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2005-06r has seen a series of important developments in the European Union’s efforts to combat discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for all in Europe – both in terms of laws and other forms of action.
Despite delays in some countries, the EU’s Member States have continued to adopt and amend national laws to bring them into line with the EU anti-discrimination legislation adopted in 2000. Some of the changes relate to disability and age discrimination, where an extended deadline for introducing certain provisions into national law – expiring at the end of 2006 – was applied by several countries.
Part I of this report summarises these developments in anti-discrimination legislation and presents the state of play in each of the 25 Member States. It takes a look at how the individual’s rights to equal treatment laid down in EU law can be protected and enforced. This part also explains several of the legislation’s key concepts and includes case studies revealing how they are applied in practice. In June 2005, the European Commission set out its new framework strategy as part of a concerted effort to promote equality and non-discrimination in the EU. While a great deal of progress has been made in recent years, discrimination still remains a fact of life for many people in our societies. The strategy is designed to ensure that discrimination is effectively tackled, diversity is celebrated and equal opportunities for all are promoted. At its centrepiece is the designation of 2007 as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The European Year will build on the success of the Community Action Programme to combat discrimination by providing a new boost to making equal treatment a reality for everyone in the EU.
Part II of this report sets out the main objectives of the Year, explains what will happen and when, and asks several key stakeholders in the fight against discrimination about their hopes and expectations for the Year – as well as how they plan to get involved. Since most of the European Year’s activities will be decentralised to national, regional and local level, the crucial contact points for people planning to participate are set out for each country in a table on p. 42.
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