Latest news with #EqualTreatmentDirective
Euractiv
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Commission revives anti-discrimination directive after 17-year standstill
A directive to enshrine anti-discrimination rules into EU and national law is being resurrected after 17 years of political limbo and threats of withdrawal. The Equal Treatment Directive would instruct EU countries to implement national laws addressing anti-discrimination and ensure equal access to social rights, education, goods and services, and protection on grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. The bill, which was originally presented in 2008, has been stuck in the Council for nearly two decades, and the European Commission signalled earlier this year that it intended to scrap it altogether. Now, as first reported by Euractiv, the Commission has reversed its decision, saying it "has decided to maintain for further political discussion the proposal for the Equal Treatment Directive," a Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday. Back and forth In its 2025 work programme released early this year, the Commission listed the proposal amongst legislation the executive was looking to scrap, citing that "the proposal is blocked and further progress is unlikely." In May, however, Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib told dismayed lawmakers in the Parliament's civil liberties committee that the Commission would take feedback from MEPs into account. While the Parliament's political leaders endorsed the Commission's plans to withdraw, the committee chairs in June urged the executive to keep it alive. A month later, 14 EU countries signed a letter, asking the Commission to drop its plans to withdraw the proposal. Eventually, the Commission budged and is now keeping the directive on the agenda, "having considered the supportive position expressed by the Parliament and by a large majority of member states in the Council," a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv. "We will therefore redouble our efforts in supporting the [Danish] presidency and the member states with all possible means to help find an agreement on this important proposal." Movement in December The Danish presidency is expected to bring the issue to the agenda when EU employment and social ministers meet in early December. "We will do our best to bring progress and continue bilateral consultations with the countries still opposed," Danish Minister of Social Affairs, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, told MEPs in the Parliament's employment committee last week. A February briefing from the Parliament's research service suggests that many EU countries have improved their legislation in the 17 years that have passed since the original proposal. Germany, Czechia, and Italy are understood to be the three main holdouts in the Council. Parliamentarians have been celebrating the U-turn, taking credit for it. "Thanks to progressive political forces refusing to accept the Commission's idea of withdrawing the legislation, we managed, after much persistent lobbying, to get the Commission to change its mind," Green Swedish lawmaker Alice Bah Kuhnke told Euractiv. "It is a result of months of hard work from myself and fellow negotiators," centre-right MEP Maria Walsh wrote on her website. (mm)
Euronews
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Exclusive: Commission has change of heart on anti-discrimination law
The European Commission has revived its proposal for an Equal Treatment Directive, aimed at extending anti-discrimination protections beyond the workplace, after giving up on the idea earlier this year. 'This directive would fill a major gap in the EU legislation on non-discrimination by expanding the protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation beyond the area of employment,' a Commission spokesperson told Euronews. First proposed by the Commission in 2008, the directive has remained stalled in the Council of the EU, despite progress in the European Parliament. In February, the EU executive proposed to withdraw the proposal from its work programme for 2025 as they saw 'no foreseeable agreement'. The decision took civil society and other EU institutions by surprise, prompting swift criticism. At the time, Alice Bah Kuhnke (The Greens/Sweden), rapporteur on the file at the Parliament, called it 'a scandal', urging the EU to step up and push for fresh, ambitious legislation in the face of global backsliding on diversity and equality following decisions of Donald Trump's administration. 'This week's decision severely undermines the EU's commitment to building a Union of Equality at a time when marginalised communities require greater protection than ever,' read an open letter from civil society organisations working on anti-discrimination in Europe. Now, the EU executive has brought the talks back 'having considered the supportive position expressed by the European Parliament and by a large majority of member states in the Council'. For the anti-discrimination proposal to progress to interinstitutional negotiations between the Parliament, the Commission and member states in the Council, who have so far remained at odds over the proposal. As Euronews reported in June, three member states — Czechia, Germany, and Italy — still oppose the draft compromise text. Despite making it a priority, the Polish Presidency failed to secure an agreement during its six-month term. As previously reported, a leaked document dated 6 June and seen by Euronews stated: 'In the absence of any additional drafting suggestions from the Member States with outstanding concerns, the Presidency has not been able to propose a new compromise text.' According to a report by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), adopting a "horizontal equality directive" could generate up to €55 million per year, improving health outcomes, educational attainment, and social cohesion for individuals at risk of discrimination. It now falls to the Danish Presidency to reinitiate the discussions. Denmark has confirmed it will seek the required unanimity in the Council and that the directive will be discussed at the social affairs ministerial meeting in December.
