After 17 years of negotiations, the European Commission is preparing to withdraw one of the EU’s most important – yet still unrealised – anti-discrimination proposals: the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive. This landmark legislation was meant to guarantee equal treatment for all in accessing goods and services, regardless of religion, belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation. But if the withdrawal proceeds as announced, millions of Europeans – including older people – risk being left without the protections they deserve.
Sign the petition to defend your rights
AGE Platform Europe is calling on citizens, civil society, and decision-makers to act now. Sign the petition and urge the European Commission to keep the directive alive.
Age remains the most under-protected ground in EU anti-discrimination law. While people are living longer, many older persons still face exclusion – from buying insurance, driving, volunteering, accessing credit, or simply living independently in their own homes. These barriers are not just unfair; they undermine public health, economic growth, and social cohesion.
Read here our briefing about why this directive is important for older people.
‘Nobody is immune to age discrimination; it can affect anyone, at any point in life’, warns AGE Platform Europe Secretary General, Maciej Kucharczyk. ‘To withdraw from this commitment at such a critical time – when discrimination on all grounds is on the rise – and without proposing any alternative is worrying, undermines the EU’s credibility as a world champion of human rights and also goes against EU’s quest for competitiveness and economic growth.’
Maciej Kucharczyk
Secretary General of AGE Platform Europe
Data backs the urgency: studies by the European Parliamentary Research Service show that extending protection to cover age equally could bring both social justice and economic returns – including potential health gains worth €55 million annually.
At a time when Europe faces deepening demographic shifts, legal clarity and fairness are more important than ever. The directive is not only a tool for justice – it’s a necessity for resilience, dignity, and inclusion in an ageing Europe.
The petition is live. The window for action is closing fast. Join us in standing up for equal rights for all ages.
(available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese)
Share the petition widely and tell your representatives that equality must not be optional.
Useful links
- EU steps back on Equality Protection
- Joint Statement from civil society organisations
- The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) briefing on equal treatment directive
- Proposal for the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive
- European Parliament - Anti-discrimination directive
- European Commission’s 2025 Work Programme
- AGE Manifesto - The Europe we want is for all ages
Contact
