Ex officio investigations into violations of the principle of equal treatment: The role of labour inspectorates and other bodies

This article argues that although there is no explicit legal requirement for the EU Member States to conduct ex officio investigations into violations of the principle of equal treatment as defined by some of the EU anti-discrimination directives (the focus of this article is on the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive, as well as partly on the Recast Directive), this type of investigation – in other than criminal proceedings – is essential for combating discrimination and thus meeting the core requirements of the directives.

The focus of the article is on the field of employment only, although its content is, with the necessary adjustments, also applicable to fields outside of employment.