Non-discrimination

MINDSET survey analysis on the needs of equality bodies and civil society organisations
This Survey Analysis is part of the project MINDSET co-financed by DG JUST through the REC Programme. The concept has been developed due to the gap between EU legislation in the field of non-discrimination based on ethnic origin and the implementation …

Anti-gay vote ruins Ukraine’s chances for visa-free travel
Est. 4minUkraine's parliament yesterday (5 November) scuppered the ex-Soviet country's chances of visa-free travel to most EU nations by blocking legislation that would have banned discrimination against gays in the workplace.

Commission wants member states to criminalise hate speech
Est. 4minJustice Commissioner V?ra Jourová said on Thursday (1 October) that member states have the obligation to criminalise hate speech and make sure the law is enforced.

NGOs tell Germany to stop blocking anti-discrimination directive
Est. 5minAlmost all EU member states are in favour of a planned Union-wide directive against discrimination. Only Berlin objects, and has been targeted by human rights associations, demanding that it stop blocking the legislation. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Irish referendum stirs up same-sex marriage debate in Germany
Est. 5minConservative opposition to same-sex unions in Germany is beginning to crumble after a referendum over the weekend legalised gay marriage in ultra-Catholic Ireland. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Juncker tells Britain to ease up on migrants
Est. 2minEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Britain not to discriminate against workers from fellow EU countries and said any moves to restrict the free movement of people could ultimately harm capital flows into London's financial centre.

EU anti-discrimination law one step closer to adoption
Est. 3minBlocked by some member states, EU anti-discrimination rules could be pushed forward through enhanced cooperation, suggested European Commissioner Martine Reicherts, stressing that transgender people in more than half of EU countries must choose between getting sterilised or not having their identity recognised under national law.

German coalition partners clash over motorway toll
Est. 3minGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian coalition partner have clashed in an unusually public spat over plans to introduce a motorway toll that critics say is designed to fleece foreigners.

Hungary criticises EU Commission’s ‘lack of flexibility’ on Roma policies
Est. 6minPresenting its programme on Roma inclusion, Hungary asked the European Commission to be more responsive to national circumstances regarding minorities, while EU officials called for legally-binding integration measures.

Anti-poverty NGO: ‘The last European elections as we know it’
Est. 4minIn 2012, 124.5 million Europeans were considered “at risk of poverty or social exclusion” according to Eurostat, injecting a sense of urgency into an anti-poverty campaign launched in Brussels yesterday (4 March) ahead of the May European elections.

EU demands more reforms from Ukraine to lift visa barrier
Est. 6minWhile the lead-up to the Vilnius Eastern partnership summit has focused on a mooted EU-Ukraine association agreement, another subject that is dear to Ukrainians will be discussed, free movement across the European Union.

Slovakia told to tear down Roma segregation wall
Est. 3minEuropean Commissioner for Education and Culture Androulla Vassiliou has sharply criticised the authorities in the Slovak city of Košice for constructing a wall to segregate the city's Roma community.

UK plan for EU nationals’ IDs seen as unlawful
Est. 3minPlans by British authorities to require EU citizens to carry a "European residence document" would violate EU law, Commission sources told EURACTIV.

British woman wins religious discrimination case
Est. 3minAn employee who was asked by British Airways to remove a Christian cross from around her neck has won a religious discrimination case at Europe's human rights court but three other claimants lost similar cases on Tuesday (15 January).

Women likely to face higher insurance costs
Est. 3minA European Union ban on insurers using gender to set prices, which comes into force today (21 December), will likely lead to higher insurance costs for consumers.

Reding pushes 40% female quota on corporate boards
Est. 4minThree weeks after her initial plan to impose gender quotas on company boards met with strong opposition, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding unveiled a new proposal. But this time it was criticised for being too weak.

France, Romania sign Roma repatriation deal
Est. 3minFrance and Romania have signed a deal on the voluntary repatriation of Roma to Romania, with both sides saying that “time” and “patience” were needed to solve Roma migration problems.

France wants to convene EU summit on Roma issue
Est. 4minFrench Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault says his country will request “in the following days” holding a European Council meeting to make decisions “at the European level” on the Roma - many of them from Romania and Bulgaria - who settle in illegal camps in France and other countries.

France puts Roma issue on EU summit agenda
Est. 3minThe French government will ask the Cyprus EU presidency to put the question of Roma inclusion on the agenda of the 18-19 October European summit, the government announced yesterday (22 August).

French cabinet under fire over Roma expulsions
Est. 4min
Rights groups have accused France’s Socialist leaders of abandoning electoral promises by continuing the arbitrary expulsions of Eastern European Roma that were begun under former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

MEPs blast Switzerland over workers quota, taxi restrictions
Est. 4minThe European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution yesterday (24 May), “highly regretting” the recently-introduced Swiss quotas for workers from the eight Central European countries which joined the EU in 2004. MEPs also blasted Berne for not allowing German and Austrian taxis to take passengers from Zurich airport.

Poland exposes Dutch plans to expel EU citizens
Est. 3minA leading Polish MEP today (2 May) spoke out strongly against Dutch plans to expel EU citizens who make "disproportionate claims" on the social benefit system in the Netherlands, or who have committed "very serious or repeated offences".

Commission wants Roma kids at school
Est. 7minMaking sure that all Roma children go to school is a top priority for the European Commission, which presented proposals yesterday (5 April) for each EU member state to develop a national strategy for Roma integration by the end of the year.

EU court rules in favour of ‘unisex’ insurance
Est. 4minStarting from 2012, insurance companies will no longer be able to charge different premiums for men and women, after the European Court of Justice ruled against using gender-based criteria to set prices.