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.
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