(BRUSSELS) - Most EU citizens are prepared to share sensitive personal information on their religion or ethnic origin in order to battle discrimination, according to a European Commission report released Tuesday.

Seventy-five percent of those questioned said they would agree to hand over information on their ethnic background, anonymously, to help build up a picture of the victims of discrimination, the Eurobarometer study showed.

Almost as many, 74 percent, were willing to hand over information on their religion while 71 percent said they would do so on questions of health and handicaps.

The figure drops slightly, though remains a strong majority at 65 percent, when the question is on sexual orientation, according to the report.

Collecting data on ethnicity, viewed by some officials as desirable to better measure discrimination, is currently banned in most EU member states.

Debate on the issue is underway particularly in France where the national information and freedom commission is due to report in March.

According to the EU study, 78 percent of French respondents were prepared to hand over information on their ethnic origin.

The poll, carried out last June and July in the then 25 EU member states (before Bulgaria and Romania joined this month) was published to coincide with the launch of the "European Year of Equal Opportunities for All".

Sixty-four percent of those questioned said discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin was widespread, as opposed to 30 percent who said it was rare.

However the figures ranged widely between member states.

A total of 85 percent of Swedish respondents, 83 percent of Dutch and 80 percent of French considered race discrimination to be rampant whereas only 33 percent of Poles, 29 percent of Latvians and 23 percent of Lithuanians agreed.

"The results of today's survey send a clear message that Europeans think discrimination remains rife and they are ready for stronger measures to fight prejudice, intolerance and inequality," said EU Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla.

"I am confident that the 2007 European Year for Equal Opportunities for All will spark a lively debate on diversity, giving a new impetus to tackling discrimination effectively," he added.

Elsewhere in the report, 53 percent of Europeans felt that discrimination was widespread against those with a disability and 50 percent saw discrimination over sexual orientation.

Less than half saw widespread discrimination in the areas of age (46 percent), religion or beliefs (44 percent) and gender (40 percent).

On the gender front, however, just one percent of respondents thought it was an advantage to be a woman, against 49 percent who thought it was an advantage to be a man.

One of the main initiatives of the European equality year will be an "Equality Summit" in Berlin next week, which will bring together EU leaders, equality Ministers and senior Representatives of civil society.

European year of Equal Opportunities for All –Eurobarometer on Discrimination

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