State party to include in its next report statistical information in this respect.